Maryam Ballout
Currently I am a researcher mainly in the field of Islamic studies, and a freelance speaker who offers lectures and workshops organized by religious institutions regarding topics on Islam and Dialogue. My current job is part of the Kircher Network Team, as an Assistant to the HEST’s cluster on Christian-Muslim relations.
As a child I was always interested in topics related to world religions, diversity, and spirituality. Which made me choose an academic path that serves my goal of understanding diverse religious communities and pursuing the journey of spiritual dialogue between them.
My academic journey was inspired by the fact that I must first gain a deeper knowledge of myself and my religion to be able to engage in the study of other religions and understand them. This acknowledgment led me to consider my academic journey in two domains that I studied simultaneously from the year 2015-2019: a Bachelor’s Degree in “Islamic Studies and Jurisprudence”. Which is a five-year program offered by Al-Mostafa International University in Beirut, a Shia Islamic Seminary. And a Bachelor’s Degree in “Comparative Religions” (This degree helped me notice the unique pattern and mindset of each religion and the common ground that could be found between them)
In 2019, I pursued my third degree at Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth, which is a Master’s Degree in “Islamic-Christian Relations”. This degree is a further step in my journey, that helped me focus on building bridges through dialogue as a goal to serve humanitarian purposes.
Resources related to
Muslim-Christian Dialogue
article
Kenneth Cragg and the Event of the Qur’an
- Timo Güzelmansur
Article by Timo Güzelmansur published under the title Kenneth Cragg und das Ereignis des Koran on the theological portal feinschwarz.net (12 June 2026, open access). Timo Güzelmansur presents the A...
article
Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the Pluriel working group on AI-assisted interreligious dialogue
- Wael Saleh
Text by Wael Saleh, researcher at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and member of the Pluriel coordination committee. The simultaneous appearance of Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Human...
publication
The Recognition of a Hummingbird. Essays on Interreligious Dialogue and Missionary Work (2007-2025)
- Rémi Caucanas
Published in May 2026 by PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome), this collection brings together the essays of Rémi Caucanas on interreligious dialogue and missionary wor...
videos
From Lavigerie to PISAI: The Institutional History of the Missionaries of Africa’s Engagement with Islam
Delivered on 21 May 2026 at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) in Rome, this lecture opens the series of conferences marking the institute's centenary (1926-2026). Fr. ...
videos
Interreligious Dialogue and Ethnic Nationalisms in the Balkans
At the invitation of PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome) and Georgetown University, Ahmet Alibašić, professor of Islamic civilization at the Faculty of Islamic Studies...
publication
For a Christian Theology of Religions
- Michel Younès
Faced with contemporary religious diversity, how can Christian theology make sense of the place that other religions occupy in God’s design? Michel Younès examines the three traditional ̶...
publication
Intercultural Theology
- Jean Patrick Nkolo Fanga
Because every theology is culturally situated, Christian theology is inevitably multicultural. Yet one step remains to be taken: to become intercultural. Crossing languages, contexts, origins, ages...
article
Bells and Muezzin in Harmony: Dialogue with Islam as a Spiritual Responsibility
- Timo Güzelmansur
Article by Timo Güzelmansur published under the title Glocken und Muezzin im Einklang. Der Dialog mit dem Islam als geistliche Verantwortung in Herder Korrespondenz (special issue devoted to Pope L...