Muharram 1448AH – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 29 Muharram 1448AH 14-7-2026AD
Iran, Iran internet

Iran cellphone track hack

Tue 29 Muharram 1448AH 14-7-2026AD
Iran, Iran internet

There might be implications here in relation to online activities as well, especially in relation to ‘influencing’ action: “Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been labelled a threat...

Sat 26 Muharram 1448AH 11-7-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Indonesia, Indonesia Internet, prosecutions, Relationships, TikTok,

TikTok Kiss Punishment (updated)

Updated: SCMP, At Indonesia’s sharia frontier, 21 lashes for a TikTok kiss ‘is our right’, 11 Jul 2026 “Footage of the punishment quickly went viral: an unmarried couple each...

Tue 22 Muharram 1448AH 7-7-2026AD
Archives, Digital Archives, Gaza, Museums, Palestine, Research

Palestinian Digital Archive

Tamara Davison, Wired, How Palestinians Are Building a Digital Archive That Can’t Be Erased, 6 July 2026 Here’s an excellent article from Tamara Davison in Wired on the significance...

Tue 22 Muharram 1448AH 7-7-2026AD
Iran, Iran internet, Iranian internet, Iranian Social Media, Religious Authority, ritual

Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral (updated)

There has been extensive coverage of the Ayatollah’s funeral across multiple channels. It has been interesting to see how embedded it has become within Iran’s media system, especially as...

Mon 21 Muharram 1448AH 6-7-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, UAE, UAE Digital

AI UAE G42

Mon 21 Muharram 1448AH 6-7-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, robotics, robots

AI EI

Robotic emotional intelligence …

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
Censorship, Iran, Iran internet, Research

Iran Net Analysis

Fateme Karimkhan, New Lines Magazine, Iran’s Internet Blackout Was Decades in the Making, 1 Jul 2026 “While the scale of the recent blackout was unprecedented, it was far from...

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
al-Qaeda,, Artificial Intelligence, Research

AI ‘Terrorism Assistance‘

Damien McElroy, The National, AI models provide assistance to terror attacks, 1 Jul 2026 “July 01, 2026″The group created the counter-terrorism AI benchmark, which found one third of responses could help...

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
Conferences, Gary R. Bunt, Religious Authority, Research

Islamic Responses to COVID-19

I organised a lockdown conference: ‘Islamic Responses to COVID-19: Authority and Religiosity in #Muslim Communities and Digital Worlds‘. There were significant contributions from international scholars exploring aspects of digital...

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:

Iran cellphone track hack Tue 29 Muharram 1448AH 14-7-2026AD

IRGC Proscribed Tue 29 Muharram 1448AH 14-7-2026AD

TikTok Kiss Punishment (updated) Sat 26 Muharram 1448AH 11-7-2026AD

Palestinian Digital Archive Tue 22 Muharram 1448AH 7-7-2026AD

Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral (updated) Tue 22 Muharram 1448AH 7-7-2026AD

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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