As many of you have noticed, the magazine has not published an issue since September of 2007. This is because certain funding sources did not materialize as expected. This hiatus was unexpected, but has been prolonged due to a weakening economy and general weariness by many in supporting independent Muslim media.
Unfortunately, the business of running a small, independent magazine has taken its toll. Islamica is not a profit-driven magazine. Our content is based on creating a culture of ideas, facilitating the exchange of information and encouraging debate. It is not based on selling advertising, although we do sell ads when we can. Similar to other magazines based on this premise, Islamica has struggled to sustain itself in a media climate dominated by corporate conglomerates.
Having said that, Islamica's staff is confident that we can, God-willing, undertake the necessary steps to bring the magazine back into regular publication and ensure its future success. We are currently in the process of transitioning to a new not-for-profit entity that we hope will ensure the future of the magazine.
In this process, we ask for your patience. We expect to fulfill all outstanding subscriptions once this transition process is completed. We also seek to leverage our network of readers to help us identify visionaries in our community that would champion efforts like Islamica. Please contact us at
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if you or someone you know would like to support Islamica.
However, while keeping in mind the difficulties associated with non-profit journalism and sustaining small magazines with big ideas, we would like to thank you for your continued interest in Islamica Magazine. Islamica has achieved a number of important milestones in the last year which were in many ways made possible by the loyal support of our readers.
This past year Islamica was recognized by two important institutions:
1. We were nominated by UTNE Reader as one of the best independent magazines in the United States. UTNE is considered one of the foremost authorities on independent media. This is the first nomination of a Muslim-focused magazine in its history.
2. We were recognized with six awards from the Religion Communicators Council for excellence as a communicator of religious issues. The Religion Communicators Council is an interfaith association of religion communicators in print and electronic communication, marketing and public relations.
The awards confirm to us that our efforts to raise the level of discourse about Islam from the Muslim community are succeeding. But more than winning awards, Islamica has achieved a critical level of acceptance amongst mainstream media organizations including:
The Economist
The Washington Post
Christian Science Monitor
These organizations and many others regularly turn to our editorial staff for information and advice in covering the Muslim world. Islamica has achieved a level of credibility in the way it addresses critical social, cultural and political issues facing Islam and the Muslim world. It gives Muslims an opportunity to speak on their own behalf, something that does not often happen in today's news media.
Again, we hope to leverage our network of readers to help us identify visionaries in our community that would champion efforts like Islamica. Please contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
if you or someone you know would like to support Islamica. Thank you for your continued support and interest and we look forward to expanding the discussion about the Muslim world with you in future issues.
Launched just 10 years ago, Al Jazeera has become a big name in broadcasting, competing with the best. But can Al Jazeera really help bridge the East-West gap?
Political commentators Suhail Khan,
Rabab Fayad and Hady Amr debate
each month the candidates and issues
involved in one of the most pivotal presidential
races in U.S. history.
VOICES FROM ASIA Asian powers would do well to invest in the people of the Middle East to ensure that the new world does not carry with it the problems of the old HASSAN BIN TALAL
SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF SECTARIANISM It has been a long time since the Muslim world was so
doctrinally divided, but from this desperate situation good things for
the Muslim world could develop LAITH SAUD
CIVIC INVOLVEMENT:
AN ISLAMIC IMPERATIVE Muslims have to build networks in order to improve the condition of society, argue two leading American scholars HAMZA YUSUF & ZAID SHAKIR
THE SINCERE MUSLIM INTELLECTUAL Concepts understood intellectually do not always translate into states of being, which in turn give life to those very concepts R. DAVID COOLIDGE
UNDERSTANDING TRADITION Tradition as recognized by mainstream Muslim thought is not synonymous with arachaic convention but understood as a stalwart against stagnation and a medium for moderation and continuity NAZIM BAKSH
OLD DAMASCUS: A PLAN
TO DESTROY PARADISE Damascus faces a hard hour as construction projects set their sights on replacing the unique with the vulgar and debased RANA KABBANI
ISLAMIC BANKING:
OPPORTUNITY OR THREAT? If implemented correctly, Islamic banking and finance should be able to co-operate and co-exist with any kind of capitalism, while still adhering to ethical guidelines set by Islamic Sacred Law RODNEY WILSON
THE NEED FOR EDUCATION The twin tides of Islamophobia and intolerance are rising. Committed to the principle of enlightened education, the legacy of Dr. Zaki Badawi provudes us all with a glimmer of hope in our troubled times ANAS AL-SHAIKH-ALI
WINNING THE WATER PROBLEM After discovering that millions of Bangladeshis could be poisoned through arsenic in their drinking water, a non-profit foundation created a prize for the person who could prevent the crisis SAMUEL ROSS
CONTEMPLATING ISLAMIC
GEOMETRIC DESIGN Geometrical designs are among the most recognizable expressions of Islamic art and culture among Muslims and non-Muslims alike ERIC BROUG
Renowned scientest and director of the Human Genome Project, Dr. Francis Collins, drafts a truce between the battling armies of science and religion showing how the two form a mutually dependent and symbiotic relationship ZEBA SYED
Copyright 2007 Islamica Magazine.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium is prohibited.
