Communication revolution and academic freedom

The rationale behind the strong relationship between the knowledge society and the university is knowledge, its production through research, transfer and integration, through education and cultivation of critical judgment, diffusion, through publishing and application, and through university outreach to its social environment. In order for scholars to deal with the challenges and opportunities of the communication revolution, they have to focus on, among other issues, protecting their academic freedom, which is a core value in academic life.This article is an attempt to investigate how the communication revolution impacts academic freedom and how universities need to change in order to safeguard it. This work proves that the communication revolution has not only transformed university activities in research, teaching and outreach but has also changed how universities are organized, financed and managed. Therefore, the concept, regulations and practice of academic freedom have to be reconsidered.This article concludes that the comprehensive view of academic freedom in Arab and African universities incorporates a full engagement of the academic community in the development process of the whole society to compensate the lack of sovereignty of law and of good governance. This article also demonstrates that Islamic culture is consistent with the spirit and necessities of the communication revolution and the knowledge society, and calls for the most extensive possibility of the freedom of expression to be safeguarded.