This issue of The Long View (4:3) tackles tricky issues around the internalising of Western(ised) narratives into Muslim cultures and thinking. The issue as a whole poses the question of what futures can Muslims imagine or create using Islamic ideas?
Yahya Birt looks at developments in the “white” convert leadership in the West and argues that acculturation of the faith by this /these community/ies needs to imbue a robust anti-racist culture. What he recounts however are cautionary tales of where this has been lacking.
Ian Almond outlines how Westernised cultures have a stranglehold on art, film and television, literature and other cultural forms. This grip is so tight that otherised cultures are continually set at a disadvantage when trying to find expression on a global and even local scale.
João Silva Jordão looks at the possible futures of Islamic cities. He details how modernist ideas are the hidden norms in urban planning across the Muslim world. In their stead, he argues for a reimagined city based on what Islamic thinking can bring to its organisation.
Nazmina Dhanji covers the problems of translating the Quran into languages that cannot capture the depth of meaning of the original revealed Arabic, using examples from Surah Al Fatiha. Learning how to be aware of the lack is the first stop in the journey towards understanding the divine word.
Our cover art this issue, is by St. Parastoo and was inspired by the Clark Doll Experiment.
Read the issue online also here.
