Newsletter November-December 2023

The Anawati Chair has opened three postdoctoral fellowships in partnership with the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts. This month, our three researchers presented, as part of the IDEO seminars, the progress, challenges, and prospects of their research towards establishing three critical editions of Islamic heritage. Dʳ. Mariam Shehata has begun an inquiry into The Commentary on al-Ḫuṭba al-Ġarrāʾ of Ibn Sīnā, by Šaraf al-Dīn al-Masʿūdī (6ᵗʰ/12ᵗʰ century). Dʳ. Ahmed Atiyya, meanwhile, is preparing an edition of the book Maḥāsin al-Ġurar fī Manāqib al-Bašar of Abū al-Suʿūd, by Muḥammad Ibn Ǧānī Bek al-Sayfī, an author from the 10ᵗʰ century of the Hijri, who does more than simply compile the sayings of earlier scholars on ethics but offers original teachings. Dʳ. Atiyya emphasized the uniqueness of this work’s reflections on the origins of ethics, its social consequences, the distinctiveness of each virtue through a precise definition of its characteristics and stakes, and an expansion into questions like politics… As for Dʳ. Abdulrahman Bin Khunayfir, he is preparing the study and critical edition of the manuscript Siyāsat al-Nufūs by Sinān Ibn Ṯābit ibn Qurra (d. 331/943), the only preserved work by this author. Intellectually, this epistle was written after the first generation of translators and authors in the field of moral philosophy (al-Kindī, al-Sarḫasī, Ibn Qurra, Ibn Abī Nūḥ, and al-Rāzī). It therefore, precedes the establishment of writing traditions in this field, that is, before the dissemination of al-Fārābī’s treatises, the Iḫwān al-Ṣafāʾ, and before the emergence of Ibn Sīnā, Miskawayh, and al-ʿĀmirī. In this initial presentation, our researchers have already conducted meticulous investigations, sometimes akin to detective work, to find manuscripts that will enrich their studies, enabling them to better delineate the context of writing, authenticate attribution, and understand the contributions of these works to the humanist heritage of Islam. Anawati Chair 1. Observatory on the fight against extremism On October 2ⁿᵈ, eight researchers from the French section of the Observatory participated in a seminar given by Dʳ. Ali Mostfa (UCLy) at IDEO on the topic of “Words Surrounding Islam in Debate: Semantic Issues and Discursive Derivations.” 2. Editions of Islamic Heritage Texts On October 14ᵗʰ, the IDEO seminar welcomed Dʳ. Ahmed Abdel Basit from the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts (IMA), together with the three postdoctoral researchers at IDEO who are working on the edition of texts from Islamic humanist heritage. Their work contributes to the enhancement of knowledge regarding ethical approaches to medieval Islamic heritage. Dʳ. Mariam Shehata is preparing the edition of The Commentary on al-Ḫuṭba al-Ġarrāʾ of Ibn Sīnā, by Šaraf al-Dīn al-Masʿūdī (6ᵗʰ/12ᵗʰ century).  Dʳ. Ahmed Atiyya is preparing the edition of the book Maḥāsin al-Ġurar fī Manāqib al-Bašar of Abū al-Suʿūd, by Muḥammad Ibn Ǧānī Bek al-Sayfī (10ᵗʰ/16ᵗʰ century). Dʳ. Abdulrahman Bin Khunayfir is preparing the study and critical edition of the manuscript Siyāsat al-Nufūs by Sinān Ibn Ṯābit ibn Qurra (d. 331/943). 3. Conference “The Authority of Silence” – Call for papers As part of the conference “The Authority of Silence: Constructing the Figure of the Salafs (7ᵗʰ-15ᵗʰ Centuries)” to be held on May 2ⁿᵈ and 3ʳᵈ, 2025, in Cairo, we invite researchers wishing to participate to submit an abstract of their proposal before the deadline of January 15ᵗʰ, 2025. For more information, please visit our website… Lectures and talks On October 14ᵗʰ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture in Tourcoing entitled “Israel-Palestine, One Year After October 7ᵗʰ: Situation and Perspectives”. On October 25ᵗʰ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP led a training session for volunteers of the Catholic Delegation for Cooperation (DCC) in preparation for their departure to Egypt and the Maghreb”. Visits On October 7ᵗʰ and 8ᵗʰ, we welcomed Ms. Marie Monnet, Rector of Domuni Online University, Ameer Jajé, OP, Director for the Arab World, and Michel Van Aerde, OP. The purpose of this visit was to work on finalizing a Certificate 2 and implementing a Master’s degree in Islamic studies. They were accompanied by Ms. Laure Chocun, Assistant to Ms. Marie Monnet; Ms. Cécile Boucherle, General Secretary of Domuni; and