Join us as we explore Sci-Fi’s ability to tackle the ‘what ifs?’ and imagine bold futures. We discuss the genre’s roots in the Muslim world and how it has long been used to creatively imagine different possibilities, futures and push boundaries. Plus, a conversation with Singaporean sci-fi writer Hassan Hasaa’Ree Ali on how Islam shapes his storytelling- and a few of our favourite reads too!

Book Recs:

• Sultana’s Dream – Rokaya Sakhawat Hussain (1905)
• A Culture of Ambiguity: An Alternative history of Islam - Thomas Bauer  (2021)
• Theologus Autodidactus – Ibn al-Nafis (13th Century)
• Hayy Ibn Yaqdhan - Ibn Tufail – (12th Century)
• The Daevabad Trilogy – S.A Chakraborty (2017,2019, 2020)
• Homeostasis & Doa.com - Hassan Hasaa’Ree Ali  (2011, 2013)
• A mosque Among the Stars - Ahmed A Khan & Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad  (2007)
• Alif the Unseen – G. Willow Wilson (2012)
• Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life: The Culture of Astrobiology in the Muslim World - Jörg Matthias Determann (2020)