Great news everyone, one of the Editors at Islam and Science Fiction, sister Rebecca Hankins just was sworn in as the Presidential Appointee (she was appointed by President Obama) at the National Historical Publications & Records Commission (NHPRC) at the National Archives. Congratulations!!!!!!!!

Rebecca Hankins, one of the editors of Islam and Science Fiction Project is an Appointee for Member, National Historical Publications and Records Commission by President Obama. Congratulations to sister Rebecca for this wonderful milestone. Here is here bio for reference:

Rebecca Hankins is Associate Professor, Curator, and Librarian for Africana Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Arabic Language at Texas A&M University, where she has worked since 2003. Ms. Hankins was Assistant Librarian and Archivist at the University of Arizona from 2001 to 2003 and Archivist at the Amistad Research Center at Tulane University from 1988 to 2001. She is also a Regent for Exam Development for the Academy of Certified Archivists and a Distinguished Fellow of the Society of American Archivists. Ms. Hankins received a B.A. from Loyola University New Orleans, an M.L.I.S. from Louisiana State University, and is a Certified Archivist with the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Islam and Science Fiction was in London recently, our very own Rebecca Hankins (Ruqayyah Kareem) was a panelist at the Middle Eastern Sci-Fi and Fantasy panel at the Tottenham Palestine Literature Festival. The panel was moderated at Yasmeen Khan who is a curator at the Science Museum. The other panelist was Naomi Foyle who has written Science Fiction stories critiquing some aspects of religion. The panel was quite successful and we would like to thank everyone who showed up and made it a success.

For the readers of Islam and Science Ficion in Korea, here is treat for you folks. Rebecca Hankins, one of the contributors at Islam and Science Fiction will be giving a lecture on the influence of Islamic themes and Muslim cultures on American Science Fiction and Fantasy Comics at the Sogang University on April 30, 2014 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Here is the abstract of her talk at the Sogang University:

Abstract: Star Wars, Star Trek, and Dune are some of the most celebrated and popular American examples of science fiction and fantasy, both in film and in comic books. They have inspired a generation of Americans, including American Muslims, to imitate, adapt, and experiment with these genres, just as Islam has inspired and influenced the production of science fiction and fantasy throughout history. This talk will engage the audience in learning more about those connections and the historical influence of Islam and Muslims on contemporary science fiction, fantasy, and comic book literature.

PCA/ACA: Conference April 11-14, Boston MA

April 14, 2012 3:00 pm -4:30 pm, Conference Website
Copley Marriott Hotel in Boston

Special Roundtable Session: Countering the Master Narrative:  Locating Muslims and Islam in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Comics

Abstract: Science fiction, fantasy, and comic book literature is experiencing a “revival” in modern day Muslim communities with Muslim and non-Muslim writers use of the faith of over a billion adherents to enhance and often drive the narrative of their creative output.  Historically Muslims have had an impact on speculative fiction from the fantasy tales of the Arabian Nights, to the world’s largest epic in the form of Dastan Amir Hamza, to the time-travel stories of the 19th century Egyptian, al-Muwaylihi, to the obvious borrowing of Islamic themes by contemporary writers such as Frank Herbert and Steven Barnes, films such as Dune and Pitch Black, and music by artists such as the Last Poets; but oftentimes these connections are unacknowledged or obscured. The early interconnectedness of science fiction and fantasy to scientific inquiry in the Islamic world provided the impetus for many discoveries that spurred imaginations toward turning the impossible into the possible.  The Islamic advances in science created conditions that encouraged creativity and adventure; a belief in the dynamism of the universe arguably provided the incubation for stories of castaways (Ibn Tufail) and outer body transport (Avicenna). The embracing of science fiction, fantasy, and comic book literature within Muslim communities the world over are elements that are changing the Master Narrative that has historically excluded Islamic contributions to this genre.  This panel of presenters will explore the influence that Muslims and Islam has had in the past and continues to have on the current literary output in the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Africa.  The panelists will discuss the depiction of Muslims by non-Muslims and Muslim writers of science fiction and fantasy, comics, manga, graphic novels, and other speculative fiction.  5 minutes

Schedule: April 14, 2012 3:00 pm -4:30 pm (Salon A, Copley Marriott Hotel in Boston)

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad has recently completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Minnesota. He has been fascinated by Science Fiction since his childhood and greatly appreciates the use of Science Fiction to illuminate relationship amongst people and the relationship between technology and man. He is also an aspiring artist and edited the first anthology of short Science Fiction stories on Islam and Science Fiction in 2008 with Ahmed A. Khan titled “A Mosque Amongst the Stars.” He is the founder and Editor of the Islam and Science Fiction website which he has been running since 2005 to address a glaring gap in literature on this subject. Muhammad will provide an overview of Muslims and Islam in science fiction, fantasy, and comics.

