[ecrea] Special issue on ICT and Politics in the Muslim World (International Journal of E-Politics)

It is with great pleasure that I am sharing with you details about the 
latest issue of IJEP - a special issue dedicated to ICT and Politics in 
the Muslim World.

Here are the the contents of the issue:

Official Publication of the Information Resources Management Association

Volume 2, Issue 3, July-September 2011

Published: Quarterly in Print and Electronically

ISSN: 1947-9131 EISSN: 1947-914X

Published by IGI Publishing, Hershey-New York, USA

www.igi-global.com/ijep <http://www.igi-global.com/ijep>

Editor-in-Chief: Celia Romm Livermore, Wayne State University, USA

*Special Issue: ICT and Politics in the Muslim World*

*GUEST EDITORIAL PREFACE*

Naveed Baqir, University of Delaware, USA

To read the preface, click on the link below, and visit this issue of 
/IJEP/.

http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-politics-ijep/1147

*PAPER ONE*

Islam, Revolution and Radicalism: The Co-Constitution of Reality and 
Virtuality

M. A. Muqtedar Khan, University of Delaware, USA

Reid T. Smith, University of Delaware, USA

Onur Tanay, University of Delaware, USA

New forms of information technologies are revolutionizing politics in 
the Muslim World. This article presents political analysis of the 
complex global and historical socio-cultural impact of new media 
specifically social media by exploring two cases, i.e., the green 
movement during the Iranian presidential elections during 2009 and 
al-Qaeda’s radicalism in the virtual world. The analysis finds that 
Islam and Muslim societies are compatible with new forms of information 
technologies and that the difference between real and virtual is 
blurring in the modern Muslim World.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/article/islam-revolution-radicalism/55815

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=55815

*PAPER TWO*

The Unintended Consequence: The Symbiotic Relationship between ICT and a 
National Transition

Hamid Nemati, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA

Amna Latif, Tarbiyah Islamic School of Delaware, USA

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are an important factor 
in the socio-economic development of transitioning and developing 
countries. Given the importance of ICT in global social and economic 
development, many researchers have examined its development and growth 
strategies from national and governmental policy perspectives. However, 
understanding the consequences of information and communication 
technologies in developing countries is complex and far from certain. 
Given the ambiguity, complexity, and diversity of what constitutes ICT, 
Heeks (2002) suggested the existence of incongruencies between what 
policy makers envision as ICT and the actuality of what is ultimately 
manifested, proposing the “design-actuality gap” framework to understand 
this inconsistency. Baqir et al. (2009) extended the design-actuality 
gap framework to show that the dimensions of design maybe different than 
those of the actuality, but did not provide an explanation for this gap. 
In this paper, the authors posit that the gap can only be explained 
based on the law of “unintended consequence” (Merton, 1936). This 
phenomenon can best be seen in developing nations where ICT’s impact on 
socio-economic development is exaggerated. The authors present the case 
of the Islamic Republic of Iran and show how the law of unintended 
consequence can explain the major chasm that exists between ICT 
development and the actuality of use.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/article/unintended-consequence-symbiotic-relationship-between/55816

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=55816

*PAPER THREE*

“Army Uniform Is Part Of My Skin”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of ICT 
Growth and Politics in Pakistan

M. Naveed Baqir, University of Delaware, USA

This paper discusses implications of Information Communication 
Technologies (ICT) growth on the new political discourse in Pakistan. 
The power play between the civil society and General Pervez Musharraf 
set new directions for Pakistani politics in 2007. This paper presents a 
critical discourse analysis of the controversy surrounding Musharraf’s 
attempt to continue holding the offices of army chief and president of 
Pakistan simultaneously. He declared “army uniform is part of my skin”. 
The civil society’s online participation in the political process and 
the street protests that resulted forced him to flee the country. The 
paper offers an analysis of ICT growth and politics in Pakistan and 
provides an understanding of how ICT growth has shaped the political 
landscape in Pakistan. Social and electronic media have emerged as 
powerful political players and have influenced Pakistani politics and 
policy development. This critical discourse analysis explains political 
changes during 2007 that are generally attributed to ICT growth. The 
results indicate that ICT growth plays an important role in achieving 
harmony, coordination, social change, justice, and transparency of 
government.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/article/army-uniform-part-skin/55817

