Muslims and the New Media

Goran Larsson holds a Ph.D. in religious studies, and his thesis has been published by Brill Academic Publishers. He has published a large number of publications on Islamic theology and Muslims in Europe and his most recent publication is the volume Islam in the Nordic and Baltic Countries (Routledge). He is also responsible for the section on Sweden and Iceland for the Yearbook of Islam in Europe and has written several entries about Islamic theology for the encyclopaedia, The Bible and its Reception.

• Introduction; Chapter 1 The Print Revolution; Chapter 2 Muslim Conflicts over Images, Photography and the Representational Arts; Chapter 3 ‘ Ulama ’ and the Motion Picture: The Transformative Effect of Information and Communication Technologies; Chapter 4 From Airwaves to Satellite Television; Chapter 5 ‘The Invisible Caller’: Islamic Opinions on the Use of the Telephone; Chapter 6 ‘Do Not Engage in Unnecessary Chatting’: Fatwas on Internet Etiquette for Muslims; Chapter 7 The Ultimate Test: The Qur’an and Information and Communication Technologies; Chapter 8 Conclusions;

'... a broad and useful outline of ulama responses to media. ... One of the strengths of Larsson's approach is that he wishes to avoid a monolithic description of Islam, and to demonstrate that on any given topic there are numerous Islamic positions. In this, I believe he has succeeded. I also think Larsson's overview is a good introduction to students and readers wishing for an introduction and overview of Islamic thinking and reasoning.' Temenos