Michael M. J. Fischer, in New Perspectives Quarterly, (Spring 1992), 10951 W. Pico Blvd., 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, Calif. 90064.
Often depicted as medieval, patriarchal, and
unchanging, the Islamic world is beginning to
experience dramatic cultural shifts.
Less than two decades ago, notes Fischer, di- rector of Rice University's Center for Cultural Studies, music and sculpture and even chess were forbidden for Shi'ite believers in Iran; ra- dio, television, and movies were considered in- struments...