Newsletter — October 2019

– €35,000! This year’s deficit has gradually decreased over the months thanks to tight management, but it still remains very significant! If you love IDEO, if you believe in our mission and in its many activities dedicated to research in Islamic studies, to supporting Egyptian and international students, to the careful development of a unique specialized library recognized worldwide, and to our efforts toward high-level dialogue, then we need you today. How can you help? By joining the Friends of IDEO Association, you can provide financial support simply through this link. And don’t forget that donations from donors residing in France are eligible for a significant tax deduction (66% deduction from taxable income). In the meantime, every donation counts, every donation directly supports and strengthens our work. The year is not over. The budget is not closed. The estimated deficit is only an estimate. You can still help us reduce it! We’re counting on you. Anawati Chair Seminars of the French Teaching Center of al-Azhar (CEF) On 12 November, Mr. Riccardo Paredi, (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Global Fellow at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and at New York University Abu Dhabi), led a seminar at IDEO, attended by students from the Department of Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Languages and Translation. The seminar, entitled “Working on Early Sufism in the Digital Age: Methods and Tools”, explored what it means to study early Sufi literature in the digital era, at a time when neither the boundaries of “Sufism” nor its canonical corpus are clearly defined. On 19 November, Mr. Grégory Vandamme (Catholic University of Louvain), a scholar of classical Sufi thought with a particular focus on the works of Ibn ʿArabī, gave a seminar to the students of the French Teaching Center of al-Azhar entitled “Women and Sufism”. He discussed the complex relationship between Muslim women, tradition, and patriarchal structures, and questioned how these dynamics are reflected in, or transcended by, the Sufi tradition. Academic talks On 7 November, Dennis Halft, OP gave a lecture during the 8ᵗʰ Study Day on Contemporary Shiʿism, organized at the Maison des sciences de l’homme of the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, on the topic “Interreligious Encounters in Safavid Iran: Ḥabīb al-Ḥaqq’s Miftāḥ al-ḥuqūq [The key to the truths]”. On 27 November, Emmanuel Pisani, OP presented “Tawḥīd, Image, and Royal Metaphor in al-Ġazālī (d. 505/1111)”,  at the international conference “The Divine One and Its Multiples: Models of Tawḥīd in Philosophy, Shiʿism, and Sufism”, organized by IREMAN (Aix-Marseille University) from 27 to 29 November, under the direction of Mrs. Olga L. Lizzini (AMU) and Mr. Mathieu Terrier (EPHE). On 27 November, Alberto Fabio Ambrosio, spoke at the Study Day “Encounters between Muslims and Yogis in South Asia and Beyond”, organized by the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, where he focused on “Yogic Practices and Spiritualism in Ottoman Sufism”. Lectures and talks On November 5, Jean Druel, OP gave a lecture on religious diversity in Egypt to a French delegation of Crédit Agricole bankers. On November 13, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP spoke in Liège (Belgium) for the association Solidarité-Orient, on the topic “Where does Islamic-Christian dialogue stand 60 years after Nostra Aetate?” On November 21, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis) for the Islamic-Christian Friendship Group (GAIC), in collaboration with Mohamed Khenissi, on the topic “Beyond humiliation, what resources and paths are available?”. On November 25, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP spoke at the Catholic Institute of Paris as part of the course “Pastoral in Dialogue with Islam”. Teaching In November, Jean Druel, OP began teaching a course in liturgical Arabic for first-year students at Dar Comboni (two sessions of 30 hours each). Sībawayh Seminar On November 7, Mr. Muhammad Gomaa al-Dirbi, a professor of Arabic Grammar at Luxor University, gave a presentation as part of the “Sībawayh Seminar”, organized by Jean Druel, OP.  He presented his project for a bibliogram of Sībawayh’s Kitāb. Read the report of this session… Formation in Islamic studies As part of the 2025–2026 University Certificate in Islamic studies, organized by IDEO in partnership with IFI, two lectures were given to the students: On November 14, Mr. Grégory Vandamme, gave a lecture entitled “Studying Sufi Thought: Methods and Issues”. On November 21, Mr. Mehdi Azaiez, Professor of Islamic Studies at the Catholic University of Louvain, spoke on the topic “The Qurʾān as an Object of Science”. Thesis Defense On November 24, Emmanuel Pisani, OP, as the second rapporteur, presided over the thesis defense of Mr. Benoît Tissot, entitled “Critical Edition, French Translation, and Study of the Treatise On Human