Ms. Justine Pinto, Head of Educational Programs. Scholars’ House During the month of October, we had the pleasure of welcoming to the Scholars’ House: Mr. Onsi Kamel, PhD student in philosophy and religion at Princeton University; Mr. Zoltán Páll, anthropologist specializing in transnational Islamic movements at the Avicenna Institute for Middle Eastern Studies and the Institute of Social Anthropology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna; Mrs. Rocio Daga, professor in religious studies at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Mr. Alexandre Coleman, volunteer student at the IDEO library until March 2025; Mrs. Rachida Chih, researcher specializing in Sufism, particularly in the context of Ottoman Egypt, at the Center for Turkish, Ottoman, Balkan, and Central Asian Studies (CETOBaC) at EHESS; Mr. 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 Alberto Ambrosio, « Un goût de la danse soufie », Christus 284, octobre 2024, p. 36-42. Dominique Avon, « L’espace public sous la plume de penseurs catholiques et sunnites en milieu méditerranéen au XXᵉ siècle », Questions constitutionnelles. Dominique Avon, « Islam et pensée critique en contexte arabe au XXᵉ siècle. Explorations et sanctions », Recherches de science religieuse 4/112, 2024, p. 553-573. Emmanuel Pisani, « Enjeux théologiques du dialogue 60 ans après Nostra Aetate », Documents épiscopat 10, 2024, p. 31-42. Emmanuel Pisani, « Karim Arezki (dir.), Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, Paul Neuenkirchen, Les origines du Coran et de l’islam, St-Légier, HET-PRO, 2022 », Études théologiques et religieuses 3/99, 2024, p. 564-565.

Dennis Halft, OP, Director of MIDEO (2021-2024); Adrien Candiard, OP, Director from October 1ˢᵗ, 2024. MIDEO 39, scheduled to be published this year and dedicated to the 1924 edition of the Qurʾān, is experiencing some delays. And for good reason… it’s a hefty volume, nearly 500 pages. Together with Antoinette Ferrand, our scientific secretary, we are meticulously reviewing the proofs, making sure to catch any lingering typos still hiding in the pages. At the same time, we are working to finalize MIDEO 40. Under the direction of Walid Saleh, Thomas Würtz, and Emmanuel Pisani, this edition will focus on the presence of other religions in tafsīr. All the articles are gathered, and time seems to be on our side to submit the manuscript to the publisher as we have committed to do. Concurrently, we must also finalize the Proceedings of the Abu Dhabi Conference on Human Fraternity, which will be published in the Cahiers du Midéo at the beginning of 2025! Fortunately, Simon Conrad and Amr Zakaria are providing invaluable support to Antoinette, both through their scientific expertise and their diligent proofreading. Thanks to this dedicated team, we should be able to stay on schedule, though it’s quite a pace to kick off the year!! Luckily, after the departure of Dennis Halft, OP who led the Review for three years with remarkable scientific seriousness, we can rely on a new director, Adrien Candiard, OP. We are already grateful for his willingness to take on this new mission, which he will undoubtedly approach with the same seriousness and dedication as his predecessor. Lectures and talks Dennis Halft, OP was appointed as a member of the European Union of Arabists and Islamicists (UEAI) during their 31ˢᵗ congress, held in Granada from September 9ᵗʰ to 12ᵗʰ. During this congress, he gave a lecture entitled “Imāmī Shīʿī-Jewish Encounters in Early Modern Iran: A Persian Translation of the Book of Psalms”. On September 19ᵗʰ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture in Lille entitled “Christians in a Middle East in Crisis: Situation and Perspective”. On September 24 and 25, Alberto Ambrosio, OP participated in the conference “Venerable Shores, Profane Struggles: Dialogues on Geopolitics and Religion in the Mediterranean”. This conference took place at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, in collaboration with the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies. September 20ᵗʰ, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave the inaugural lecture at the Baghdad Academy of Social Sciences, entitled “Bayn al-manhaǧiyya wa-l-ibistimūlūǧiyyā: muqārabat al-adyān wafqan li-l-Ġazālī aw kayfiyyat maʿrifat al-āḫarīn? [Between Methodology and Epistemology, Approach to Religions according to al-Ghazali or How to Understand Others?]”