Nativity celebrations often have a family dimension, and it’s a good thing that they do. For the majority of Idéo’s members, however, the Christmas Octave proved to be a very different interval. Bringing together almost all of its members from various national and continental horizons, the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies in Cairo engaged in intensive work and in-depth exchange, including the expression and discussion of the results of our respective research or questions, the sharing of our bibliographies, and the meticulous examination of the key points and disputatio characteristic of our field of study. The Christmas period, known to Christians as the Incarnation, also provided a propitious opportunity to breathe materiality into our network, give it flesh, remove it from virtuality, and judiciously orchestrate a harmony between subjectivity and objectivity. We see the exploration of these subjective resources as those of the theological aesthetics of Islamic heritage. These days have also been an opportunity for us to re-read our history, the reasons for our involvement and our membership of an Institute that is far from a homogenous universe of faith or convictions.

Anawati Chair

Opening ceremony: On December 20ᵗʰ, in the presence of Christian Berger, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union, Mrs. Reham Salamah, Director of al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, Dr. Amr Nour Eldin, from the Hindawi Foundation, Mrs. Mona Sabry, Director of al-Azhar Center for the Teaching of the French Language (CEF), and a large audience, the opening ceremony of the Anawati Chair – Fight against religious extremism by promoting interfaith dialogue – took place. Among those present were Mr. Jean Félix-Paganon, President of the association the Friends of IDEO, and Mr. Bertrand Wallon, its General Secretary.

IDEO days

The IDEO Days were held from December 26ᵗʰ to 30ᵗʰ. In addition to the members present, Pierre-Marie Niang, OP (Province of Saint Augustin, West Africa), Aquinas Beale, OP (Province of Saint Joseph, USA), Réginald Baconin, OP (Province of Toulouse, France), Srećko Koralija, OP (Province of the Annunciation, Croatia) were invited.

Seminars

On December 7ᵗʰ, Jean Druel, OP led a seminar session on Semitic linguistics and languages contact in the Mediterranean at the French National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) on the topic of “Birth, life and death of the recensions (riwāyāt) of the Kitāb of Sībawayhi”.

Library

On the first day of this new year, we launched a new page and dedicated Instagram account for the library of the Dominican Institute of Oriental Studies. Here are the links to our Facebook and Instagram pages. Feel free to share this information and follow us.

Visits

On December 6ᵗʰ, we welcomed 16 bishops from English-speaking Africa, who came to learn more about the teaching of Arabic and Islamic studies, as well as about the reality of Islam. After a tour of Islamic Cairo led by Adrien Candiard, OP, and a presentation of the institute in the seminar room, the library tour was guided by Mateus Domingues da Silva, OP, after lunch.

On December 7ᵗʰ, we welcomed Mr. Edoardo Barbieri, an associate professor of book history at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and the head of the project “Libri ponti di pace” in the Holy Land. He is currently working on the Mosky convent and its history. Also in attendance were Mr. Pier Filippo Saviotti, a PhD student in book history, Mrs. Livia Muccini, a PhD student working on the critical edition of al-Makin Ibn al-ʾAmid, Mr. Martino Masolo, another PhD student, and Mr. Martino Diez from the Catholic University of Milan, the scientific director of the Oasis Foundation.

On December 20ᵗʰ and 21ˢᵗ, we welcomed Mr. Jean Félix-Paganon and Mr. Bertrand Wallon from the association the Friends of IDEO.

Radio

Emmanuel Pisani, OP was the guest of Mr. Charles Mukendi for his program “The Interview of the Week” on Radio Ditunga.

Television program

Jean-François Bour, OP and Alberto Ambrosio, OP participated in the program Islam on France 2. This episode was broadcast on December 24ᵗʰ, 2023, and will be available until January 23ʳᵈ, 2024.

Juries

On December 8ᵗʰ, Mr. Dominique Avon, IDEO member and director of studies at the École pratique des Hautes-Études, participated in the jury for the defense of Mrs. Sahra Ghozi’s thesis. The thesis was entitled “History of the Editorial Project. The Different Aspects of Islamic Culture (1977-2021). A case study of the investment of Arab and Islamic organizations in UNESCO’s SHS programs”. The jury included Mrs. Valentine Zuber, École pratique des Hautes-Études (jury president), Mrs. Blandine Chelini-Pont, University Aix-Marseille (rapporteur), M. Michel Fourcade, University of Montpellier III Paul Valéry (rapporteur), and M. Patrice Brodeur, University of Québec in Montréal. Dominique Avon was the thesis supervisor.