Freedom (fī taḥqīq ḥuriyat al-insān) by Theodore Abū Qurra”, supervised by Mr. Éric Crégheur and Mr. Charbel Maalouf. The thesis was a joint degree between Laval University in Quebec and the Catholic Institute of Paris. Interview On November 13, Souffle inédit published an interview with Alberto Fabio Ambrosio, OP. He discussed the history of the Order of Preachers in the Middle East and highlighted the role of Dominican institutions such as IDEO. Scientific Council of the NCCMR From November 15 to 20, the scientific council of the NCCMR (Network of Centers for Christian Muslim Relations), in which IDEO participates, met in Cairo. Call for Abstracts | Conference “Priests and Sufis” The Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Department of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, in collaboration with the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO), invites researchers to participate in the international conference “Priests and Sufis: Rethinking Catholic Knowledge on Islamic Mysticism” (Cairo, June 6–7, 2026). Researchers from all disciplines are invited to submit an abstract by December 15, 2025. For more information… Visits On November 3, we received Ms. Marie-Laure Boursin, an anthropologist at CNRS and research fellow at the University of Provence (Aix-Marseille 1). On November 4, we welcomed for lunch Mr. Guy Boursier, a PhD student in Arabic linguistics at the University of Aix-Marseille. He is working on issues related to the written representation of the Egyptian dialect. On November 16,

Since October, IDEO, in partnership with the French Institute of Islamic studies (IFI), has inaugurated a seminar on methodology applied to Islamic studies, whose studies unfold within the fertile soil of the human sciences. Ten students participate: enrolled in Egypt in master’s or doctoral programs, they attempt the challenging art of interrogating—and sometimes testing—the texts of the Islamic heritage, much like probing an ancient soil in search of its layers and eruptions. Under the guidance of Brother Adrien Candiard, they are introduced to research not as a body of knowledge, but as the unveiling of a heuristic tension. To define a research problem is to discern a paradox, a point of friction between the known and the unknown, where thought is born. To formulate a hypothesis is to embark on an adventure whose outcome is still elusive, for science does not consist in rehashing what it already knows, but in living through what it has yet to discover. Through carefully supervised presentations, our students are invited to present articles on Islamic studies—not to summarize them or paraphrase their ideas, but to extract their essence and interrogate them critically. In these initial sessions, we see them at work, engaging their minds in the traversal of these texts. The journey is not always easy, but we trust in the curiosity and vitality of their youth. This training in no way seeks to replace one method with another; rather, it aims to create a space for methodological transversality that allows these students to discover how each discipline within the human sciences illuminates the Islamic heritage according to its own genius: history, by restoring to the texts their context of origin and reception; sociology, by revealing the social and cultural dynamics that run through them; philosophy, by questioning their conceptual assumptions and universal significance. Anawati Chair Mobility Grant Mrs. Reham Salama, Director of the Observatory, received a mobility grant to participate in activities related to the 60th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate Declaration in Rome, on October 22 and 23. Lectures and talks From September 29 to October 2, Jean Jacques Pérennès, participated in the conference organized by the Dominicans of Istanbul (DOSTI) on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The topic of this gathering was “Reflecting on the Mystery of God from the Ruins of the Empire”. On October 13, Mr. Dominique Avon gave the inaugural lecture of the “Mediterranean, Religions, and Societies Chair”, organized in partnership with the French Institute Saint-Louis Center, with IDEO as a partner. On October 14, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP spoke in Saint-Brieuc on the topic “Can Shared Holy Sites Serve as Bridges Between Believers?”