Craig Michael Considine (born 10 June 1985) is a teaching professor based in the Department of Sociology at
Rice University, where he is a Senior Lecturer.[1] Considine has written books on
Christian-Muslim relations, Prophet Muhammad’s interactions with Christians, and Islam in America.
Life and career
Birth and family
Craig Considine was born in 1985 and spent his childhood in
Needham, Massachusetts. He is of Irish and Italian descent.[2] In his youth, Considine attended the Catholic school Saint Bartholomew's Church and the Needham Public Schools system[citation needed]. As a college student, he wanted to study
Arabic and become an intelligence agent, so that he could spy on ‘bad’ Muslims[citation needed]. At the time, he had never even met a Muslim, and admitted to having fallen into the ‘
Islamophobia trap.’[3]
In 2001, Considine first experienced discrimination against the Muslim community. On the day the
World Trade Center was hit, his class was told that it was a
terrorist attack. And on the days following this event, Considine overheard his schoolmates saying, ‘Down with Muslims.’ According to him, this was not something he could stand by.[4]
Considine holds the position of Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Rice University.[1] In 2020, he received a teaching award from Rice University for having the highest student evaluations among social science courses.[6] As of 2024, Considine has a
h-index of 6.[7]
Documentary and Books
Beyond Dialogue - Building Bonds Between Christians and Muslims (2024)
Considine's latest book will be published by Polity Press in 2024. The book addresses interfaith community building.[8]
People of the Book - Prophet Muhammad's Encounters with Christians (2021)
Hurst and Oxford University published Considine's seventh book.[9][10] He described the book as taking readers on a journey through Muhammad's life and his interactions with Christians in the Arabian Peninsula. As he explores these relationships, Considine considers the respective beliefs of the people Muhammad encountered, including how they felt about Jesus and Christianity as a whole.[11] Samuel Sweeney wrote a negative review in
The Wall Street Journal[12], stressing that
"Considine misunderstands the role of ’asabiyya as
Ibn Khaldun meant it", summarising the book as making "dubious claims about ideas that emerge from Islamic history", and suggesting that "It is hard to imagine a more pained attempt to project modern values onto a medieval concept". Charles Tieszen provided a similarly negative review of the book in the journal of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations[13]. Tieszen stated that "readers who hope to use the book as a scholarly overview, whether for historical scholarship or in the classroom, will be inevitably dissatisfied and perhaps even at times disappointed", and describing the book as "not a scholarly engagement" but instead a text that "neglects historiography and literary contextualization".[14] Tieszen noted that Considine is "keen to contextualize and problematize qur’anic passages when it suits him but is entirely uninterested in doing so with other sources when such analysis could weaken or obscure his argument".[15]
The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View (2020)
In 2020, Considine's "The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View" was published by Blue Dome Press[16]. In the book, Considine offers a Christian perspective on Islamic beliefs.[17] The book received a positive review in Memo: Middle East Monitor, describing the book as "clearly a heartfelt and very personal perspective."[18]
Muslims in America: Examining the Facts (2018)
Considine's second book was published in 2018 by Bloomsbury.[19] It is part of a series published by Bloomsbury to provide simple introductions, in the form of 30-40 questions and answers, to non-expert audiences[20]. Considine's book provides a brief introduction to 31 questions about Muslims in American society.[21]
Islam, Race, and Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora (2017)
Considine's first book was published in 2017 by Routledge.[22] It was about what he referred to as ‘
Pakphobia’ or the aversion to
Pakistan in the Irish and American context and the perceived threat of
radical Islam.[3]
Journey into America (documentary) (2009)
In 2008 and 2009, Considine directed "Journey into America," an amateur documentary following
Akbar Ahmed and a group of young researchers as they document Muslim experiences in America.[23]Considine's participation in the film project was funded by
Dar Al Islam, an institution in
New Mexico for Islamic education.[4] Neither
Rotten Tomatoes nor
IMDb records any reviews by professional critics or audience members.[24][25] A review in
Anthropology Today described the documentary as "a combination of morality tale and road movie," summarizing that it is "intricately composed" although "inconveniently long."[26] It was premiered at the Islamic Society of North America conference in Washington, DC on July 4, 2009.[27]
Works
Books
Beyond Dialogue - Building Bonds Between Christians and Muslims. 2024. Polity Press. ISBN 1509555269, 9781509555260
The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian View. 2020. Blue Dome Press. ISBN 978-1-68206-529-7.[2][17][28][29][30]
Islam in America: Exploring the Issues. 2019.
Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4408-6631-9.
Muhammad Nabi Cinta - Catatan Seorang Nasrani Tentang Rasulullah Saw. 2018. Mizan.
Muslims in America: Examining the Facts. 2018.
Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4408-6054-6.[21][31][32]
Islam, Race, and Pluralism in the Pakistani Diaspora. 2017.
Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-46275-2.[3][33][34][35]
Trinity College Dublin - Journal of Postgraduate Research - Ireland's Research on the Global Stage (Volume 11). 2011. Trinity College Dublin Graduate Students' Union. ASIN B00AO3Y7MU.[36]
Journal articles
Young Pakistani Men and Irish Identity - Religion, Race, and Ethnicity in Post-Celtic Tiger Ireland. 2018. Sociology.[37]