On December 15ᵗʰ, Emmanuel Pisani, OP participated as the thesis supervisor in the jury for the defense of Mr. Hicham El-Mostain’s thesis entitled “Lulle’s Crusades: Apologetics and Islamic-Christian Dialogue in the 13ᵗʰ Century”, as part of the FASSE. The jury also included Mr. Michel Younès, Catholic University of Lyon, Mr. John Tolan, University of Le Mans (rapporteur), and Mrs. Catherine Marin, Catholic University of Paris (rapporteur).

On December 16ᵗʰ, Mr. Dominique Avon, IDEO member and director of studies at the École pratique des Hautes-Études, participated in the thesis defense jury for Mr. Joachim de Bernis. The thesis was entitled “The formation of Indigenous Clergy in French Equatorial Africa with the proof of Islamic Dynamics (1918-1960)”. The jury included Mr. Jean-Noël Grandhomme, University of Lorraine (rapporteur), Mr. Florian Michel, University of Paris-Sorbonne (rapporteur and jury president), Mr. Michel Younès, Catholic University of Lyon, and Mr. Xavier Boniface, University of Picardie Jules-Verne. Mr. Dominique Avon was also the supervisor of this thesis.

On December 18, Emmanuel Pisani, OP and Mr. Guillaume de Vaulx participated on the jury for Mrs. Sophie Hervey’s canonical degree defense on the subject of “Reciprocal co-birth relationship” as a key to inter-religious theological dialogue in the light of Ibn Taymiyya’s La Lettre Palmyrienne. The defense took place at the ISTR in Paris. Emmanuel Pisani, was also thesis supervisor.

Publications

• Emmanuel Pisani, « Bernard Carra de Vaux », in David Thomas, John Chesworth (eds), Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History, vol. 21. South-western Europe (1800-1914), 2024, pp. 484-496.
• Dennis Halft, “Islamischer Religionsunterricht in Rheinland-Pfalz – Chance auf einen innermuslimischen Dialog?”, in F. Kunz, M. Lörsch und A. Wuckelt (Hrsg.), partizipativ – prozesshaft – hoffnungsvoll. Katechese in Gegenwart, Trier, Paulinus, 2023, p. 166-176.
• Dennis Halft, “Jüdische, christliche und muslimische Lernkulturen”, in Das Heilige Land – Mitgliedermagazin des Deutschen Vereins vom Heiligen Lande 155,2, 2023, [Themenheft: Lernen], pp. 6-7.
• Dominique Avon, « Les “hommes de religion’’ sunnites et l’autorité politique. Une subordination à géométrie variable dans le monde contemporain », Eurostudia, 2023, pp.1-22.
• Guillaume de Vaulx, The Paradox of Creation. Theology of (De)nature and Physics of Worship in the 3rd/9th Century Kalām and Falsafa, Quaderni di Studi Arabi 18 (1-2), pp. 304-332.
• Alberto Ambrosio, “Fashion, Clothing, and Modesty in Republican Turkey”,  in Ayang Utriza Yakin, Adis Duderija, An Van Raemdonck (eds.), Shame, Modesty, and Honor in Islam, Luxembourg, Luxembourg School of Religion & Society, p. 127-140.

Upcoming conference

From January 19ᵗʰ to 21ˢᵗ, 2024, Adrien Candiard, OP, Alberto Ambrosio, OP, Claudio Monge, OP, Dennis Halft, OP, Mr. Dominique Avon, Emmanuel Pisani, OP, and Matthieu Palayret, OP, will participate in the conference in Trier, Germany, on the occasion of the 60ᵗʰ anniversary of Nostra Aetate. The conference will focus on the Dominicans’ contribution to redefining relations between Catholics and Jews, as well as between Catholics and Muslims in the first half of the 20ᵗʰ century, from a historical and theological perspective.