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=55817

*PAPER FOUR*

Gender Issues in the Diversity and Practice of Public Relations in the 
UAE Case Study of P.R. Male Managers and Female P.R. Practitioners

Badreya Al-Jenaibi, The United Arab Emirates University, UAE

This paper evaluates the feminization of Public Relations (P.R.) and how 
that may shape the role of P.R. in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One 
goal is to highlight the implications for the unique females’ functions 
between male managers and female P.R. practitioners. Research questions 
include: What are the common challenges and gender issues in public 
relations in the UAE? Do P.R. managers encourage the recruitment of 
female workers and leaders in the P.R. field? Therefore, the findings of 
the research are based on qualitative primary data derived from 
semi-structured in-depth interviews with the P.R. managers and P.R. 
female practitioners. The paper concludes that UAE public relations 
staff members continue to execute their main roles. Therefore, male and 
female workers differed significantly in their views about gender 
fairness in work locations, roles, status, ranks and tasks, 
responsibilities, and work-life balance.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/article/gender-issues-diversity-practice-public/55818

To read a PDF sample of this article, click on the link below.

http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=55818

*INTERVIEW*

Social Media and Information Communication Technologies in the Muslim World

Interview with Mohammed el-Nawawy, Queens University of Charlotte, USA

Interviewed by Naveed Baqir, University of Delaware, USA

To read the interview, click on the link below, and visit this issue of 
/IJEP/.

http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-politics-ijep/1147

*BOOK REVIEW*

Review of /The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: 
Information Technology and Political Islam/ by Philip N. Howard

Reviewed by Nazir Sangi, Allama Iqbal Open University, Pakistan

To read the book review, click on the link below, and visit this issue 
of /IJEP/.

http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-politics-ijep/1147

*****************************************************

For full copies of the above articles, check for this issue of the 
*International Journal of E-Politics (IJEP)* in your institution's 
library. This journal is also included in the IGI Global aggregated 
"*InfoSci-Journals*" database: 
http://www.igi-global.com/EResources/InfoSciJournals.aspx. 
*****************************************************

*CALL FOR PAPERS*

Mission of IJEP:

The mission of the *International Journal of E-Politics (IJEP)* is to 
define and expand the boundaries of e-politics as an emerging area of 
inter-disciplinary research and practice by assisting in the development 
of e-politics theories and empirical models. The journal creates a venue 
for empirical, theoretical, and practical scholarly work on e-politics 
to be published, leading to sharing of ideas between practitioners and 
academics in this field. IJEP contributes to the creation of a community 
of e-politics researchers by serving as a “hub” for related activities, 
such as organizing seminars and conferences on e-politics and 
publication of books on e-politics.

Coverage of IJEP:

The *International Journal of E-Politics (IJEP)* focuses on three major 
topic areas: the politics of information technology function and its 
role within organizations, the politics of virtual communities and 
social networking communities, and the role that electronic media plays 
in community activism and party politics at the local, national, and 
international levels. Within these major areas, specific topics of 
interest to be discussed in the journal include (but are not limited to) 
the following:

· E-voting and electronically enabled e-government

· Impact of globalization on the political role played by the IT unit 
within organizations

· Impact of race and gender on electronically enabled political 
manipulations

· Party politics and social activism

· Politics of diffusion of change within organizations

· Politics of social networking communities, including: learning 
communities, customers' communities, e-dating communities, gaming 
communities, support group communities, etc.

· Politics of the IT function and role in organizations

· Politics of virtual communities and social networking communities

· Politics of geographically based virtual communities

· Use of electronic media for surveillance manipulation and harassment

· Use of electronic media in industrial and labor relations

· Utilization of electronic media for governance and politicking at the 
municipal, state, national, and international levels

· Utilization of electronic media for political debate, information 
sharing, political decision making, and fundraising

Interested authors should consult the journal's manuscript submission 
guidelines www.igi-global.com/ijep <http://www.igi-global.com/ijep>.

All inquiries and submissions should be sent to:

Editor-in-Chief: Celia Romm Livermore at (ak1667 /at/ wayne.edu) 
<mailto:%(20ak1667 /at/ wayne.edu)>