Dialogue is a means of communication to render knowledge and learn from each other with the aim of reaching an amicable agreement. Interreligious dialogue is considered an imperative for Muslims as clearly stated in the Quran (3:64). The Quran encourages Muslims to discuss with people of scripture, i.e. the followers of the Abrahamic religions. The history of Islam is rife with examples of interreligious dialogue such as Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) meeting with Najran Christians, the dialogue of the early Muslim immigrant with the Abyssinia King and during the Andalucia Era. In the twentieth century, particularly between 1914 and 1991, the dialogue between Abrahamic religions has witnessed a series of global historical events including the First World War, Second World War, and the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, which radically changed the face of the world. The use of religion has played a significant role in forming these events. Many academic institutions established specialised departments of religion where the study of interreligious dialogue features prominently.
Temple University in Pennsylvania, USA, is one of the first institutions to hire critical thinking faculty from different world religions to teach their religious traditions. The purpose of this study is to explore and compare the contributions of two distinguished scholars who worked concurrently at Temple University and dedicated extensive efforts to interreligious dialogue. Their contributions to dialogue are not limited to the academic writings and teaching, but they also employed their theories in practical application. The two scholars in question are the Muslim scholar Dr. Ismail R. al Faruqi and the Catholic scholar Dr. Leonard J. Swidler. The findings of this study revealed that these scholars shared similarities but also had major differences between their perspectives towards dialogue. al Faruqi's extensive education of theology and Western philosophy, as well as his solid Islamic base, made him a highly proficient interlocutor and distinguished scholar. Learning the other religions in depth from their primary sources was one of the calls to his fellow Muslims to qualify to conduct dialogue. Dialogue for him was da'wah, a mission to reach to the one and only truth (al-tawhid). For Swidler, his education concentrated on History and Philosophy. His knowledge of other religions is mainly from his discussions with different religious scholars, and that makes him more prone to their personal interpretations. His approach to dialogue is from a diplomatic and politically correct perspective. He dedicated his efforts to teaching this perspective to young scholars. Although both scholars have differences in perspectives due to their educational, religious backgrounds and historical context, both believed that interreligious dialogue is possible, crucial and highly needed for our current world.