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.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Preface

Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely

Section I—Whose Science Fiction?

Introduction

Marcia Lynx Qualey

Dividing Lines: The ­World-View of Science Fiction

James E. Gunn

Section II—Local Voices: Essays and Interviews

• North Africa •

The Continuum: Four Waves of Egyptian ­Sci-Fi

Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely

Mapping the Maghreb: The History and Prospects of SF in the Arab West

Kawthar Ayed

The Mechanics of Writing Algerian SF: Resistance to the Speculative Tools

of the Trade

Faycel Lahmeur

Libyan SF: A Short Story in the Making

Abdulhakeem Amer Tweel

The Survival Guide to Egyptian Dystopia and Apocalypse: ­Post–Arab Spring ­Sci-Fi Comes of

Ahmed Salah ­Al-Mahdi

Mending the Egyptian Gap: A Case Study in the Problems Facing

Arab-Islamic Science Fiction

Emad ­El-Din Aysha

Morocco, Then and Now: The Struggle for Arabic Science Fiction

Mouad Bouyadou

Interview with Ziane Guedim: Prospecting the Next Generation of Algerian SF Writers

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

• The Levant •

Science Fiction Literature: A Very Personal Journey

Taleb Omran

Interview with Jeremy Szal: Global and Local Imperatives in Lebanese Science Fiction

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

The Arabs Haven’t Given Up on Utopia Just Yet: The ­Nano-Ethics of Heaven on Earth

Fadi Zaghmout

The Story of Syrian SF: The Struggle for a Voice of Its

Mohammed Abdullah Alyasin

Exiled to the Future: Mental Hurdles on the Road Towards Palestinian Science Fiction

Emad ­El-Din Aysha

• Gulf •

An Eye on the Past, an Eye on the Future: Charting an Independent Course for Iranian

Zahra ­Jannessari-Ladani

The Family in Time: An Expatriate’s Pilgrimage to a Better Future

Ibrahim ­Al-Marashi

Turning Youthful Curiosity into an Arab Growth Industry

Noura Al Noman

Pursuing the Imagination: One Kuwaiti’s Experience with Science Fiction and Other Abnormals

Abdulwahab ­Al-Rifaee

Interview with Farkhondeh Fazel Bakhsheshi on Publishing Science Fiction in Iran

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

An Interview from Kuwait: Dr. Naif ­Al-Mutawa, Creator of The 99, on Therapy, the Comics Industry, and Muslim Modernization

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

SF for a Troubled Nation: An Interview from Yemen with Wajdi Muhammad ­Al-Ahdal

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Black Magic and Djinn in Omani Literature: Examining the Myths and Reality

Manar Al Hosni

• Europe, Russia and Central Asia •

The Codex of Bosnian SF: Raspberries on the Edge of Chaos

Harun Šiljak

Science Fiction in Turkey: Skirting the Edge of a Remembered Future

Gamze G. Özfırat and İsmail Yamanol

A Talk with Shamil Idiatullin: Muslims in the “Contracting” Universe of ­Post-Soviet

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Hamid Ismailov on the Remnants of Central Asian Fantasy and Science Fiction

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Perceiving Afghanistan: Abdulwakil Sulamal on Realism, Translation, and Fantastical Literature

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Falling in Love with Science Fiction: From Turkey to Tomorrow

Müfit Özdeş

Girlhood Dreams: An Interview with Funda Özlem Şeran on the Necessity of Turkish ­Sci-Fi

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

• South Asia •

The Hero in All of Us: Saqib Sadiq on Muslim SF in the English Language Mirror

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

The Indian Recipe for Good Science Fiction: Technology, Politics, and Religion

Sami Ahmad Khan

Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad: An Interview on Islam and ­Sci-Fi, AI Ethics, and Sustainable Development

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

• Africa •

The Expanse of Mauritanian SF: Tuning French to a Future Informed by the Past

Moussa Ould Ebnou

From Arrakis to Senegal: The Science Fiction of Interfaith Dialogue and Spiritual Coexistence

Mame Bougouma Diene

Rafeeat Aliyu: Identity, Islam, and Women’s Writing Meet in ­Afro-Futurism

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

A Bird’s-Eye View of the Comic Book Scene in Nigeria

Ashiru Muheez Afolabi

The Sudan and Genre Literature: Between Historical Speculation, Magic Realism, and Science Fiction

Amir Tag Elsir

• Far East •

Science Fiction: A Living Reality for Every Malaysian

Azrul Bin Jaini

Raising the Elements of Locality and the Moral Story in SF: An Attempt to Make SF a Classy Genre in Indonesia

Riawani Elyta

The Writer’s Prerogative: An Interview from the Philippines with Kristine Ong Muslim

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Aditya Nugraha Wardhana on Indonesia’s New Wave SF: Comics, Cartoons, and Leveraging Literature Between the East and West

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Section III—A Literature in Appraisal

Archiving the Future: A Conversation with Rebecca Hankins on the Fictional Frontiers of Muslim and African

Egyptian Society for Science Fiction

Under the Microscope: An Academic Appraisal of the Evolving Milieu of Arab

Barbara K. Dick

Between Two Traditions: A Testimonial on Translating Arabic Science Fiction Stories

Areeg Ibrahīm

Conclusion

Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely

About the Contributors

Index