The Internet plays both a direct and indirect role in how Islam and Muslims are represented in public discourse and the media. "Cyber-Islamophobia" The case of WikiIslam," an article just published in the debut issue of the scientific journal Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Life, discusses how the Internet is used to spread and publish anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim opinions as well as how new technologies can be used for monitoring and combating Islamophobia.
The first issue of the newly launched journal, available online free of charge at www.springerlink.com, also includes the articles "9/11 as a new temporal phase for Islam," which deals with the re-imagining of Islam through recent global events and "Staying close by moving out," which discusses personal autonomy of women of Moroccan descent in The Netherlands. The journal will be officially launched during a Springer-sponsored symposium on contemporary Islam on 26 October 2007, in De Rode Hoed in Amsterdam.
Until now, there has never been a specific journal that offered a platform for discussion on contemporary aspects of Islam and Muslims. Closing this gap, Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Life focuses on topical issues and interdisciplinary research. It provides an active forum for the discussion of new ideas, fieldwork experiences, challenging views, and methodological and theoretical approaches to Muslim life. Editors Gabriele Marranci, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, and Daniel Varisco, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA, are supported by an international editorial board, reflecting the cross-cultural approach of this peer-reviewed journal.
Founding Editor Dr. Gabriele Marranci said, "Muslims today find themselves projected within new global dimensions, experiencing both the positive and negative elements of it. This means that scholars must rethink their approach to the study of the Muslim worlds. Above all, the study of contemporary Muslims and the dynamics of their lives need an interdisciplinary, socio-scientific approach. Contemporary Islam will provide the platform for these urgently needed discussions ."
Contemporary Islam, to be published three times a year, will be available electronically and in print. All articles will be published online via Online First™, a feature that allows authors to bring their work to the attention of their peers at a very early stage of the publication process. In addition, all authors, via the Springer Open Choice™ program, have the option of publishing their articles using the open access publishing model.
Springer (www.springer.com) is the second-largest publisher of journals in the science, technology, and medicine (STM) sector and the largest publisher of STM books. Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media, one of the world’s leading suppliers of scientific and specialist literature. The group publishes over 1,700 journals and more than 5,500 new books a year, as well as the largest STM eBook Collection worldwide. Springer has operations in over 20 countries in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and some 5,000 employees.
The first issue of the journal can be viewed free of charge at http://www.springerlink.com/content/1872-0218/. Sample copies are available on request.
Journal
Contemporary Islam