The European Qur??n: Encounters with the Holy Text of Islam from the Ninth to the Twentieth Century

What role does the Holy Scripture of Islam, the Qurʾān, play in the history of European thought? How has it been read and understood in Europe since the first translations in the Middle Ages? The Qurʾān and Islam are traditionally seen as an antithesis to Europe’s self-narrative of cultural achievements: the Enlightenment, secularization, and religious tolerance. Some claim that Islam in general and the Qurʾān in particular are alien to Europe’s culture and political institutions. This publication endeavours to counter this popular belief and to tell a different story by documenting the role the Qurʾān has played in the formation of culture, religion, scholarship, and politics in Europe.

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Exhibition Weltmuseum Wien
September 18, 2024 to August 24, 2025