Dear friends,
The month of June was marked by numerous visits and preparatory meetings for the upcoming academic year. For next year, we have several projects currently under study, we hope to be able to announce some good news at the beginning of the year. Until then, we wish you all a very beautiful summer, full of exciting readings and unexpected encounters. We hope you find a haven of peace in the middle of everyday life activities.
Interreligious dialogue
From June 7-9, Claudio Monge, OP and Amir Jajé, OP took part in the 12th plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue in Rome, for which they are consultants. The topic of the assembly, which ended an audience with Pope Francis, was “The role of women in education for universal fraternity”.
Cooperation with al-Azhar
On June 21st, we met with professors Oussama Nabil and Sahar Samir in order to prepare our seminars for 2017‒2018. The subjects chosen for the first sessions are: the historical definitions of Wasaṭiyya (Middle Path) advocated for by al-Azhar (see photo), and the literalism.
Lectures
On June 11th, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave a lecture entitled “Djihad and crusades. Violence in religions” at the Saint Bernard Center in Paris.
On June 19th, Dennis Halft, OP gave a lecture entitled “New evidence for the history of Imāmī-Jewish relations from Shīʿīr manuscript repositories in Iran: ‘Yazd disputation’ on Muḥammad’s prophethood (1796). Paper presented at the 41st annual conference of the Middle East & Islamic Studies Association of Israel (MEISAI), at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Jury
From June 1-3, Emmanuel Pisani, OP took part in the thesis committee for the al-Mowafaqa certificate and the L4 degree in Rabat, Morocco.
Visits
On June 13th, we welcomed M. Neil Hawkins, Australian Ambassador in Egypt.
On June 18th, we welcomed for lunch M. André Parant, French Ambassador in Egypt, and his wife Maya, on the eve of their departure from Egypt.
On June 25th, we welcomed for lunch M. Stéphane Romatet, new French Ambassador in Egypt, M. Olivier Plançon, French Consul and Mrs. Fabienne Renouard assistant of the Ambassador.
On June 26th, we welcomed for lunch Mrs. Nadia Blétry, journalist for the French daily La Croix in Egypt.
Two conferences under preparation
From January 11-13, 2018, we organize in Cairo a conference devoted to Ḥādīṯ. Please find here the call for papers.
From April 11-13, 2018, we organize in Paris, in partnership with the Catholic Institute, a conference devoted to interactions between Shiites and Christians. Please find here the call for papers. This conference will be followed by a workshop in Najaf, Iraq from September 28th to October 1st, 2018.
Scholars’ House
In June, we had the pleasure to receive at the Scholars’ House Mr. Levente Vezetéknév, Ph.D. student at Avicenna Institute.
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