This book looks at the role that communications technologies play in advancing democratic transitions in Muslim countries. As such, its central question is whether technology holds the potential to substantially enhance democracy. Certainly, no democratic transition has occurred solely because of the internet. But, as Philip Howard argues, no democratic transition can occur today without the internet. According to Howard, the major (and perhaps only meaningful) forum for civic debate in most Muslim countries today is online. Activists both within diasporic communities and within authoritarian states, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, are the drivers of this debate, which centers around issues such as the interpretation of Islamic texts, gender roles, and security issues. Drawing upon material from interviews with telecommunications policy makers and activists in Azerbaijan, Egypt, Tajikistan and Tanzania and a comparative study of 74 countries with large Muslim populations, Howard demonstrates that these forums have been the means to organize activist movements that have lead to successful democratic insurgencies.

John L. Esposito will give a lecture about the future of Islam on Wednesday, April 7 at the Northwestern University in Evanston. Esposito explores the major questions and issues that face Islam in the 21st century and that will deeply affect global politics. Are Islam and the West locked in a deadly clash of civilizations? Is Islam compatible with democracy and human rights? Will religious fundamentalism block the development of modern societies in the Islamic world? Will Islam overwhelm the Western societies in which so many Muslim immigrants now reside? Which Muslim thinkers will be most influential in the years to come?

The Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at the Metropolitan University Prague warmly invites you to its annual conference. This year’s theme, "The Middle East after the War on Terror," promises to provide scholars, students, professionals, and interested members of the public with insightful analyses of the current state of the region as influenced by the war, as well as its further development.

Islamopedia is a collection of rulings and religious opinions addressing the most debated topics of Islamic tradition today: gender, sexuality, non-Muslims, violence, secularism. In the near future, it will present scholarly analysis of and commentary on these rulings and opinions.