SF in the United Arab Emirates

Over at the SF Portal, new bureau head Arafaat Ali Khan discusses What has science fiction meant to the UAE over the lat few decades? It’s difficult to put a finger on what constitutes science fiction in the United Arab Emirates. Difficult because the UAE has always been such an eclectic mix of nationalities that...

Announcing The First Abu Dhabi Comic-con!

March 2011 will see the first ever regional comic-con in the Middle East, hosted at Abu Dhabi's National Exhibition Centre. From the Jerusalem Post: Fans of comics, sci-fi and fantasy in the Middle East will now have their own comic convention. In March 2011 Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Centre will be the first in the...

Working Bibliography of Arab SF/Fantasy

Over at Eastwords, a working bibliography of Arab science fiction and fantasy! It's quite short at the moment, but here's hoping it grows. Also includes works by Apex Book of World SF contributor Jamil Nasir. Mustafa Mahmud The Spider (1964) A Man Under Zero Egypt (1967) Mohammed Aziz al-Habbabi The Elixir Morocco (1974) Mohammed Abdelsalam al-Baqqali The Blue...

Amal El-Mohtar on Fantasy, The Middle-East, and a Conversation with Saladin Ahmed

Over at Blackgate, Amal El-Mohtar talks about her Middle-East experience, and interviews Saladin Ahmed. Here's an excerpt from her essay and interview respectively: Over the last nine years, I’ve had occasion to be startled, and then to cease to be startled, by the extent to which my Middle-Eastern-ness gets conflated with Muslim-ness as a matter...

New Issue of Expanded Horizons

Expanded Horizons has become the premier webzine publishing international writers these days, and their latest issue is a strong one, including two Apex Book of World SF II contributors! Check out stories from Hungary, Egypt, Malaysia, Mexico, Hong Kong and the Philippines at this great publication. Issue Twenty-Four (Nov 2010) Fiction Cornrows and Dill Pickles...

Apex Magazine special Arab/Muslim issue released

Apex Magazine's latest issue is a special Arab/Muslim themed issue: Fiction: “The Green Book” by Amal El-Mohtar “50 Fatwas for the Virtuous Vampire” by Pamela K. Taylor "The Faithful Soldier, Prompted" by Saladin Ahmed Reprints: "Kamer-taj the Moon-horse" compiled by Dr. Ignácz Kúnos (originally appeared in Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales) Poetry: "Me and Rumi's Ghost" by...

Muslim Superheroes The 99 at the Guardian Newspaper

We've previously reported on Islamic superhero series The 99, but now the UK's Guardian newspaper has picked up the story as well, following an announced television series for the comics! Even if you deliberately set out to try to dream up the least probable superhero ever, it's unlikely that you'd manage to come up with...

Islamic Steampunk?

Yakoub Islam writes about his hopeful novel-to-be, a steampunk adventure based on Islam. Here is a blurb: December, 1148. Europe’s second crusade has failed to take Damascus, and worse, a new Saracen threat is ascending – steam power. At least, that’s the terrifying message Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux brings to Pope Eugenius, in order to...

Apex Magazine to host special Arab/Muslim Issue in November

Catherynne Valente, editor of Apex Magazine, has announced the November issue will be a special showcase issue: I was thinking the other day about the whole horrifying Elizabeth Moon situation. I don't like to just watch bad things happen and make outraged noises and then go back to reading the intertubes like nothing happened. I always...

Female, Muslim and Mutant: Muslim Women in Comics

Jha sent over this fascinating article: Female, Muslim, and Mutant: A Critique of Muslim Women in Comic Books, by Jehanzeb Dar. She discusses two of the most important Muslim comics series - The 99 from Teshkeel Comics, and the works published by AK Comics. While I believe there is very little known about the images...