Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael ( Shabir's Opening Statement - 2 of 4 )

Who was the elder son of Abraham? Ishmael or Isaac? Who was the Sacrificial Son? Isaac or Ishmael Jews, Christians and Muslims agree, Abraham, the friend of God, is an example of pure and unconditional righteousness and faith. The love that Abraham displayed towards God is clearly seen in Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only beloved son. Where they do disagree on, however, is the identity of the sacrificial child. Jews and Christians claims that Isaac was the only promised child of Abraham..Muslims on the other hand believe that Ishmael was the one offered up by Abraham. Representing the Muslim perspective was Shabir Ally: Shabir Ally has earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, with a specialization in Biblical Literature, and an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Quranic Exegesis. He is now in his fourth year of Ph.D studies in Quranic Exegesis at the University of Toronto. He is the president of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International in Toronto where he functions as Imam. He travels internationally to represent Islam in public lectures and interfaith dialogues. He explains Islam on a weekly television program called "Let the Quran Speak. He's the author of the book " Is Jesus God? The Bible Says No ! " Representing the Christian side was Dr. David W Shenk: Dr Shenk was born and raised in a Christian missionary home in Tanzania. For ten years he was involved in educational work in Islamic Somalia and lectured in comparative religion and church history at Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya for six years. Since 1980 Shenk has been based at Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) headquarters, Salunga, Pennsylvania, where he helps to coordinate interfaith commitments. The Topic: Abraham Isaac and Ishmael An Interfaith Dialogue between Shabir Ally and Dr. David W Shenk (University of Central England,UK October 30, 2000)