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The article reports on the function of media in the public sphere of Islam. The public sphere of Islam has been a ground for dispute, where activists and militants argue with the traditional interpretative practices and authority to speak for Islam. Giving new people and practices an opportunity to the social field do not only challenge authorities but it also distort the boundaries between private and public. Moreover, it promotes new habits of production and consumption related to media. Certain ideas and issues start to circulate in intellectuals' books, audiocassettes and televisions.

The article criticizes the theories on public sphere. The sudden emergence of new democracies encouraged the transfer of the Habermasian model of the public sphere in order to understand the civic engagement traditions of new eastern states. According to the author, the uncritical transfer of Habermasian theories to analyze non-western societies remains questionable on methodological grounds. It is clear that theories and concepts designed for European and Anglo-American examples should not be applied to non-western cases. The author clarifies that she is not rejecting the notion of public sphere nor proposing a revision of the Habermasian model to accommodate Asian cases but merely proposing a sociological reevaluation of the term "publics" with ontological depth.