Symposium on Martyrdom in Comparative Perspective

November 14, 2007
Location: Copley Hall Copley Formal Lounge Map

This one-day symposium looked at the phenomenon of martyrdom across the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How has legitimate martyrdom been defined by the leaders of these three faith traditions and how have believers responded to it? What purpose does martyrdom serve? Are there particular circumstances that encourage people to sacrifice their lives for the sake of God? Panelists aimed to bring clarity to these issues by offering insights from the latest thinking on martyrdom. The first panel featured Elizabeth Castelli from Barnard College and University of Oklahoma's Shmuel Shepkaru, who discussed martyrdom in Judaism and Christianity. In the second panel, Georgetown's Paul Heck and David Cook from Rice University focused on the phenomenon of martyrdom in Islam.

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Participants

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