Professor Jörg Matthias Determann, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, joins the Society this October for a colloquium on UFOs and UAP in the Muslim World.

Prof. Determann is Associate Editor of the Review of Middle East Studies and Book Review Editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies. He holds a doctorate from SOAS, University of London, and two master’s degrees from the University of Vienna. He is the author of Islam, Science Fiction and Extraterrestrial Life and co-editor of Islamic Theology and Extraterrestrial Life.

This lecture explores how alien spacecraft have long invaded the imagination of people in the Muslim world. From North Africa to Southeast Asia, unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) appear in literature, film, and other media. The talk highlights terminology, sightings, and investigations in Muslim-majority countries, examines the interests of political and religious leaders in extraterrestrial life, and analyzes artistic representations of…