D. Waheedah Bilal is an Assistant Librarian at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; she is new to the field of Islam and Science Fiction. Her interests include African American studies, women in Islam, and world literature. Waheedah will discuss the image of Muslim women in science fiction and literature generally.

Rebecca Hankins is an Associate Professor, certified archivist/librarian at Texas A&M University, College Station TX.  Her previous employment included 12 years as senior archivist at The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, the premier research repository on Africana historical documentation, and two years as Assistant Librarian at University of Arizona Library, Special Collection; Tucson, Arizona.  She has published in peer-reviewed journals and her latest publication is on Islamic science fiction and fantasy in the international journal Foundation: The International of Review of Science Fiction out of the UK.
Rebecca will speak about the negative and positive depictions of Muslims in science fiction, fantasy, and comics.

Image Source: Veezle.com

I will be part of a panel on Islam and Science Fiction at the Southwest Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association annual conference. The three of us will be discussing science fiction themes especially in the context of Islamic cosmological doctrines and beliefs. If you happen to be in Albuquerque then be sure to stop by at the conference. If there are any media queries then they can be directed to the following e-mail address: mahmad@cs.umn.edu

Conference February 8-11, 2012-Albuquerque, NM

Panelists

• Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad (University of Minnesota)
• D. Waheedah Bilal (Indiana University, Purdue University)
• Rebecca Hankins (Texas A & M University)

Panel Info: Science fiction and fantasy literature is experiencing a “revival” in modern day Muslim communities with Muslim and non Muslim writers use of the faith of over a billion adherents to enhance and often drive the narrative of their creative output.  Historically Muslims have had an impact on speculative fiction from the fantasy stories of the Arabian Nights to the time-travel stories of the 19th century Egyptian, al-Muwaylihi, to the obvious borrowing of Islamic themes by contemporary writers, movie scripts, and music. The Islamic advances in science created conditions that encouraged creativity and adventure; a belief in the dynamism of the universe arguably provided the incubation for early stories of time travel and outer body transport. The early interconnectedness of science fiction and fantasy to scientific inquiry in the Islamic world are similar to the elements that are spurring the revival of both areas in current societies.  This panel of presenters will explore the influence that Muslims and Islam has had in the past and continues to have on the current literary output in the Americas, Middle East, Europe and Africa.  The panelists will discuss the depiction of Muslims by non Muslims and Muslim writers of science fiction and fantasy, comics, manga, graphic novels, and other speculative fiction.

Panelists Bio:

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad:

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad is a researcher in Computational Social Sciences with emphasis on Behavioral Analytics, Gaming Analytics, Analysis of Clandestine Behaviors and networks. He is also the founder and editor of Islam and Science Fiction, a resource and an academic look on the representation of Muslims and Islam in Science Fiction and also Science Fiction written by Muslims on this subject. He also co-edited the first anthology of short Science Fiction stories with Muslim characters called A Mosque Amongst the Stars.

Rebecca Hankins:

Rebecca Hankins is an Associate Professor, certified archivist/librarian at Texas A&M University, College Station TX.  Her previous employment included 12 years as senior archivist at The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, the premier research repository on Africana historical documentation, and two years as Assistant Librarian at University of Arizona Library, Special Collection; Tucson, Arizona.  Her expertise includes building collections and scholarly resources for the study of the African Diaspora, Race & Ethnic Studies, and Arabic Language and Culture.  She has published in library, archival, and other peer-reviewed journals and her latest publication is on Islamic science fiction and fantasy in the international journal Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction out of the UK.

D. Waheedah Bilal:

D. Waheedah Bilal is an Assistant Librarian at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; she is new to the field of Islam and Science Fiction. Her interests include African American studies, women in Islam, and world literature. She will be discussing the image of Muslim women in Science Fiction.

Islam and Science Fiction website would like to welcome a new contributor to the website, Rebecca Hankins. She is an Associate Professor as well as a librarian at the Texas A&M University. She has written an extensive article on the subject of Muslims and Islam in Science Fiction. Her interested include African Diaspora, Women Studies, Muslims and Islam in Science fiction, fantasy, and comics, Middle Eastern/Islamic Studies. She would be a valuable addition to the website. Welcome to the website Sister Rebecca!