. On October 30, Emmanuel Pisani, gave a lecture in Rome on the topic “At the Service of Research and Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue: The Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) in Cairo, Egypt,” as part of the study day entitled “Constellations of Educational Networks”, organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education. Formation in Islamic studies On October 7, we launched the Certificate in Islamic studies Methodology, led by Adrien Candiard, OP and attended by ten young students (eight Egyptians and two Congolese). For the inaugural session, we welcomed Professor Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge from the Collège de France, who gave a lecture entitled “What Is ‘Religion’? Constructing an Operational Concept”. Call for Abstracts | Conference “Priests and Sufis” The Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Department of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, in collaboration with the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO), invites researchers to participate in the international conference “Priests and Sufis: Rethinking Catholic Knowledge on Islamic Mysticism” (Cairo, June 6–7, 2026). Researchers from all disciplines are invited to submit an abstract by December 15, 2025. For more information… Visits On October 2, we had the pleasure of welcoming Professor Ibrahim Salama, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the British University in Egypt and Director of the Center for Human Rights Research and Training, as well as Ms. Reham Salama, Director of the al-Azhar Observatory. On October 3, we received Ms. Misun Pak Fedzer, Acting Deputy Management Counselor, Senior Financial Management Officer, U.S. Embassy Cairo, her husband, Mr. Glenn Fedzer, a retired Foreign Service Officer, and Mr. Rustin Zarkar, Field Director, Library of Congress Cairo Overseas Office. Scholars’ House During the month of October, we had the pleasure of welcoming to the Scholars’ House: Sophie Pommier, a researcher specializing in the Arab world and the Near East; Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge, Professor at the Collège de France, historian specializing in ancient Greek religion; Andrew Sutherland, a researcher holding a Master’s degree in History and History of Religions from the University of Lausanne. He is currently specializing in the history of medieval Islam, particularly Twelver Shiʿism; Charlotte Courreye, historian and lecturer in Arabic Studies at the University Jean Moulin Lyon 3, member of the Institute for Transtextual and Transcultural Studies; Nicolas Michel, Professor of Contemporary History at Aix-Marseille University, Head of the History Department, and Corresponding Member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. Publications Dominique Avon, « Récits de “Vie de Muhammad”. Auteurs sunnites et orientalistes. Une histoire tressée (XIXᵉ-XXIᵉ siècles) », dans Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi et John Tolan (dir.), Le Mahomet des historiens, Paris, Cerf, 2025, p. 1193-1266. Jean Jacques Pérennès, Georges Anawati (1905-1994). Un cristiano egiziano davanti al mistero dell’islam, traduction de Francesco Antonini, Milano, Castelvecchi, 2025. Upcoming activities Sībawayh Seminar The next session of the Sībawayh Seminar, organized by Jean Druel, OP, will take place on Friday, November 7 at 5:00 PM, both in person at IDEO and on Zoom. The speaker will be Dr. Muhammad Gomaa al-Dirbi, a lecturer at the University of Luxor. He will present his project on the bibliogram of Sībawayh’s Kitāb. More information can be found here (In Arabic)… Teaching In 2025–2026, Jean Druel, OP will begin teaching a course in liturgical Arabic for first-year students at Dar Comboni (two sessions of 30 hours each). Conference | The Divine One and Its Multiples On November 27–29, Emmanuel Pisani, OP and Adrien Candiard, OP will

“Al-ʿilm ḥayāt al-qalb min al-ǧahl” – knowledge is the life of the heart against ignorance – and Imam al-Nawawī (d. 1277) added, “the lamp of the eyes against darkness, the strength of the body against weakness.” This phrase summarizes a conviction we share at IDEO: to seek, in the sources of Islam and their contexts, the light of wisdom that illuminates and elevates both mind and body. While our research has resulted in numerous publications, from the very founding of the Institute, we have also been attentive to requests for teaching. Father Jacques Jomier, for example, trained generations of seminarians in Islamic studies in Kinshasa, and today, many of us teach in various academic settings. September 22 marks, however, a turning point in the Institute’s history, since for the first time, IDEO is taking on the risk and responsibility of institutionally offering a full university program: a Master’s in Islamic Studies, in partnership with Domuni Universitas. This initiative is both faithful and innovative. Faithful, because it continues IDEO’s original mission: to engage with Islamic thought “from within,” as close as possible to its texts and to their own intellectual logic. Innovative, because it commits the Institute to a new, structured pedagogy aimed at a broad audience, beyond traditional academic circles. Today in French, tomorrow in English, and soon also in Arabic: the project already embraces the multilingualism inherent in the Islamic tradition itself. By launching this program, IDEO does not turn away from its research vocation: it extends it, shares it, and puts it into motion. As al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) taught