Sci-Fi Futurism
Sci-Fi Futurism  
Podcast: Waystations
Published On: Tue Sep 01 2026
Description: In today’s show we are joined by Ahmed Elbenni to discuss Sci-Fi Futurism. You can find his essay: Dreaming the Ummah - Science Fiction and the Possibility of Islamofuturism at the following link https://hashiya.org/posts/dreaming-ummah-islamofuturism Ahmed Elbenni is a Ph.D. candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and senior editor at Muftah Magazine. He received his BA in History and Political Science from Yale University and MA in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University. His doctoral dissertation examines the theorization, creation, and circulation of self-consciously ‘Islamic’ novels in the modern Near East. More specifically, it explores how Muslim reformers in the twentieth century conceived ‘literature’ as an epistemological and ethical problem-space which could, through the translation of “Islam” into an aesthetic experience and narrative strategy, birth a new human subjectivity) at home in modernity. Ahmed’s other research interests include digital culture, techno-spirituality, and the history of history   Book recommendations: Islamic Futures: The Shape of Ideas to Come by Ziauddin Sardar Arab and Muslim Science Fiction: Critical Essays by Emad El-Din Aysha, Hosam A. Ibrahim Elzembely   About the hosts: Walead Mosaad is an internationally recognized scholar in Islamic studies and human development. His academic and traditional training has accorded him the opportunity to work with communities worldwide as a teacher and project driver. He has completed degrees from Rutgers University and Fath Islamic Seminary in Damascus. He received his PhD from the University of Exeter in Arab and Islamic Studies, and was also classically trained at the Al-Azhar University. He is currently the Chair and Scholar-in-Residence of Sabeel Community. He has traveled extensively throughout the Muslim world, as well as Europe and the Far East, delivering lectures on various topics, including spirituality, ethics and intercultural peace building. https://www.sabeelcommunity.org/walead-mohammed-mosaad     Rehan Khan is a professor of leadership and novelist. He is an advocate for virtue-based storytelling as well as leading with a moral lens. Over 30 years Rehan has advised several global and regional brands. As an adjunct professor he teaches post-graduate courses in AI and the Future of Work, as well as Leadership: A Moral Perspective, and Personal Influence at one of the world’s leading international business schools. He is a keen observer of history and techno-science. Rehan is the author of a Tomb of Empires (2024) a historical fiction set in 90BC in the Middle East, the Carnegie nominated A Tudor Turk trilogy (2019-2022) set in the Ottoman Empire and Tudor England, and the fantasy sci-fi series, Tales of Khayaal (2025) set on the Earth like planet of Ikleel. These gripping stories also ask readers to consider the role of virtue within the human story. www.rehankhan.com and www.talesofkhayaal.com          If you would like to suggest a topic that you want us to explore, please send an email to waystationsrkwm@gmail.com