. Scientific Workshop On September 28 and 29, Matthieu Palayret, OP participated in the two-day Workshop on Research Methods in Arabic Studies,  held at the American University in Cairo (AUC). 50ᵗʰ Anniversary of the SNRM On September 12ᵗʰ, Mr. Dominique Avon, Director of Studies at the EPHE, and Jean-François Bour, OP, Director of the SNRM, participated in a day of discussions celebrating the 50ᵗʰ anniversary of the Service National pour les Relations avec les Musulmans (SNRM), formerly known as the SRI. This event was held at the Conference of Bishops of France in Paris. Mr. Dominique Avon gave a talk entitled “Dialogue between Catholics and Muslims: A Historical Perspective”, while Jean-François Bour, OP moderated the round table “The Pastoral Commitment of the Church Today”. Radio program On September 22ⁿᵈ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP participated in a France Culture radio program entitled Question d’islam discussing the Islamic-Christian pilgrimage of Vieux-Marché, with Mr. Manöel Pénicaud and Mr. Ghaleb Bencheikh. Call for applications The French Institute for Islamic Studies (IFI), the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) and the French Institute for Oriental Archeology (IFAO) have announced a call for applications for a research scholarship in the field of Islamic studies. For more information, please refer to the call for applications in French… Scholars’ House In September, we had the pleasure of welcoming at the Scholars’ House: Ms. Antoinette Ferrand, scientific member at the IFAO and editorial secretary of MIDEO; Ms. Tessa Larivière-Ammari, history student and beneficiary of the annual IFI-IDEO-IFAO Islamic studies scholarship; Mr. Wilhelmus Valkenberg, emeritus professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America, working on the reception of Anawati in the Anglo-Saxon world. Publications Jean Jacques Pérennès, « La fondation de l’Institut dominicain d’études orientales : une histoire méditerranéenne », Chemins de dialogue 63, 2024, pp. 181-196. Catherine Mayeur-Jaouen, Le culte des saints musulmans. Des débuts de l’islam à nos jours, Paris, Gallimard, Bibliothèque des Histoires, 2024.

The students of the 2024 Certificate. Religions and Human Sciences. The summer at IDEO was marked by diligent labor and the serious dedication that accompanies the pursuit of knowledge. For the first time, in collaboration with our partners from IFI and IFAO, we hosted a summer school, bringing together twelve young scholars in Islamic studies, most of them doctoral students from French universities. Driven by a desire to deepen their understanding of Arabic and to immerse themselves in a centuries-old culture through the study of its texts, they uncovered the depth of its words and meanings. Our friends from al-Azhar delivered insightful lectures with great pedagogy, our colleagues at the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts welcomed them with the hospitality of true friendship, and Nuria de Castilla, visiting from London, introduced them to the art of codicology. The visit to the Museum of Islamic Art was not merely an aesthetic stroll but a journey into the depths of a history resonant with culture and the unseen. Through this textual and cultural journey, bonds were woven, and encounters occurred, like deep roots that will surely bear fruit. The linguistic session intended for Dominican friars also demanded our full attention, energy, and resources. This year, there were nine participants—nine souls in search of other rays of truth. Together, we accomplished beautiful work toward a holistic understanding of Islam. Now, the new academic year begins, bringing with it a procession of promises and new faces. Tessa and Andreas, this year’s scholarship recipients, have arrived safely. We are also expecting young scholars from the Avicenna Institute in Budapest. The researchers’ villa now evokes a procession, where each step leads to an encounter that, like an offering within the academic world, builds fraternity a little more each day. Introductory Course in Arabic language and Islamic studies From July 15ᵗʰ to August 9ᵗʰ, we organized a summer course with 9 brothers: Arsène Adoumbey Tirmadjingar, Chadian; Vince Iñigo, Filipino; Aimeric Jardin, French; Aloysius Kung, Indonesian; Herbert Mimokogna, Central African; Stanislas Rose, French; Wilfried Sindeu Peumedji, Cameroonian; Steve Sinelide, Congolese; Ireneusz