Bridging Differences & Building Understanding: Queens Students Explore Christian-Muslim Relations in New Course

As part of Queens University’s general education program, the university will be offering a new course this semester, “Christian-Muslim Engagement in the United States.” Courses in the general education program are a cornerstone of the student experience, designed to provide a rich liberal arts foundation while building essential skills for success after graduation. It’s a curriculum that engages every undergraduate student, fostering creative, independent thinkers who can navigate a complex world, where different ideas, beliefs, and identities are uplifted and celebrated.

Taught by Queens faculty member Hadia Mubarak, Ph.D., associate professor of religion, and university chaplain Adrian Bird, Ph.D., the class aims to engage students in thought-provoking discussions about the unique and sometimes complex history of Christian-Muslim relations in the United States.

“As an American Muslim woman who grew up in north Florida, the heart of the ‘Bible Belt,’ I learned at a young age the value of interreligious engagement,” said Mubarak. “Some of my closest friends were Christians, and despite our religious differences, our shared purpose of believing in a higher power and our shared aspiration of living moral and worthy lives overshadowed any differences we had.”

Mubarak and Bird have created an extensive curriculum and have designed lessons which examine how Islam and Christianity have interacted in America, examining moments of both cooperation and conflict.

“Christians and Muslims have been encountering one another for centuries, and this course allows us to delve deeply into the good, bad, and ugly of these encounters in the context of the United States,” said Bird. “It promises to be a wonderful and enlightening experience for both the students and the professors.”

The class will cover everything from the experiences of enslaved Muslim Africans and their fight for religious freedom to the influence of figures like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. on the Civil Rights Movement. By analyzing historical events through different lenses, students will learn how Christian and Muslim communities’ perceptions of each other have often been shaped by historical and political events that do not reflect the traditions’ core teachings. It will also challenge students to develop the tools necessary to navigate a society where religious pluralism is a defining feature.

The class is part of a Queens Learning Community (QLC), a unique network of academic courses where students explore different topics through various perspectives. Students in this class will also enroll in a paired biology course called “The Science Underlying Identity.” In this science course, students will investigate the mechanisms of heredity and how they influence the way people think about themselves and others. Together, these courses will explore the racial, religious, and ethnic subcultures of America through historical and biological narratives.

The course was made possible by a grant from Interfaith America, an organization that promotes pluralism by providing funding, resources, and curricula to support interfaith cooperation and bridge-building. This summer, Interfaith America held a Leadership Summit in Chicago, the nation’s largest gathering of college students and educators committed to American civic pluralism.

Emily Allison ‘28, an honors student with a double major in creative writing and professional writing and rhetoric and a minor in interfaith studies, was part of Queens’ student delegation to the summit and enrolled in the course in an effort to continue her journey of becoming a conscientious global citizen. She was a participant in the university’s 2025 Border Immersion Trip.

“This class, along with my experiences at the border and the Interfaith Summit, has taught me the importance of active listening and understanding others, which are crucial skills for creating and maintaining meaningful relationships in our society,” she said.

Reflecting on the unique course and its importance, Allison said, “It’s unique for two professors of different faiths to come together and create a brave space where students are encouraged to have open dialogues about interfaith studies and religious diversity. A class like this is vital for society. It’s about recognizing our differences and consciously choosing to build relationships anyway.”