Arab and Muslim Science Fiction

Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely is an accomplished science fiction author with three novels to his name and seven edited volumes of short stories published on behalf of the Egyptian Society for Science Fiction (ESSF). He is the director and founder of the ESSF and is also a medical practitioner and associate professor of ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Egypt. He lives in Cairo, Egypt. Emad El-Din Aysha was formerly an adjunct assistant professor at the American University in Cairo. Currently he is a freelance journalist, translator, academic researcher and science fiction author with one anthology to his name, and a member of the ESSF and its chief translator. He lives in Cairo, Egypt.

“Wide-ranging specialized material on the disparate emerging field of multilingual sf from the Arab and Islamic world”—Library Journal

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefaceHosam A. Ibrahim ElzembelySection I—Whose Science Fiction?IntroductionMarcia Lynx QualeyDividing Lines: The ­World-View of Science FictionJames E. GunnSection II—Local Voices: Essays and Interviews• North Africa •The Continuum: Four Waves of Egyptian ­Sci-FiHosam A. Ibrahim ElzembelyMapping the Maghreb: The History and Prospects of SF in the Arab WestKawthar AyedThe Mechanics of Writing Algerian SF: Resistance to the Speculative Tools of the TradeFaycel LahmeurLibyan SF: A Short Story in the MakingAbdulhakeem Amer TweelThe Survival Guide to Egyptian Dystopia and Apocalypse: ­Post–Arab Spring ­Sci-Fi Comes ofAhmed Salah ­Al-MahdiMending the Egyptian Gap: A Case Study in the Problems FacingArab-Islamic Science FictionEmad ­El-Din AyshaMorocco, Then and Now: The Struggle for Arabic Science FictionMouad BouyadouInterview with Ziane Guedim: Prospecting the Next Generation of Algerian SF WritersEgyptian Society for Science Fiction• The Levant •Science Fiction Literature: A Very Personal JourneyTaleb OmranInterview with Jeremy Szal: Global and Local Imperatives in Lebanese Science FictionEgyptian Society for Science FictionThe Arabs Haven’t Given Up on Utopia Just Yet: The ­Nano-Ethics of Heaven on EarthFadi ZaghmoutThe Story of Syrian SF: The Struggle for a Voice of ItsMohammed Abdullah AlyasinExiled to the Future: Mental Hurdles on the Road Towards Palestinian Science FictionEmad ­El-Din Aysha• Gulf •An Eye on the Past, an Eye on the Future: Charting an Independent Course for IranianZahra ­Jannessari-LadaniThe Family in Time: An Expatriate’s Pilgrimage to a Better FutureIbrahim ­Al-MarashiTurning Youthful Curiosity into an Arab Growth IndustryNoura Al NomanPursuing the Imagination: One Kuwaiti’s Experience with Science Fiction and Other AbnormalsAbdulwahab ­Al-RifaeeInterview with Farkhondeh Fazel Bakhsheshi on Publishing Science Fiction in IranEgyptian Society for Science FictionAn Interview from Kuwait: Dr. Naif ­Al-Mutawa, Creator of The 99, on Therapy, the Comics Industry, and Muslim ModernizationEgyptian Society for Science FictionSF for a Troubled Nation: An Interview from Yemen with Wajdi Muhammad ­Al-AhdalEgyptian Society for Science FictionBlack Magic and Djinn in Omani Literature: Examining the Myths and RealityManar Al Hosni• Europe, Russia and Central Asia •The Codex of Bosnian SF: Raspberries on the Edge of ChaosHarun ŠiljakScience Fiction in Turkey: Skirting the Edge of a Remembered FutureGamze G. Özfırat and İsmail YamanolA Talk with Shamil Idiatullin: Muslims in the “Contracting” Universe of ­Post-SovietEgyptian Society for Science FictionHamid Ismailov on the Remnants of Central Asian Fantasy and Science FictionEgyptian Society for Science FictionPerceiving Afghanistan: Abdulwakil Sulamal on Realism, Translation, and Fantastical LiteratureEgyptian Society for Science FictionFalling in Love with Science Fiction: From Turkey to TomorrowMüfit ÖzdeşGirlhood Dreams: An Interview with Funda Özlem Şeran on the Necessity of Turkish ­Sci-FiEgyptian Society for Science Fiction• South Asia •The Hero in All of Us: Saqib Sadiq on Muslim SF in the English Language MirrorEgyptian Society for Science FictionThe Indian Recipe for Good Science Fiction: Technology, Politics, and ReligionSami Ahmad KhanMuhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: An Interview on Islam and ­Sci-Fi, AI Ethics, and Sustainable DevelopmentEgyptian Society for Science Fiction• Africa •The Expanse of Mauritanian SF: Tuning French to a Future Informed by the PastMoussa Ould EbnouFrom Arrakis to Senegal: The Science Fiction of Interfaith Dialogue and Spiritual CoexistenceMame Bougouma DieneRafeeat Aliyu: Identity, Islam, and Women’s Writing Meet in ­Afro-FuturismEgyptian Society for Science FictionA Bird’s-Eye View of the Comic Book Scene in NigeriaAshiru Muheez AfolabiThe Sudan and Genre Literature: Between Historical Speculation, Magic Realism, and Science FictionAmir Tag Elsir• Far East •Science Fiction: A Living Reality for Every MalaysianAzrul Bin JainiRaising the Elements of Locality and the Moral Story in SF: An Attempt to Make SF a Classy Genre in IndonesiaRiawani ElytaThe Writer’s Prerogative: An Interview from the Philippines with Kristine Ong MuslimEgyptian Society for Science FictionAditya Nugraha Wardhana on Indonesia’s New Wave SF: Comics, Cartoons, and Leveraging Literature Between the East and WestEgyptian Society for Science FictionSection III—A Literature in AppraisalArchiving the Future: A Conversation with Rebecca Hankins on the Fictional Frontiers of Muslim and AfricanEgyptian Society for Science FictionUnder the Microscope: An Academic Appraisal of the Evolving Milieu of ArabBarbara K. DickBetween Two Traditions: A Testimonial on Translating Arabic Science Fiction StoriesAreeg IbrahīmConclusionHosam A. Ibrahim ElzembelyAbout the ContributorsIndex