Dhul Qidah 1446AH – Virtually Islamic News

Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD
American Muslims, Gender, Influencers, Religious Authority, YouTube

Uthman ibn Farooq

Sarah Hooper, Metro/Apple News, Preacher who said sex with female prisoners of war is ‘halal’ not allowed to tour UK, 22 May 2025“Uthman ibn Farooq, a Muslim preacher based...

Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD
Abu Dhabi, Digital MENA, Donald Trump, Nvidia, UAE, UAE Digital

‘Stargate UAE‘

Stephen Nellis, Reuters, ‘Stargate UAE’ AI datacenter to begin operation in 2026, 22 May 2025 “The first phase of that project will be the 1-gigawatt Stargate UAE project, built...

Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD
Gaza, Microsoft, Palestine

Tom Warren, The Verge, Microsoft blocks emails that contain ‘Palestine’ after employee protests, 21 May 2025 “Microsoft employees have discovered that any emails they send with the terms “Palestine”...

Wed 23 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 21-5-2025AD
Censorship, Journalism, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Pakistan ‘Cybercrime‘

Haroon Janjua, DW, Is Pakistan’s cybercrime law silencing dissent?, 21 May 2025 “Journalists are alarmed about the potentially wide reach of the law, which allows authorities to imprison social media users...

Wed 23 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 21-5-2025AD
Indonesia, Indonesia Internet, Southeast Asia,

Indonesia ‘pornography crackdown‘

SCMP, Indonesia’s online porn crackdown nets 380,000 content removals, 21 May 2025 “Indonesia ranks fourth globally and second in Southeast Asia for cases of child pornography, with about 5.6...

Wed 23 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 21-5-2025AD
Abu Dhabi, Arabic, Artificial Intelligence, LLMs, SLMs, UAE, UAE Digital

UAE AI Arabic model launched

Reuters, UAE launches Arabic language AI model as Gulf race gathers pace, 21 May 2025 “Falcon Arabic, developed by Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to capture...

Mon 21 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 19-5-2025AD
Gaza, Human Rights

Gaza Issues

I continue to capture online content associated with the Gaza and Palestine crises, although not all of it is represented here. Gaza: "trickle of aid" anticipated [image or embed]...

Mon 21 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 19-5-2025AD
Digital British Islam, Gary R. Bunt, Research, Scotland

Scottish Parliament

Initial findings from the Digital British Islam project were presented at the Scottish Parliament session on 29 April 2025, sponsored by Foysol Choudhury MSP MBE. I presented alongside Prof....

Mon 21 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 19-5-2025AD
Games, Radicalisation, Research

Gamification and Hate

This is a significant article exploring the impact of gamification on encouraging participants to participate in diverse forms of extremism (on- and offline). "When applied to social networks and...

Sat 19 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 17-5-2025AD
Research

Anwar’s “Second Wife”

SCMP, Putin’s ‘second wife’ joke about Malaysia’s Anwar draws laughs and anger amid MH17 ruling, 16 May 2025 “A joke by Russian President Vladimir Putin about Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a “second wife”...

Islamic Algorithms – book cover

Gary R. Bunt, Islamic Algorithms: Online Influence in the Muslim Metaverse (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2024)

Explore the book

Paperback, hardback and ebook editions are available now.

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Prof. Gary R. Bunt, 2026

Comments

“Gary Bunt’s Islamic Algorithms explores the dynamic relationship between technology shifts and the evolving engagement of Muslims online. Bunt emphasises the unchanging core of Islam, adapting its expression to developing technology. A testament to Bunt’s brilliance in the ever-changing Cyber Islamic Environments, this is a must-read for those interested in Islamic studies, digital Islam and Muslim metaverses.” ―Eva Nisa, Senior Lecturer of Anthropology, The Australian National University, Australia

“A timely and insightful exploration, the book offers a concise yet comprehensive glimpse into the evolving landscape of Cyber Islamic Environments. From the serene halls of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque to the potential realms of Muslim metaverses, this book takes readers on a journey to unveil the dynamic relationship between Islam and technology. In a world where smartphones guide prayers and iPads connect elders in study groups, Bunt shares a compelling and timely perspective on the evolving relationship between Islam, technology and the digital age.” ―Umar Ryad, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Leuven, Belgium

Bibliography and Glossary

Review by Michael Dhanoya (University of Leicester) in LSE Blogs

“Islamic Algorithms is a great contribution to the topic of Digital Religion …”

Review in The Muslim World‘ by Dr Akif Tahiiev of Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main

‘Gary R. Bunts Islamic Algorithms liefert detaillierte Einblicke in die digitalen Räume von AkteurInnen, die sich auf unterschiedliche Weise auf den Islam “

“Gary R. Bunt’s Islamic Algorithms provides detailed insights into the digital spaces of actors who relate to Islam in various ways.*

* Google Translation

Margareta Wetchy, Gary R. Bunts Islamic Algorithms unter der Lupe, Machine Against the Rage

“Overall, Islamic Algorithms: Online Influence in the Muslim Metaverse is crucial to contemporary Islamic studies. The book is highly recommended for researchers, academics, and practitioners interested in the interaction between
technology and religion.” Reza Adeputra Tohis and Zulkifli Mansyur, Religion & Theology, 32 (2025): Issue 1-2 (Jun 2025) [PDF]

” … Bunt’s volume is an important step forward in understanding the importance of digital discourse to contemporary Islamic traditions and Muslim communities.” James Riggan, Reading Religion (American Academy of Religion)

“Islamic Algorithms provides a timely and thoughtful examination of how Islam, algorithms, and digital culture intersect. It is a valuable resource for scholars and researchers interested in digital presence of Islam, and digital culture both in theory and practice.” Mohamed Taher, Middle Eastern Librarians Association

Book cover: Dijital Dünyada Müslüman Olmak: Mecra, Kimlik ve Otorite‘

Gary R. Bunt’s chapter ‘Şeyh Google’dan Yapay Zekâ İmama Mı?: Müslüman Dijital Mecralarda İslami Etki ve Otoritenin Dönüşümü‘?‘ (trans. Necmiye Durmuş) is available in ‘Dijital Dünyada Müslüman Olmak: Mecra, Kimlik ve Otorite‘ edited by Mehmet Ali Başak (Eskiyeni). The original version was in

Scharia im Wandel edited by Mahmud El-Wereny and Alexander-Kenneth Nagel. (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2024).

Available from:

Uthman ibn Farooq Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD

‘Stargate UAE‘ Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD

Microsoft ‘Palestine‘ Block Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD

Pakistan ‘Cybercrime‘ Wed 23 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 21-5-2025AD

Indonesia ‘pornography crackdown‘ Wed 23 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 21-5-2025AD

Scharia im Wandel book cover. Showing figures reading, a stack of books, and the background of a minaret and mosque dome.

My chapter, “From Sheikh Google to ImamAI? Evolving Islamic Influence and Authority in Muslim Digital Worlds,” is published in “Scharia im Wandel. Beiträge zur Transformation islamischer Autorität im Spannungsfeld von Kodifikation, Migration und Digitalisierung,” edited by Mahmud El-Wereny and Alexander-Kenneth Nagel. (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2024). Studies on Islamic Cultural and Intellectual History, Noorhaidi Hasan et al.

The book is the result of a 2022 conference at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.

A Turkish version of the chapter is in preparation for publication in 2026.

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