TEDx Speaker Yasser Bahjatt “big idea worth spreading” is that if we encourage Science Fiction writers in Saudi Arabia, it can help propel science and humanity forward. He is now proactively sharing this message and his Sci-Fi trilogy books (that sold over 200,000 copies in Saudi Arabia) with the world to encourage positive relations. Born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan, Yasser was the first to translate TED talks to Arabic and is a TEDx organizer.
In sync with the “Star Wars The Force Awakens” movie release (December 18, 2015), Yasser’s UAE publishing company (Yatakhayaloon) gifted digital English versions of their Arabian Sci-Fi bestsellers for ten days on Amazon (Dec 12-22). Yasser currently lives in Jeddah, and calls himself a “Jedi”. To show his passion for Sci-Fi and the movie, Yasser even changed his main Amazon and Twitter photos into an image of himself as a Jedi.
“If you want to advance science, you have to advance Sci-Fi culture,” explains Yasser Bahjatt in his TED@Doha Talk. Yasser believes most technology has been foreseen at least 20 years in advance by Sci-Fi. In his talk, Yasser points out “Aladdin”, “Arabian Nights”, “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” and Douglas Fairbanks “The Thiefs of Bagdad” have been adding to the world’s imagination for decades.
As a computer engineer and the ambassador of Singularity University to Saudi Arabia, Yasser announced his League for Arabian SciFiers during his TED@Doha talk, and has given several TEDx talks, including in Santa Monica, California. To find out more about Yasser and his Yatakhayaloon Sci-Fi Books, below is his bestseller trilogy on Amazon:
Book 1 “HWJN” is a fictional novel about a Jinni (spiritual energy being), who falls in love with a human female.
Book 2 “Somewhere” is about a guy who wakes up not knowing who he is or where he was, and a gorgeous female helps him adapt.
Book 3 “Yaqteenya: The Old World” is a fictional novel about an alternate history where a young man from Yaqteenya tries to stop his nation’s first war in 300 years.
With “Star Wars The Force Awakens” now on track to become the biggest film of “all time” and surpass “Avatar”, it is clear that Sci-Fi can have a positive impact on the world. Not only are fans dreaming big about future technology and science, Disney currently has a “Force for Change” charitable impact campaign. Thank you Yasser for sharing this big idea, and may the force be with you!
About Yatakhayaloon Publisher (translated: They are Imagining) – UAE based publisher was founded by Yasser Bahjatt and Ibraheem Abbas in an effort to help establish an Arabian Sci-Fi culture that would help the younger generation of Arabs to expand their horizons and imagination in hopes that it leads to growth in scientific development.
