Ian S. Markham, Engaging with Bediuzzaman Said Nursi: A Model of Interfaith Dialogue.

Kim, Heon C.

Ian S. Markham, Engaging with Bediuzzaman Said Nursi: A Model of Interfaith Dialogue. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co.; Famham, Surrey, U.K.: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2009. Pp. 179. $79.95.

This book is an excellent resource for the growing field of Nursi studies and is to be congratulated for its thoughtful insights at the intersection between Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and interfaith dialogue. Bediuzzaman, meaning "Wonder of the Age," is the honorific Turkish title of Said Nursi, who contributed a great deal to the formation of modem Turkish Islamic identity by facing up to the secularist Turkish Republic. This book examines Said Nursi's thoughts on interfaith dialogue in the contemporary context of globalism and globalization that considers both plurality of and encounters among religions. Markham is convinced and is convincing that "every religious tradition needs a Said Nursi" (p. 145), who is more "a both/and thinker than an either/or one" (p. 22). A "both/and thinker" emphasizes an interdependent relationship between self and others for mutual understanding, rather than dichotomizing them, and thereby is equipped with what Markham calls a "dialogical spirit" (p. 142).

A both/and approach characterizes this book. Notably, from a both/and standpoint, Markham finds "in Said Nursi's writings a strong commitment to love, coupled with an equally strong commitment to respecting the liberty of the other" (p. 59). This finding suggests an autonomous self whose identity is, yet, interdependent with others. Since a self exists both autonomously and interdependently, others mirror it and reflect its identity. Therefore, a self appreciates others as an equally autonomous yet different one. In this sense, Markham underlines that "when one is confident in their faith, Nursi argues, one has the freedom and security to embrace and appreciate difference" (p. 62). Understanding in this way, Markham "learns from Said Nursi" (the focus of Part One) and "rethinks dialogue" (the focus of Part Two), while keeping his own identity as a Christian priest and theologian. He confesses that "as a result of the encounter [with Said Nursi], I was changed. I found my understanding of God illuminated and my relationship to God enhanced as I worked through Bediuzzaman Said Nursi's Risale-i Nur" (p. 105). As this self-reflection illustrates, this book not only presents Said Nursi as a model of interfaith dialogue but also offers itself as a working model for professionals and practitioners in the dialogue "industry." Both Said Nursi's and Markham's models should also attract a wider readership in today's world of religious pluralism and diversity.

Heon C. Kim, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA