Zia Sardar has just announced he will step down from a 13 year run as editor of Futures journal to focus, in part, on a new project inspired by the Arab Spring: a quarterly Critical Muslim, which is published both as a journal and as a paperback book. Each issue has a theme, which serves as the title of the 'book'. The magazine/book is devoted to promoting critical thinking within Islam.

Sardar believes "the lack of critical thought over centuries has allowed extremism and obscurantism to become intrinsic in Muslim societies. But it is not just the Muslim world that needs to look at itself critically; the need is just as dire in 'the West'." Sardar knows that as a futurist. The purpose of Critical Muslim is to look at Islam, the West and the wider world critically, and seek to synthesise what is best and most suitable for all in contemporary times.

The overall concern of Critical Muslim is to promote openness, pluralism, tolerance and critical engagement everywhere. Two issues of Critical Muslim have already been published by the Hurst & Co, London, Oxford University Press, Pakistan, and distributed in the US by Colombia University Press.

The new editor of Futures journal is Professor Ted Fuller, who will officially takeover on 1st May.