Professor at the Collège de France, Islamologist, military officer and diplomatic expert, agnostic then ardent mystic, precursor of interreligious dialogue, tireless pilgrim, committed activist, homophile, married, and priest of the Eastern rite, Louis Massignon (1883-1962) is a man of paradoxes with multiple facets intimately linked.
 The extraordinary destiny of this witness and participant of the 20th century is unique.
 A man of science, action, and faith, he met Foucauld, Huysmans, Claudel, Lawrence of Arabia, Faisal, Clemenceau, Gandhi, Pius XI, Mohammed V, Iqbal, Taha Hussein, Hampâté Bâ, Tillion, Jung, Mauriac, Maritain, Dumézil, Camus, Sartre…
 Often going against the grain of his time, this fervent Catholic worked tirelessly for the understanding and recognition of the Arab world and Islam, seeking out the Other with passion and compassion.