Mary Kahil and the Encounter Between Christianity and Islam

Abstract

Mary Kahil was an Eastern Christian of the Melkite rite into which, through her influence, Louis Massignon was ordained a priest. The part she played in Louis Massignon’s life, though little known, cannot be overestimated. Theirs was a very unusual relationship, a spiritual friendship which lasted many years. Its high point was the Badaliya vow they took together in Damietta, Mary’s birthplace. She spent the rest of her life living out its ideals as an ‘extension’ of Massignon in Cairo, giving concrete form to his ideas. This article looks at all this from Mary’s perspective. After some discussion of her Egyptian/Syrian background, her relationship with Massignon and her work in Egypt on his behalf is discussed, followed by an account of the final years of her life after Massignon’s death. Finally, a suggestion is offered for a universal application of the Badaliya movement.