Muslims in Space: A technological study of indigenous Middle-Eastern fauna
This ongoing project aims to examine how Islam and the Arab world might look in a technological, science fiction future that defies colonization, patriarchy, capitalism, and war. It imagines a future that does not require the assimilation of our traditions within Western systems of understanding: instead, this future uses indigenous land-based knowldges so that Arab Muslims need not simply survive, but also thrive.
THE CAMEL
Known colloquially as the Ship of the Desert (سفينة الصحراء) for its hardiness and stamina, the camel is a mainstay
of North African and Middle Eastern life. It represents a central tenet of Islamic land-based knowldges: that is, a deep understanding of scarcity, the value of natural resources, and the tenuousness of life in an environment where sustenance cannot be taken for granted.
This knowldge is critical to survival in arid landscapes, and it is increasingly critical to survival on planet Earth. If human life and the bioshere as a whole are to be sustained, this knowledge cannot be assimilated within Western systems of consumption. Instead, it is the West that must learn to live as we have: in a delicate balance with the scarce resources we all require in order to survive.
THE FALCON
Falconry has long been a part of life in the Middle East, and a part of Islamic traditions. Within Sunni custom, there are hadith that demark the specific procedures that render the prey of a trained falcon halal, or permissible for consumption. Nowadays, specifically-bred captive falcons are outfitted with GPS and are not trained to provide sustenance, but as a hobby that connects Arab youth with the land-based knowldges of their ancestors.
But these days, death comes from on high in a different form: drones arrive from Western nations and surveil the landscape, delivering lethal strikes without a sound, and without accountability. We live on the land and we depend on it for survival, and we pray for deliverance from the arbitrary punishment of the skies.
But perhaps, one day we might tame this technology too, and re-purpose it in such a way that it can nurture and sustain us instead.
