While there is no such thing as Magic in Islam, through out history people from Muslim cultures have esoteric things which have been described as magic by outsiders. (Muslim scholars universally consider Magic to be haram (Forbidden) in Islam.) In the medieval era Muslims in Europe were sometimes accused of practicingContinue Reading
While not exactly Science Fiction, this book by Anand Taneja would be of interest to the audience of Islam and Science Fiction. Jinns are supernatural creatures in Islamic beliefs that have sentience and free-will like human beings. Professor Taneja from Vanderbilt University explores how the living interact with the Jinns inContinue Reading
Guest post by Jahanzeb from Hearts of Khyber on the new Star Wars movie and Islam. Parh parh ilm hazaar kitaaban qaddi apnay aap nou parhiya naee… Yes, you have read thousands of books But you have never tried to read your own self… ~ Bulleh Shah There is a momentContinue Reading
The transcript of the panel on Science Fiction and the Civic Imagination that I was a part of earlier this year is now online. You can read the whole transcript in Part 1 and Part 2. Here is a relevant excerpt. Mohammed: So, I guess part of reimagining the future isContinue Reading
Yaqteenya is an alternative history novel by Yasir Bahjatt, a Saudi citizen who has been instrumental in trying to get the genre of Science Fiction off the ground in Saudi Arabia. The novel has both Science Fiction and Fantasy elements. It imagines a group of Spanish Muslims who venture intoContinue Reading
Hello, Friends! Before I say anything, I am going to let this guy go first: http://download.media.islamway.net/videos/2541/Rprgi_pBeBo.mp4 Powerful lyrics, aye? These are the heroic names I wish to pass down to my kids. But getting to this point has been a challenge. You see I remember growing up in the midwestContinue Reading
Image: Kulsoom Abdullah of Pakistan at the World Weightlifting Cahmpionship Hello Friends, We’ve had some time to reflect on the election results. Some are happy that their candidate won others are not. To be honest I am just glad its over. What happened, happened. This election cycle has been insane.Continue Reading
Yusuf Nuruddin has a fascinating articel on the intersection of Islam, urban mythology and Science Fiction which came out 10 years ago in the Socialism and Democracy Journal. Here is the article in full. Ancient Black Astronauts and Extraterrestrial Jihads: Islamic Science Fiction as Urban Mythology Yusuf Nuruddin Introduction ScienceContinue Reading
Islam and Science Fiction would like to welcome new contributors to our website. They come from varied background with diverse experiences: Gwen Bellinger is a writer and consultant currently working with the Indian government’s Department of Education, Josh Hicken is a Software Engineer whose writing background is in journalism,Continue Reading
Care for a cup of coffee? I mentioned this on Twitter last month that inspired from Dinner with Strangers I will be starting a new series at Islam and Sci-Fi but in Seattle. I give you Sci-Fi with Strangers. Here is the idea, if you have an interest in Sci-FiContinue Reading