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Muslims and the New Media Historical and Contemporary Debates Göran Larsson MusliMs and the new Media 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. This page has been left blank intentionally Muslims and the new Media historical and Contemporary debates Göran larsson University of Gothenburg, Sweden © Göran larsson 2011 all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Göran larsson has asserted his right under the Copyright, designs and Patents act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by ashgate Publishing limited ashgate Publishing Company wey Court east suite 420 union road 101 Cherry street Farnham Burlington surrey, Gu9 7Pt Vt 05401-4405 england usa www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data larsson, Göran. Muslims and the new media : historical and contemporary debates. 1. Mass media–religious aspects–islam. 2. Mass media–technological innovations– social aspects–islamic countries. 3. islam in mass media. 4. ulama–attitudes. i. title 303.4’833’088297-dc22 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data larsson, Göran. Muslims and the new media : historical and contemporary debates / Göran larsson. p. cm. includes bibliographical references and index. isBn 978-1-4094-2750-6 (hardcover) – isBn 978-1-4094-2751-3 (ebook) 1. Mass media–religious aspects–islam. 2. islam in mass media. i. title. BP185.7.l37 2011 297.2’66–dc22 2011008609 isBn 9781409427506 (hbk) isBn 9781409427513 (ebk) III Contents List of Tables vii Preface ix Introduction 1 1 The Print Revolution 21 2 Muslim Conflicts over Images, Photography and the Representational Arts 47 3 ‘Ulama’ and the Motion Picture: The Transformative Effect of Information and Communication Technologies 71 4 From Airwaves to Satellite Television 99 5 ‘The Invisible Caller’: Islamic Opinions on the Use of the Telephone 127 6 ‘Do Not Engage in Unnecessary Chatting’: Fatwas on Internet Etiquette for Muslims 145 7 The Ultimate Test: The Qur’an and Information and Communication Technologies 167 Conclusions 193 References 201 Index 221 This page has been left blank intentionally List of Tables 4.1 Opinions on television 117 6.1 ‘Negative’ and ‘positive’ effects of the Internet 165 C.1 Media, Problems and Possibilities 194 This page has been left blank intentionally Preface The research for this book was mainly carried out during my time as a post-doctoral researcher in the academic program LearnIT, funded by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen). It goes without saying that my years in the LearnIT program have changed my view of academic work and how to do research. My interest in Islam and Muslim cultures has never been questioned, nor has my ability to contribute to the group ever been placed in doubt. I would therefore like to thank all members of the LearnIT group for their openness, interest, knowledge, kindness and generosity. My special appreciation goes to Professor Roger Säljö, Professor Ulf P. Lundgren, research colleagues Dr Jonas Linderoth, Dr Thomas Karlsohn and Dr Ove Jobring, Dr Anna-Karin Ramsten, Dr Louise Lindberg and the ‘mother’ of the project, Doris Gustafson. Besides these key members, I must also thank all the participants in the extended network of LearnIT and the Knowledge Foundation. I would also like to express my gratitude to a number of colleagues at the Department of Literature, History of Ideas, Religion of University of Gothenburg . Some colleagues have made greater efforts than others, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Åke Sander, Professor Bertil Nilsson, Professor Gudmar Aneer (now at Högskolan Dalarna), Dr Daniel Andersson, Associate Professor Henrik Bogdan, Dr Ferdinando Sardella, PhD candidate Simon Sorgenfrei and the other participants in the higher seminar. Besides the religious scholars at the University of Gothenburg, I would also like to express my gratitude to PhD candidate Aurora Tellenbach and Dr Mats Björkin of the Department of Culture, Aesthetics and Media and the Centre of Middle Eastern Studies, as well as Muhammad Muslim, Assistant Professor Heidi Campbell at the Department of Communication, Texas A&M University for important information about Jewish opinions on the cell phone, and Robert Parkin at Oxford University. They have all contributed to this project in various ways. Over the years, I have also been fortunate to present some of the preliminary results of this book at conferences and academic meetings. The comments I have received during these meetings have been invaluable for the development and refinement of this study. Opportunities to attend a number of international conferences and meetings were made possible by the generous support of LearnIT and the Knowledge Foundation. I thank both organisations for all their support. During the process of writing this book, I was invited to stay as a guest researcher at the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. During my stay I had the great opportunity, and pleasure, to work under the guidance of Professor P.S. van Koningsveld and Dr Amr Ryad. I thank Sjoerd for his kind hospitality and academic professionalism and Amr for inviting