Science Fiction of the Muslim World

Science fiction has always existed in the Muslim world (Arab countries as well as South and Southeast Asia, where Islam is practiced). Djinns and spirits have always been at the center of speculative fiction. Storytellers from the Muslim world had envisioned future Utopias; for example, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain wrote a Feminist Utopia in 1905, critiquing Muslim culture and society. However, colonialism and the spread of the British Empire influenced how the West perceived these speculative ideas and how they were represented in text and visual media. Most often, the magical and spiritual world was explained through Orientalism, thus spinning a negative picture of an otherwise powerful and robust storytelling process and relegating it to the realm of superstition. Therefore, science fiction from the Muslim world at present not only portrays a counter-narrative but is also fundamentally spearheading new topics and subjects. They reflect the realities and concerns of the local culture as well as politics. Characters range from humans to the Djinns to cyborgs. Real cities are transformed into technologically advanced ones, existing elsewhere outside the universe.

This issue of the Journal of Arabic and World Literature (Science Fiction of the Muslim World) is seeking abstracts on the following topics. Abstracts focusing on a comparative study of films and literature are also welcome. Writers are encouraged to submit abstracts of fiction written in English or translated into English so that the issue is accessible to a broad audience in the Muslim world.

Arab Science Fiction as a critique and counter-narrative to Orientalism
Arab Science Fiction and the Cityscapes
Arab Science Fiction and democracy
Arab Science Fiction as climate fiction
Arab Science Fiction and posthumanism
Arab Science Fiction and Empire
SciFi Fiction and Djinns
SciFi Fiction and portrayal of Muslim women
(Muslim) Science Fiction from South Asia
Migrant workers of the Arab world in Scifi Fiction
Islam and/in Science Fiction (critique of representation and decolonization)

Please send a 500-word abstract with a clear argument and analysis and reference to the primary text/s and secondary scholarly articles, and a 50-word bio via the journal’s submission portal by September 15th, 2025. Decisions will be sent by October 15th. If accepted, the deadline for submitting the full article will be February 15th, 2026. If you have any questions or you would like to consult about your idea, please email Dr. Umme Al-wazedi at ummealwazedi@augustana.edu.

How to submit the abstract:

1) Go to https://awl.andromedapublisher.org/
2) Go to the submission page
3) Register and create a user id and a password
4) Upload the abstract with a bio