in the Iḥyāʾ – an unparalleled spiritual summa – knowledge without living transmission is sterile. It is precisely to this living transmission that we wish to contribute. Anawati Chair IDEO – CEF Volunteering On September 1ˢᵗ, we welcomed Mr. Jean-Baptiste Saliot, who began a volunteer assignment for IDEO at the French Teaching Center of al-Azhar, directed by Mrs. Mona Sabry and dedicated to the French-language training of “preachers”. Lectures From September 8 to 11, Jean Druel, OP and Dennis Halft, OP participated in the 35ᵗʰ Deutscher Orientalistentag (DOT), held in Erlangen, Germany. On September 8, Jean Druel, OP moderated a panel on the history of classical Arabic grammar, during which he presented a paper entitled: “Ṣīda ʿalayhi yawmāni: Sībawayhi’s Analysis of the Grammatical Logic behind Non-Analogical Expressions in Classical Arabic Usage and its Reception in the Grammatical Tradition”. On September 9, Dennis Halft, OP gave a lecture entitled: “Die Isfahaner Karmelitenbibliothek als Spiegel des Kulturaustauschs zwischen Europa und Persien (17.–19. Jahrhundert)”. Program | Master’s in Islamic studies On September 22, registrations opened for the Master’s in Islamic studies of Domuni University, directed by Emmanuel Pisani, with personalized mentoring provided by Jean Druel. Scholarships are available and awarded based on students’ financial situation. This online program offers rigorous academic guidance along with close support for research. Three main topics will be covered during the e-seminars: “Spiritual Figures of Islam” “Islam and Modernity” “Authority in Islam” Teachings Since September 20, Mr. Aziz Hilal has been giving weekly courses on Arab-Islamic philosophy at the Coptic Catholic Seminary in Maadi, while Adrien Candiard, OP teaches Introduction to Islam there. On September 24, Jean Druel, OP resumed his introductory course in Biblical Greek (60 hours) at the Faculty of Religious Sciences of Sakakini. Emmanuel Pisani, OP is teaching two online courses at the Theologicum as part of the Certificate Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Secularism, including a course on The Foundations of Islam. Dominican Students This year, we are welcoming two Congolese brothers, Laurent Ontere and Steve Sinelide, who are enrolled in Arabic studies at Dar Comboni, in their second and first years, respectively. The Islamic studies courses will be offered at IDEO. Framework agreement On September 29, Emmanuel Pisani, OP signed in Rome a framework agreement and a specific agreement with Father Wassim Salman, President of Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI), in order to promote the formation in Islamic studies of Dominican students. Media On August 13, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave an interview to al-Bawabh News (in Arabic) with journalist Mrs. Reem Mokhtar. Visits On September 9, we had the honor of welcoming Mr. Makram Abbes, Director of the Department of Contemporary Arabic Studies (DEAC) and of the University Institute for Teacher Training (IUFP), accompanied by Ms. Manal Guindi, Assistant Director of both institutions. On September 15, Emmanuel Pisani, OP visited al-Azhar to present to the Grand Imam issue 40 of MIDEO. He was received in a friendly and warm manner by the Grans Imam, who expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation activities carried out with IDEO. On the same day, we had the honor of welcoming a delegation of eight French senators on a mission as part of the preparation of a report on cooperation with Egypt in the fields of education and research. The French delegation was composed of: Mr. Laurent Lafon, President of the Committee; Ms. Catherine Morin-Desailly, Vice-President; Ms. Laure Darcos, Senator; Ms. Béatrice Gosselin, Senator; Mr. Jacques Grosperrin, Senator; Mr. Pierre-Antoine Levi, Senator; Ms. Marie-Pierre Monier, Senator; Mr. Mathieu Teoran, Administrator of the French Senate, Head of the Commission’s Office. Scholars’ House During the month of September, we had the pleasure of welcoming to the Scholars’ House Ms. Zsuzsanna Németh, researcher at the Avicenna Institute for Middle Eastern Studies in Piliscsaba, Hungary; Mr. Aurélien Lederer, PhD student at the Center for Studies and Research on the Ottoman World and the Maghreb (CERMOM), at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO); Mr. Xavier Baki-Mignot, Doctor of Law and Lecturer at Jean-Moulin University Lyon 3. Publication Emmanuel Pisani, « Réinventer le dialogue : François au-delà d’Ecclesiam Suam ? », Chemin de dialogue 65, juin 2025. Upcoming Introductory Webinar for the Conference “Ethics and Aesthetics” The Pluriel network, in partnership with IDEO, is organizing a webinar on October 16, 2025, on the topic “Continuities, Transformations, and Reinventions in Muslim Societies” with Maria del Mar Griera Llonch (Spain), Emilio Gonzalez Ferrin (Spain), and Mohamed El Maâzouz (Morocco), as a prelude to the international congress “Ethics