Zając, Polish; The course was available at three levels: beginner (A1), advanced beginner (A1+), and intermediate (A2). The Islamic studies course was presented by Brothers Adrien Candiard, OP, Jean Druel, OP, and Emmanuel Pisani, OP while the Arabic liturgy classes was led by Brothers Jean Druel, OP and Mina-Athanase, OP. The brothers at the A1+ and A2 levels also attended classes with instructors from al-Azhar. Summer School in Partnership with IFI and IFAO From July 16ᵗʰ to 26ᵗʰ, 2024, the first summer school was held for PhD students enrolled in European universities or those who have recently completed their master’s degrees, to gain basic knowledge in Arabic language and Islamic studies. Among the lecturers from al-Azhar University, participants attended the following courses: Prof. Ibrāhīm ʿĀmir Ǧadīd on Tafsīr Prof. Yusrī Ǧaʿfar on Falsafa Prof. ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ al-Mašadd on Sufism Prof. ʿAzza Ramaḍān on Kalām Prof. Hišam al-Azharī on Uṣūl al-Fiqh Anawati Chair: Session “Introduction to codicology” On July 23ʳᵈ, we welcomed Mrs. Nuria de Castilla Muñoz, Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, for a session on codicology. Forty students from the al-Azhar Center for French Language Teaching (CEF), accompanied by Mrs. Mona Sabry, the Center’s director, as well as students from the Summer School and the Introductory Course in Arabic language, participated. Volunteer Specialized in Teaching French as a foreign language Since mid-July, we have welcomed Mr. Martin Séva-Laroche, who will serve as a French teacher for specific purposes as part of an International Cooperation Volunteer program for one year. Recruited by the Delegation of Catholic Cooperation, he will provide specific courses, espically on topics such as human rights, equality, and citizenship. The goal is to help students at the al-Azhar Center for French Language Teaching (CEF) better understand the current issues and debates in Europe. Distribution of “Religions and Human Sciences” Certificates On July 27ᵗʰ, during a ceremony attended by Professor Aziz Hilal, head of the “Religions and Human Sciences” certificate program, and Mrs. Anne Kofoed, representative of the European Union Delegation in Cairo, we distributed the “Religions and Human Sciences” Certificates to 38 students. Call for Applications for the 2025 Summer School The Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies is organizing, as part of the Anawati Chair and in partnership with the University of Insubria (Varese and Como), a Summer School on the topic of “Citizenship and Religious Pluralism” which will take place in July 2025. This school is intended for PhD students or those who have defended their thesis after January 1ˢᵗ, 2023. For more information… Conference On August 28ᵗʰ and 29ᵗʰ, Jean Druel, OP participated in Tokyo at the 7ᵗʰ meeting of the FAL group (“Foundations of Arab Linguistics”). His presentation focused on al-Mubarrad’s (d. 285/898) criticism of Sībawayh’s Kitāb (d. 180/796), based on the evidence from the manuscript versions and the marginal glosses. Lectures and talks On July 9ᵗʰ, Dennis Halft, OP participated in the international conference of the research group “Judæo-Persian and Persian Textual Landscapes: Towards an Intellectual History of Medieval Iranian Jewry”, held at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He presented a lecture entitled “Persian Bible Translations Leaving the ‘Literary Ghetto’ (W. J. Fischel) of Judæo-Persian”. On July 17ᵗʰ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture entitled “What Future for Christians in the Middle East in Crisis?” in Saint-Jacut-de-la-Mer. On August 10ᵗʰ, Dennis Halft, OP gave a lecture on the topic of “Interreligious Dialogue in Times of Crisis: A Dominican Perspective” at the Saint Dominic’s Day celebration in Saint-Martin, Freiburg im Breisgau. On August 20ᵗʰ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture entitled “Israel-Palestine: What Future?”, in Trévou-Tréguignec. On August 21ˢᵗ, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture entitled “The Spiritual Marks of the Tibhirine Monks”, in Kermouster (Pleubian). Visits On July 30ᵗʰ, we welcomed for lunch Mr. Asif Uddin, a PhD student in Islamic studies at Swansea University in the United Kingdom. He is working on the relationship between the names of the sūras in the Qurʾān and their content. On August 2ⁿᵈ,