Munther Al-Hayek

Munther Al-Hayek

A Syrian writer and historian, born in Homs in 1944. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from Damascus University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Lebanese University in 1978, specializing in Arab and Islamic history.

He works as a professor of history at the Faculty of Arts, Al-Baath University, Homs. He is the founder of a cultural project that began with his interest in international relations. His doctoral dissertation was titled “International Relations in the Age of the Crusades,” after which he authored a series of four books on international relations in the Middle Ages. His interest then broadened to include religious studies, starting with India, where he wrote books on Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. He later published a book on the Baha’i Faith. He also produced several historical and heritage studies, such as those on the Ayyubid era, the end of the Ottoman Empire, and Abu Firas al-Hamdani. About two years ago, with the rise of religious extremism, he decided to embark on a comprehensive project in comparative religion, focusing on comparative and critical studies of some holy books.

As for his current project, which is about comparative religion and is being published successively in a series entitled Sacred Books Series, the importance of this project lies in the fact that it aims, through scientific analysis and criticism and rearranging ideas and beliefs with complete transparency and objectivity, to reach with the reader a completely clear conclusion that all religions are from one source, that their spirit is morality, and that their goal is the comfort of the human soul. I aspire through this work to be able to form a nucleus or foundation for comparative religion, far from fanaticism and preconceived opinions. I believe that we now, as in all contemporary societies, need such work if we want to continue to live together in this world.

Books By Munther Al-Hayek