The Twin Sins of Islamophobia and Antisemitism

Why Christians Can’t Do Dialogue in Isolation

Presentation by Rita George-Tvrtković, Ph.D. 
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 — 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Quad 264, Saint John’s University
Free and open to the public
This is a Race/Ethnicity co-curricular designated event

In this presentation, Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković will draw on her historical scholarship and her contemporary work in Christian-Muslim relations in post 9/11 America, including on the campus of the Catholic university where she teaches, which has a 25% Muslim student body. She will then discuss how in recent years she has felt compelled to address antisemitism due to escalating hate crimes against Jews in the United States, particularly since the outbreak of the current Israeli-Hamas war. Dr. George-Tvrtković will explore the relationship between antisemitism and Islamophobia and, in keeping with a number of official Catholic and Protestant church statements, explain why Christians must combat these “twin sins”— not only for the safety and well-being of Jews and Muslims but also for the integrity of Christian faith.

Rita George-Tvrtković, who earned her Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame, is professor of theology at Benedictine University in metro Chicago, where she specializes in medieval Christian-Muslim relations and contemporary interreligious dialogue. Her books include A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s Encounter with Islam, Nicholas of Cusa and Islam: Polemic and Dialogue in the Late Middle Ages (co-edited), and Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History. She has also contributed chapters to several books and articles to a number of scholarly journals, including Catholic Historical Review, Journal of Jesuit Studies, and Theological Studies. Dr. George-Tvrtković was appointed by Pope Francis to be a Consultor for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.

Sponsored in collaboration with the Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary