Newsletter — December 2019

The proceedings of the Islam and Fraternity conference, organized in Abu Dhabi by the Pluriel network with the support of the Anawati Chair, in partnership with Trends, and to which several members of the IDEO contributed, have just been published in the series Les Cahiers du Midéo (No. 7). They are fully accessible online, as indicated in the link provided in this newsletter. This volume goes beyond simply recording an academic event: it represents a moment of theological and interdisciplinary reflection on the Document on Human Fraternity, signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb of al-Azhar, and its implications for coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the contemporary world. Five years after this signing, the conference aimed to examine the actual impact of this Document and to explore its implications, not only doctrinally, but also in the social and cultural practices that bring human fraternity to life. The contributions gathered show how the act of speaking represented by this declaration engages not only institutions but also imaginations and practices. Through the three main thematic axes explored, these proceedings show that human fraternity is not merely an intention, but presents itself as a promise—one that is not always easy to uphold—over the long term of institutions, cultures, and human consciousness. Anawati Chair International Academic Dialogue around the NIJA Report On January 22, on the occasion of the publication of the Italian edition of the NIJA report entitled “Negotiating with Islamist and Jihadist Armed Groups: Practices, Discourses, and Mechanisms in Asia and Africa”, we welcomed researchers from the Italian department of the al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, as well as Professor Martino Diez from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan). The speakers were: Dr. Elsayed Abdelhady Mohammed, Head of the Italian Department, al-Azhar Observatory Dr. Martino Diez, Scientific Director of the International Oasis Foundation and Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan) Dr. Abdelwahab Ibrahim, Researcher, al-Azhar Observatory Dr. Ahmed al-Attar, Researcher, al-Azhar Observatory Mobility Grant Mrs. Mona Sabry, Director of the CEF of al-Azhar, benefited from an international mobility grant enabling her to take part in the doctoral thesis jury of Mrs. Nada Ossama Ezzat Amin, held on January 30, 2025. The thesis was entitled “Gender and Political Transitions: The Instrumentalization of Gender in Post-Revolutionary Egypt (2011–2023)” and was supervised by Mr. Stéphane Valter at the Doctoral School “Arabic Linguistics, Literature, and Civilization”, of Lyon 2 University. IDEO seminar On January 20, Professor Jaafar Ben El Haj Soulami, holder of the Chair of Moroccan and Andalusian Studies at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, led a seminar at IDEO in Arabic entitled “The Development of Islamic Theology after the Fall of Granada: The Position of Maghrebi Envoys toward the ‘Heritage of al-Andalus’ and Christian Doctrines”. Conference  and Academic gathering On January 9, Matthieu Palayret, OP participated in the annual meeting of the Epiphany Philosophers in Oxford, a group of researchers focused on the relationship between science and faith. He presented a paper entitled “Ibn al-Durayhim: How a 14th-Century Islamic Scholar Integrated His Expertise in Both the Natural Sciences and Mystical Theology”. From January 25 to 27, Mateus Domingues da Silva, OP participated in the joint annual conference of MELA and MELCom, entitled “Reflecting on Our Past, Charting Our Future: Middle East Librarianship in Transition”, which was held at the American University in Cairo. Teaching and Study Day On January 16, Mr. Dominique Avon, in collaboration with Mr. Rainer Brunner, organized a study day entitled “Salaf, Salafiyya, Salafism: Faith in the Good Old Days in Modern Islam” at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (MSH) in Raspail. On January 24, Emmanuel Pisani, OP led a workshop on “Qurʾānic Christology” in person at the Catholic Institute of Paris, as part of a day organized online by the Theologicum. Appointment On January 19, 2026, Emmanuel Pisani, OP was appointed by the Holy Father as Consultant to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue Call for papers | Sībawayh and the Knowledge of his Time MIDEO is issuing a call for papers for its volume 43 (2028), devoted to Sībawayh and the knowledge of his time. This volume will focus on his work, its influences, the debates it generated, and its legacy. Paper proposals are expected by 31 December 2026. Call for Contributions | Abu Dhabi Declaration In collaboration with the Pluriel network and the Anawati Chair, the Research Center Religions, Rights, and Economies in the Mediterranean Space (REDESM) of the University of Insubria is launching a call for contributions for a collective volume within the REDESM editorial collection on The Abu Dhabi Declaration and New Forms of Citizenship. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2026. Call for Papers | PISAI Conference On December 11-12, 2026, PISAI will celebrate its centenary in Rome with an international conference entitled “ Per un futuro di eccellenza: cento anni tra missione e formazione”. As part of this conference, a call for papers is open for researchers wishing to propose contributions on the history of the Institute, its figures in interreligious dialogue, its international collaborations, and its educational approach. Presentations may be in Italian, French, English, or Arabic. The deadline for submissions is 1 April 2026. Ali al-Samman Award On 31 January, Emmanuel Pisani, OP and Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP attended the ceremony for the Ali al-Samman Awar, organized by the Christian-Islamic Center for Dialogue and Partnership. As in the previous year, IDEO was part of the jury for the award selection. The three awarded projects are: First Prize: “Dialogue around the Document on Human Fraternity” by the The Mediterranean Youth for Development Institute, aiming to create a dialogue space for youth. Second Prize: Journalist Teresa Kamal (al-Masry al-Youm) for her articles on coexistence between Muslims and Copts in Upper Egypt. Third Prize: International Youth Initiative for Climate Peace, involving young people from Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Yemen, promoting interreligious cooperation for climate action and peace. Visits On January 13, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ms. Zaida

Sometimes a place calls upon those who inhabit it to bring it out of oblivion. When Francesco Antonini came in September 2023 as a recipient of the IDEO-Ifao-IFI predoctoral fellowship, as a philosopher and historian by training, he did not remain long deaf to this call. Because our walls are not only meant for sleep and study; they carry a memory waiting to be heard again. Who, then, were these Dominican brothers who founded this Institute in 1953? What hope guided them, and what understanding of Islam did they wish to convey? How did this venture take shape, and by what paths did it become today’s Idéo? To such questions, one must turn either to the patience of conventual archives or to the biography that Jean Jacques Pérennès devoted to this history. It is this second path that Francesco chose. And he emerged deeply marked, not only by the scope but also by the rigor and boldness of a project that did not separate the intellect from faith, nor scholarship from hospitality. From this reading arose a conviction: the necessity of making this story known in his own language, for his country, Italy. From this conviction arose a gesture: an Italian translation, which we could only welcome with gratitude. Thus, day by day, with meticulous attention, he set to work, allowing the sentences and paragraphs written in French to pass into another language without losing their breath. The visit of Brother Jean-Jacques to Cairo helped refine his work, shed light on obscure points, and render the transmission he sought even more accurate. Thus this book was born, published at the very moment when we commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, whose influence by Father Anawati was decisive for the fathers of the Council. Francesco Antonini is warmly thanked here for this remarkable, discreet, yet essential work. He reminds us that transmitting a history is answering a voice that precedes us, so that it may continue to call other readers, other brothers and scholars, elsewhere, today, here and there, in Alexandria as in Italy. Lectures and talks On December 3, as part of the Orient Institut Beirut lecture series, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave the conference “From Ideology to Critique: History in the Thought of the Iraqi Philosopher ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār al-Rifaʾī (b. 1954)” at the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in Zamalek. On December 13, Jean Jacques Pérennès gave a lecture on the topic “How Does One Become Henri Teissier?” For context, Mgr Henri Teissier (1929–2020), former Archbishop of Algiers, was an intern at IDEO from 1956 to 1958. Distinction On December 20, Jean Druel, OP alongside five other individuals, received an award from the Cairo Academy of the Arabic Language as a “Personality of the Year” on the occasion of World Arabic Language Day. Launch Ceremony On December 22 and 23, Jean Druel, OP was invited to the launch of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language in Doha, Qatar. He also attended the conference on artificial intelligence applied to the Arabic language. IDEO in the Medias On December 24, Mr. Raphaël Georgy published an article entitled “These Christians Who Pray in Arabic”, in Résonances Abrahamiques No. 12. In December, the French Embassy in Egypt produced two videos dedicated to IDEO. In the first, its director leads a tour in Arabic to introduce the Institute and some of its treasures. In the second, young Egyptian researchers share their experiences and impressions of IDEO. Thesis Defense On 12 December, at the University of Nantes, Emmanuel Pisani, OP second rapporteur, presided the thesis committee of Mr. Pierre Courtain, entitled “The Dominican Qur’an in Latin Europe in the 13th Century”, supervised by Mr. John Tolan, a 488-page thesis. The committee was composed of Mr. Mehdi Azaiez, Mr. Paul Bertrand, Mr. Thomas Burman, Ms. Candida Ferrero Hernández, and Mr. John Tolan. Visits On December 2, we welcomed for lunch Mr. Yousef Elzalabany, he has just defended his Master’s thesis at the Aga Khan University (London). On December 27, we welcomed Mrs. Reham Salamah (Al-Azhar Observatory), Mr. Ibrahim Salamah (British University in Cairo), and Mrs. Mona Sabry (CEF, Al-Azhar) to discuss planning of various activities for the Anawati Chair. Scholars’ House During the month of December, we had the pleasure of welcoming to the Scholars’ House: Mr. Walid Saleh, Professor at the University of Toronto (Department of Religious Studies), member of IDEO and specialist in the Qurʾān and the history of its interpretation (tafsīr). Publications Jean Jacques Pérennès, Georges Anawati (1905-1994). Un cristiano arabo, traduzzione Francesco Antonini, Castelvecchi, Collana Teologia dalle periferie, 2025. Dennis Halft,  “Ḥabīb al-ḥaqq’s Miftāḥ al-ḥuqūq: A Persian Treatise on the Qurʾān and the Bible by a Catholic Missionary in the Persianate World”, in: Mission Studies 42, 2025, Issue 3: Special Issue: Indo-Persian Missions and Their Interreligious Challenge, pp. 426‒450. Dominique Avon et Othman El Kachtoul, « Une fatwā saoudienne portant sur la question de ’l’unité des religions’ ». Deux versions : 1997 et 2023, Studia Islamica, 120, 2025, p. 1-22.

– €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,