Jean-Jacques Pérennès, Georges Anawati. Un chrétien égyptien devant le mystère de l'islam

In his new book, Georges Anawati, un chrétien égyptien devant le mystère de l'islam, Jean-Jacques Pérennès draws the portrait of an extraordinary person, a man of many facets and paradoxes: Egyptian by birth, francophone by culture, Greek-Orthodox by birth and Catholic by conversion, Arab by tradition and European by education. Georges Anawati, more commonly known as Abouna (Father) Anawati, dedicated his life as a Dominican Father to the building of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Influenced by scholars like Massignon, he opted for a dialogue based on rock-solid bases whose essential principles were a profound understanding of the other and a sincere and freely-given friendship.
And yet things could have turned out differently. After brilliant studies he looked set for an already groomed bourgeois life; instead destiny and a personality without equals led him in another direction, giving him a religious vocation and a passion for Islam. Very quickly the young Dominican expressed his greatest ambition in the following terms: "I want to be a saint" or more modestly "I want to be a great Christian scholar."
After his ordination as a priest in 1939, a dauntless Anawati opted for "Islam as a vocation" and decided to start his conquest of the Other. Thus, as an Easterner imbued with Western culture, he took off on a journey of discovery that led him back to the heritage of his origins and to a number of academic degrees. After brilliant studies in Arabic language and Arab culture at the University of Algiers, he studied theology in Paris. Thereafter he devoted himself to the hard task of learning about the Arab Islamic culture, his first step on the path to rediscover the other.
In 1948, after publishing his main opus, Introduction à la théologie musulmane (Introduction to Islamic Theology), which he co-authored with Louis Gardet, Anawati became a top authority in the field. The book itself was published at the best time "to understand and compare" without making any compromises or taking any shortcuts. His stated goal was to "open new fields of study", create new spaces for a rich and sincere dialogue between Christians and Muslims. What better place for dialogue than the IDEO, founded in Cairo in 1954 by his fellow Dominicans whose ambition was nothing less than the "scientific study of Eastern civilisations from Antiquity to our times in all their philosophical and religious aspects." The goal, in other terms, was to establish with the Arab Islamic world a relationship based on recognition, respect and thus trust.
In 1963, during the Second Vatican Council, Father Anawati played an essential and dynamic role in the cause of Islamic-Christian dialogue, as a valuable and tireless intermediary dedicated to turning the Church's will into reality by adopting and promoting a new approach to that great unknown quantity that was Islam.
His hard work paid off, embodied in the Council's final declaration Nostra Aetate, which recognised the value of non-Christian religions. Such a step towards opening up to Islam was important because it stated that such religions "recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men."
This victory earned him the admiration and sympathy of many important figures, both Christian and Muslim.
Through his many works, his translation into Arabic of Aristotle's De Anima and from Arabic of works by Avicenna, Averroes and Al-Ghazali, he rekindled interest in the literary and scientific heritage of the Arab world, shedding light on the contribution of the Arab Islamic civilisation to Western civilisation. In doing so he gained great stature among his many Christian and especially Muslim friends as an exemplary figure to be admired and respected.
His avowed intention was to "conquer Islam" through his "personal study of Islam" so that he could unveil its "sense and meaning", all this by objectively assessing it without compromises. His rigour was such that in L'islam à la croisée des chemins (Islam at a Crossroad), he did not shy away from calling for a renewal of the Islamic religion so that it could adapt to the needs of the modern world.
Abouna Anawati also embarked on a prestigious international academic career. He was professor in the History of Arab Science in the Faculty of Pharmacy in Alexandria (Egypt) and taught Medieval Arab philosophy at the Université de Montréal and, for ten years, at UCLA, just to mention a few.
During his professional career he took part in every international conference on Arab Islamic culture, the history of Arab Islamic civilisation and inter-faith dialogue. He was a member of prestigious scholarly societies dedicated to the study of the East. In his travels he wove together professional relationships and networks of friends whilst creating, improving and enriching interpersonal ties.
He left a rich legacy best exemplified by his works in Medieval Arab philosophy and the history of Arab science, product of his dedication to work and his passion for research, which now serve as references in the field.
Yet Abouna Anawati's task was not always easy. However idyllic his career may appear, he did experience disenchantment, due to the stubborn refusal of some of his Muslim contemporaries, reticent towards and impervious to any kind of openness, as well as the instinctive fear of some Christians who never stopped arguing that an Islamic-Christian dialogue was but a pipe-dream encouraged by naïve and excessively optimistic and unrealistic people.
Yet faithful to himself and his motto"to be a man means never ever yielding to discouragement"Abouna Anawati saw his passion as a kind of ministry, constant, faithful and sincere because "to know the other one must be his guest". His life and work contributed and may still contribute to a dialogue between the two sides and to building bridges in lieu of walls.
Through Abouna Anawati's life story, the author has also written the history of Catholic institutes in the Arab world drawing an important picture of the intellectual and political history of Egypt, paradoxically more open in his times than it is today. By the time the last page is turned, it is clear that this book is not like some archaeological dig out of a distant past but is instead an exhortation to live in the present according to the spirit that moved Father Anawati.