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What does it mean to comment in Islam?

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The articles gathered in the MIDEO 32 incorporate most of the contributions presented at the symposium organized by IDEO in Cairo on the 14th, 15th and 16th of January, 2016, on the theme of “Science of Islam, between repetition and innovation: What does it mean to comment in Islam?” that was concluding the 200 Project.

Commenting has in fact become essential to the point of being considered the mode par excellence of intellectual activity (Saleh).
The articles here allow a confrontation with the sources in order to verify the functional level relevance of the commentaries identified by Wisnovsky, and they contribute to a better knowledge of authors of Arab Muslim patrimony.  The volume also incorporates an important article on the theology of religions by Father Rémi Chéno and an article on the theological epistemology of Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456/1064) of Cordoba.  The volume presents as well issues of the Marrakesh Declaration of 27 January 2016.

Click here to access the articles.

Cooperation with the University of al-Azhar

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On November 27, 2016, we had the pleasure to finally sign a cooperation agreement with al-Azhar University, with their two French sections, one in the Faculty of Language and Translation (for men) and one in the Faculty of Human Sciences (for women). Negotiations had been ongoing since March 2015. The friendship and perseverance of the students and teachers were stronger than the administrative and ideological reservations. We will now be able to plan activities in common.

The first two meetings of the steering committee, established by a cooperative agreement between the University of al-Azhar and the IDEO, took place on January 11th and 14th.  We have agreed to organize a monthly seminar to address “extremism: history, definition, and diagnosis”. In a second phase, we would like to plan common activities to meet the challenge of extremism.

Post-liberal models of religious pluralism

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Rémi Chéno

After a short foray into the Jain logic and its model for the status of enunciation in a debate, Rémi Chéno pursues his research on the possibility of a pluralistic approach to religions.

SalvationsIn his famous book, The Nature of Doctrine, 1984, George Lindbeck opposed the cultural-linguistic model, now called post-liberal model, to the propositional cognitive model of classical metaphysics, and to the expressive experiential model of liberal theology. On preliminary examination, these three models refer respectively to three different theories of truth: the pragmatic theory, the realist theory of correspondence and the idealistic theory of coherence. But these associations operate only approximately. Continue reading Post-liberal models of religious pluralism→

Muslim theology of religions

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Call for papers: MIDEO 33 (2018)

Islam and religions. The topic is not new. At the time of early Islam, it referred to the relations and interactions between Muslims and non-Muslims. In the first centuries of Islam, it was discussed in the context of treaties on dogmas and practices of different “sects” and religions. It classifies the numerous Refutations (rudūd) towards Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians or heterodox Muslim factions and deals with the legal question (fiqh) of the rights and duties of the non-Muslims on the one hand and the Muslims’ on the other hand.1

Since the eighties, the question has been subject to a renewed interest, especially because of the influence of the Christian theology. The aim is to question the view of the Koran, the Sunna or some Muslim thinkers towards non-Muslims and their religions. In this perspective, some have tried to assess whether the paradigms of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism brought forward within a Christian theology of religions could be used to explain the Islam’s views about non-Muslim religions.2 Thus, thinkers or philosophers question the Koran and already highlight the existence of “pluralist” verses.3
A Muslim theology of non-Muslims and religions is emerging. Many questions, otherwise classical, are linked to this theology. What role does God give to or expect from non-Muslims? How does he judge the actions of a non-Muslim in order to serve him or to serve humanity4 and what value should be given to the non-Muslim religion in passing on spiritual virtues? What is the theological and legal status of the books other religions?5 Can salvation be considered for a non-Muslim?6

The MIDEO 33 (2018) dedicates a file to this topic and welcomes the publication of articles and various texts which can contribute to put into perspective a Muslim theology of religions.

Schedule

Articles must be submitted to MIDEO’s direction in .doc and .PDF file before April, 1st 2017 to following the style guide. After an “anonymous” reading by two rapporteurs, writers will be informed within three months whether their article is accepted or not. The texts will be corrected in the fall of 2017 and the publication is planned for the first quarter of 2018.

(1) Yohann Friedmann, Tolerance and Coercion in Islam Interfaith Relations in the Muslim Tradition, Cambridge University Press, 2006.
(2) Mahmoud Ayoub, ‘‘Islam and the Challenge of Religious Pluralism” in Global Dialogue 2, 1, Winter 2000, p. 53‒64.
(3) Adnane Mokrani, « Le pluralisme religieux dans le Coran », MIDEO 28, 2010, p. 279‒293.
(4) Mortaza Motahari, Divine Fair, Tehran, Sadra Publication, 2000.
(5) Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible: From Ibn Rabban to Ibn Hazm, Leiden, 1996 ; Éric Chaumont, « Nous et la loi des autres : La question du statut des lois antérieurement révélées (sharʿ man kāna qablanā) en théorie légale sunnite » dans Droits et culture, Mélanges en l’honneur du Doyen Yadh Ben Achour, Tunis, Centre de publication universitaire, 2008, p. 83-105.
(6) Emmanuel Pisani, « Hors de l’islam point de salut ? Eschatologie d’al-Ġazālī », MIDEO 30, 2014, p.139-184.