Nazir-Ali, Michael 1949-

PERSONAL:

Born 1949, in Pakistan; married; wife's name Valerie; children: Shamaoun, Ross. Education: Graduate, University of Karachi, Pakistan, and Fitzwilliam College and Ridley Hall, Cambridge; postgraduate studies at several colleges. Religion: Anglican. Hobbies and other interests: Theology, cricket, hockey, table tennis, scrabble, listening to music, watching television, and reading humor, detective fiction, and poetry.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishops-court, Rochester, Kent ME1 1TS, England.

CAREER:

Writer, bishop, educator. Former parish priest, Karachi, Pakistan; Provost of Lahore Cathedral, 1981-84; first Bishop of Raiwind, 1984-86; member of the Archbishop of Canterbury's staff, 1986; General Secretary of the Church Mission Society, 1989-94; 106th Bishop of Rochester, England, 1994—. Instructor at universities in England, Pakistan, and New Zealand; visiting lecturer in Canada, the United States, and Australia; visiting Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Greenwich; fellow of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford; chairman of council, Trinity College, Bristol. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, member and chair of Ethics and Law Committee, 1997-2003; Crown Appointments Review Group, theological consultant, 1998-2001; Mission Theology Advisory Group of the Board of Mission, chairman, 1992-2001; House of Lords, 1999—; Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, director; Christian Aid, former director; Dialogue of Scholars, founding member; Network for Inter-Faith Concerns in the Anglican Communion, president; Archbishop's Commission on Communion and Women in the Episcopate (Eames's Commission), secretary; Working Party on Women in the Episcopate, chair; House of Bishops Theological Group, chair; member of the Anglican and Roman Catholic International Commission, the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission, the Archbishops' Council, and the House of Bishops's Standing Committee.

MEMBER:

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, House of Lords,

WRITINGS:

Islam: A Christian Perspective, Westminster Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1983.

Frontiers in Muslim-Christian Encounter, Regnuum (Oxford, England), 1987.

Martyrs and Magistrates: Toleration and Trial in Islam, Grove (Nottingham, England), 1989.

From Everywhere to Everywhere: A World View of Christian Witness, Collins (London, England), 1990.

The Roots of Islamic Tolerance: Origin and Development, Oxford Project for Peace Studies (Oxford, England), 1990.

Mission and Dialogue: Proclaiming the Gospel Afresh in Every Age, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (London, England), 1995.

Citizens and Exiles: Christian Faith in a Plural World, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (London, England), 1998.

Shapes of the Church to Come, Kingsway (Eastbourne, England), 2001.

Understanding My Muslim Neighbor: Some Questions and Answers, Canterbury Press (Norwich, England), 2002.

Conviction and Conflict: Islam, Christianity and World Order, Continuum (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

The Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali is also the author of numerous works on Christianity and Islam. Born in Pakistan and the son of Muslim converts to Christianity, Nazir-Ali has a unique perspective on the relations between the two religions. His 2006 work, Conviction and Conflict: Islam, Christianity and World Order, presents the text of his Scott Holland Lectures at Oxford University in 2005. In this book, the author explores topics from nationalism to Islamic law, and from the idea of a just war to interfaith dialogue. Nazir-Ali also provides an overview of long-term relations between Christians and Muslims. Sandra Collins, writing in the Library Journal, found Conviction and Conflict "erudite and thoughtful," as well as "intellectually and politically/socially well informed." Further praise came from Church Times contributor Philip Lewis, who termed the book a "fine work by a critical friend of Muslims." Hugh Boulter, reviewing the same book for the Diocese of Oxford, Anglican Church Web site, described it as "a useful summary of the history of relations between Christians and Muslims and draws on Nazir-Ali's particular knowledge of Pakistan."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Christianity Today, March 1, 1985, Harry Genet, review of Islam: A Christian Perspective, p. 56.

International Bulletin of Missionary Research, April 1, 1990, J. Dudley Woodberry, review of Frontiers in Muslim-Christian Encounter, p. 91; July 1, 1992, Martin Conway, review of From Everywhere to Everywhere: A World View of Christian Witness, p. 133.

International and Comparative Law Quarterly, April 1, 1984, review of Islam, p. 507.

Journal of Ecumenical Studies, January 1, 1990, Masood Ghaznavi, review of Frontiers in Muslim-Christian Encounter, p. 133.

Library Journal, June 1, 2006, Sandra Collins, review of Conviction and Conflict: Islam, Christianity and World Order, p. 126.

National Catholic Reporter, March 30, 2001, "Addenda," p. 8.

New Scientist, May 11, 2002, "All for the Love of God," p. 46.

Theology, March 1, 1999, Alan Race, review of Citizens and Exiles: Christian Faith in a Plural World, p. 145.

Time International, January 28, 2002, "Canterbury Tattle-Tales: Smears Tarnish the Start of the Race to Find a New Archbishop, But at Least the British Are Noticing," p. 16.

ONLINE

101Pakistanis.com,http://www.101pakistanis.com/ (June 13, 2007), "Rt. Rev'd. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali."

BBC News Online,http://www.bbc.co.uk/ (June 20, 2002), Alex Kirby, "Canterbury Candidate—Michael Nazir-Ali."

Church Times,http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/ (June 9, 2006), Philip Lewis, review of Conviction and Conflict.

Diocese of Oxford, Anglican Church Web site,http://www.oxford.anglcian.org/ (November 27, 2006), Hugh Boulter, review of Conviction and Conflict.

Diocese of Rochester, Anglican Church Web site,http://www.rochester.anglican.org/ (June 13, 2007), "Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali."