Muslims and the New Media

by Göran Larsson

Scholars from an extensive range of academic disciplines have focused on Islam in cyberspace and the media, but there are few historical studies that have outlined how Muslim 'ulama' have discussed and debated the introduction and impact of these new media. Muslims and the New Media explores how the introduction of the latest information and communication technologies are mirroring changes and developments within society, as well as the Middle East's relationship to the West. Examining how reformist and conservative Muslim 'ulama' have discussed the printing press, photography, the broadcasting media (radio and television), the cinema, the telephone and the Internet, case studies provide a contextual background to the historical, social and cultural situations that have influenced theological discussions; focusing on how the 'ulama' have debated the 'usefulness' or 'dangers' of the information and communication media. By including both historical and contemporary examples, this book exposes historical trajectories as well as different (and often contested) positions in the Islamic debate about the new media.

234 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Göran Larsson (born May 21, 1949) is a Swedish Theologian, ordained in the Church of Sweden and best known for his knowledge about and contacts with Judaism.

Larsson studied theology at Lund University receiving his Bachelor of Theology in 1973 and his Ph.D. in 1980. He was the director of the Swedish Theological Institute in Jerusalem 1979-1993 and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Chicago Divinity School 1991-1992. He has published several books and articles about the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. (wiki)