Let there be no Compulsion in Religion (Sura 2:256)

Prof. Dr. Christine Schirrmacher (MA in Islamic Studies 1988, Dr. phil. Islamic Studies 1991) studied Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Middle Eastern History and Islamic Studies in Giessen and Bonn, Germany. She is currently Professor of Islamic Studies at the "Evangelisch-Theologische Faculteit" (Protestant University) in Leuven/Belgium as well as at the state University of Bonn/Germany, where she teaches at the department of Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Languages. Additionally she had guest professorships, eg at the State University of Erfurt (chair of Islamic Studies) and at the department of Anthropo-Geography at the State University of Tubingen/Germany. Dr Schirrmacher has given guest lectures on several continents, eg recently at the University of Hongkong, Sofia/Bulgaria and Brest/Belarus and has visited most countries of the Middle East.
Schirrmacher is head of the International Institute of Islamic Studies (IIIS) of the World Evangelical Alliance as well as of its German speaking counterpart run by the Evangelical Alliance of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. She is "Commissioner for Islamic Affairs", i. e., the official speaker and advisor on Islam for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).
Schirrmacher also lectures on Islam and security issues to the German parliament and different government institutions, eg to the Academy of Foreign Affairs Germany, is author of about 15 books on Islam some of which are translated into English, Spanish, Romanian, Korean and Swahili. She is engaged in current dialogue initiatives, like the conference "Loving God and Neighbour in Word and Deed: Implications for Muslims and Christians" of the Yale Centre for Faith and Culture, Yale University, New Haven/Connecticut, in July 2008.