Welcome to the Website of the ERC Synergy Project ‘The European Qur’an. Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion 1150-1850 (EuQu)’

EuQu is an ambitious six year research project (2019-2025) studying the ways in which the Islamic Holy Book is embedded in the intellectual, religious and cultural history of Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Our research studies how the Qur’an has been translated, interpreted, adapted and used by Christians, European Jews, freethinkers, atheists and European Muslims in order to understand how the Holy Book has influenced both culture and religion in Europe.
EuQu is an ERC Synergy project formed by a consortium led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); the University of Naples L’Orientale (UNO); the University of Copenhagen and the University of Nantes (UN).
Other members of the consortium are the University of Amsterdam (UvA); Autonomous University of Barcelona; and the Humanities Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Additional partners include the New York University Abu Dhabi; the Ruhr-University Bochum; the University of Chieti; Columbia University; the Courtauld Institute of Art; the University of Erfurt; the King’s College London; the University of Notre Dame and the University of Sussex.
Watch below this video in Spanish: Mercedes Garcia Arenal, one of the 4 Principal Investigator of the project, is explaining the main objectives of our ERC Project “The European Qur’an”.

Welcome to the Website of the ERC Synergy Project ‘The European Qur’an. Islamic Scripture in European Culture and Religion 1150-1850 (EuQu)’


[Nautical chart] Coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Mallorcan school, ca. 1660. Ink drawing on parchment, hand colored. 420 x 710 mm. Biblioteca del Hospital Real, Universidad de Granada.
EuQu is an ambitious six year research project (2019-2025) studying the ways in which the Islamic Holy Book is embedded in the intellectual, religious and cultural history of Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Our research studies how the Qur’an has been translated, interpreted, adapted and used by Christians, European Jews, freethinkers, atheists, and European Muslims in order to understand how the Holy Book has influenced both culture and religion in Europe.
EuQu is an ERC Synergy project formed by a consortium led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); the University of Naples L’Orientale (UNO); the University of Copenhagen and the University of Nantes (UN).
Other members of the consortium are the University of Amsterdam (UvA); Autonomous University of Barcelona; and the Humanities Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Additional partners include the Academia Europæa; New York University Abu Dhabi; the Ruhr-University Bochum; the University of Chieti; the University of Erfurt; University of Stockholm; the University of Notre Dame and Weltmuseum, Vienna; Bibliothèque Nationale de Tunisie; Bibliothèque municipale de Nantes; Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi; Biblioteca Nacional de España, Madrid; Universidad de Granada; Universidad de Oviedo.

May 2025
Nous sommes fiers de travailler avec John Tolan et “Le Coran européen”
Sentez la brise légère qui nous vient d’Amérique. Depuis le 13 avril dernier, une campagne de presse virulente vise notre collègue John Tolan et trois [...]
Lettre ouverte de John Tolan à M Antoine Petit, directeur du CNRS Mesdames et Messieurs les membres du conseil d’administration du CNRS
Lettre ouverte de John Tolan, Principal Investigator du programme ERC The European Qur’ān, Professeur émérite d’histoire à Nantes Universités, Membre de l’Academia Europæa à: [...]
February 2025
Call for papers for conference: “Construction, Development, and Reconstruction of the Sacred Shrines Through History”
Read the full call for paper in english here: en-3 and in arabic here: ar
Workshop at University of Amsterdam: “Cooperations Across Religious and Ethnic Boundaries in the Study
The study of the Qurʾān in Europe took place in an interreligious and interethnic context. Sometimes the Quran was studied within particular religious communities: Jews, [...]
May 2025
Nous sommes fiers de travailler avec John Tolan et “Le Coran européen”
Sentez la brise légère qui nous vient d’Amérique. Depuis le 13 avril dernier, une campagne de presse virulente vise notre collègue John Tolan et trois [...]
Lettre ouverte de John Tolan à M Antoine Petit, directeur du CNRS Mesdames et Messieurs les membres du conseil d’administration du CNRS
Lettre ouverte de John Tolan, Principal Investigator du programme ERC The European Qur’ān, Professeur émérite d’histoire à Nantes Universités, Membre de l’Academia Europæa à: [...]
February 2025
Call for papers for conference: “Construction, Development, and Reconstruction of the Sacred Shrines Through History”
Read the full call for paper in english here: en-3 and in arabic here: ar
Workshop at University of Amsterdam: “Cooperations Across Religious and Ethnic Boundaries in the Study
The study of the Qurʾān in Europe took place in an interreligious and interethnic context. Sometimes the Quran was studied within particular religious communities: Jews, [...]