A Shared Understanding of Religions

IDEO remains steadfast in its conviction that only a patient, rigorous, and shared understanding of religious knowledge can open paths to collaboration and reconciliation. But words alone are not enough—they must be put into action. The “Islam and Religions” certificate program, held this May as part of the Anawati Chair and directed by Aziz Hilal, is a new example of this commitment.

Every Friday, our Institute had the honor of hosting three eminent scholars whose work is recognized as authoritative in this field. First, Tunisian professor Faouzi Bedoui, a master of critical analysis of Islamic sources and a specialist in Jewish studies on the Qur’an during the era of Haskalah (the Enlightenment); next, Lebanese philosopher Nayla Abi Nader, a specialist in Mohamed Arkoun. She sought to demonstrate how Arkounian concepts contribute to a renewed reading of the Qur’an and make it possible to fully recognize the place of other religions within Islamic thought. Finally, we welcomed Egyptian thinker Yassin Abdelgawad, whose stimulating contributions always spark passionate debates among our audience.

As a sign of growing interest in these topics, we received nearly eighty applications for only forty available spots. In their motivation letters, several candidates expressed their gratitude to IDEO for being a space of free debate, exchange, and reflection. Participants clearly understood that the speakers were presenting the state of a question and opening up avenues for exploration. For us, the goal is not to turn them into disciples of the speakers’ thought, but to give them the opportunity to broaden their intellectual horizons and to discover authors they may have heard of but never truly read. Witnessing these debates, we are delighted to see a young generation engaged and open to the contributions of social sciences in order to better ground, within Islam, the relationship with religious otherness.

Anawati Chair

• Certificate “Islam and Other Religions”

The Anawati Chair is organizing a training course for a Certificate in “Islam and Other Religions”. The training took place over four seminars:

On May 9, Mr.  Faouzi Bedoui, Professor of Jewish and Arabic Studies at the University of Tunis, gave a lecture entitled “The Impact of the Jewish Haskalah on the Development of Orientalist Studies on Islam”.

On May 16, he discussed the topic “How to Approach the Anglo-Saxon Revisionist School in the Field of Islamic Studies?”.

On May 23, Ms. Nayla Abi Nader, Lebanese researcher and professor at the Lebanese University, gave two lectures: “The Foundations of the Critical Method in the Approach to Heritage. The Project of Mohammed Arkoun as a Model” and “The Anthropological Triangle and the Deconstruction of Violence in the Thought of Mohammed Arkoun”;

On May 30, Mr. Abdelgawad Yassin, Egyptian jurist, researcher, and thinker, gave a talk entitled “Christianity and Islam: Mutual Stereotypes. An Introduction to the Question of Religious Pluralism Lecturer”.

• Researcher Mobility

As part of the researcher mobility grant, the researcher Mahmoud El-Mezayen participated in the second edition of the international conference “Nadwat al-Andalus,” organized by the Institute of Applied Humanities Studies of Sbeïtla, affiliated with the University of Kairouan (Tunisia), from April 22 to 24, 2025. On this occasion, Mr. El-Mezayen presented a scientific paper entitled “Four Arabic Documents Related to the City of Granada in al-Andalus”.

Lectures

On May 20, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture in Trévou-Tréguignec for the France-Palestine Solidarity Association, on the topic: “The Archaeology of Gaza, a Heritage in Peril”.

On May 22, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave an online presentation entitled “Why have we forgotten Toumliline”?, during an evening event organized by the al-Mowafaqa Institute in Rabat, focused on the Toumliline Monastery.

On May 24, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a lecture in Metz on the topic: “Christians in a Middle East in Crisis: Situation and Prospects”.

Workshop

On May 6, Jean Druel, OP gave a talk on the topic: “Collation Marks in the Milan-Kazan codex of Sībawayh’s Kitāb: The Case of ġayn” as part of the 5ᵗʰ International Workshop on Codicology and Critical Edition organized by the Rawafed Center in Fez.

Scientific Council

From May 15 to 17, Emmanuel Pisani, OP as deputy coordinator, took part in the scientific council of the Academic Platform PLURIEL held in Cordoba, to prepare the upcoming conference “Ethics and Aesthetics in Islamic Heritage”, scheduled for February 2026.

Master in Arabic Studies

On May 22, Matthieu Palayret, OP completed his Master in Arabic Studies at the American University in Cairo by defending a thesis entitled “Beyond Logic: Ibn al-Sarrāǧ’s (d. 316/928) al-Uṣūl fī al-naḥw and the Formation of the Islamic Disciplines”.

Visits

On May 6, we had the pleasure of welcoming the “Religion and Diplomacy” Group, whose visit was organized by the Austrian Embassy in Cairo. The delegation was made up of:

• Mr. Alexander Rieger (Austria), Coordinator and founder of the Vienna Group for Religion & Diplomacy, Head of the Unit Intercultural and interreligious dialogue, Head of the Task Force Dialogue of Cultures and Religions;
• Mr. Constantinos Alexandris (European External Action Service), advisor for “Religion and Diplomacy” Group;
• H.E. Mr. Ivan Picukaric (Croatia), advisor for “Religion and Diplomacy” to the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
• H.E. Ms. Nathalia Feinberg (Denmark), Special Representative for Freedom of Religion or Belief;
• H.E. Mr. Pekka Kosonen (Finland), Ambassador for Peace Mediation;
• Ms. Anke Oppermann (Germany), Head of the Unit of the Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief;
• Mr. Theofilos Zafeirakos (Greece), Head of the Directorate for the Council of Europe, Human Rights at the United Nations, Minorities, Migration, and Refugees;
• Mr. Iarfhlaith Manny (Ireland), Deputy Director in the International Policy and Technology Coordination Unit, in charge of the religion and diplomacy portfolio;
• H.E. Ms. Ulrika Sundberg (Sweden), Special Envoy to the OIC for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue.

On May 24, Dr. Sameh A. Khadra, director of the “Taqeen” Foundation, visited us to discuss a possible collaboration.

On May 26, we welcomed a delegation from the European Parliament as part of the activities of the Political Section of the European Union Delegation in Cairo.

Scholars’ House

During the month of May, we had the pleasure of welcoming to the Scholars’ House:

• Caitlin Buckley, PhD student in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University;
• Nadir Boudjellal, PhD student in Arabic, Medieval and Modern Studies at the Ifpo.
• Sami Benkherfallah, lecturer at the University of Angers, PhD in History (University of Poitiers), associate researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies in Medieval Civilization (UMR 7302).

Publications

Dennis Halft, “Kommune statt Kloster. Politisches Ordensleben am Beispiel der dominikanischen Lorscheid-Bewegung”,  Ordenskorrespondenz 66, n° 2: “Orden und Politik”, 2025, p. 208-215.

Dennis Halft, “Die ‚Judenspiegel-Affäre‘: Jakob Ecker, Abraham Treu und ein Prozess vor dem Landgericht Münster 1883”, dans Marco Benini, Walter A. Euler & Klaus Vellguth (éd.), Trierer Ringparabel. Den Glauben interreligiös zur Sprache bringen; Festschrift der Theologischen Fakultät Trier, Freiburg/Br., Herder, 2025, p. 137-177.

Emmanuel Pisani, « L’Idéo et le dialogue avec al-Azhar », Bulletin de l’Œuvre d’Orient 819, avril-juin 2025, p. 56-57.

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. 109-130.

Dominique Avon, “MATTHIESEN Toby, The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism”, in REMMM 157, 2025.