May 2022 – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 1 Dhul Qidah 1443AH 31-5-2022AD
Islamic Fintech, MENA

MENA FinTech

Alvin R. Cabral, The National, Demand and public initiatives ‘to drive digital payments in Mena’ , 31 May 2022 “Consumer demand and government initiatives will boost the Middle East...

Tue 1 Dhul Qidah 1443AH 31-5-2022AD
Egypt Internet, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

Egypt Sub Cable

Arab News, Mobily, Telecom Egypt to build the first submarine cable connecting Saudi Arabia to Egypt, 31 May 2022 “Etihad Etisalat Co., known as Mobily, has signed an initial...

Tue 1 Dhul Qidah 1443AH 31-5-2022AD
Singapore Internet

Bilveer Singh, The Diplomat, The Somad Affair and Singapore’s Battle Against Religious Extremism, 31 May 2022 “In protest against Somad’s deportation, the preacher’s supporters took to the social media...

Tue 1 Dhul Qidah 1443AH 31-5-2022AD
Twitter

Twitter bots

Ian Oxborrow, The National, Up to 12% of Twitter users are bots, study says “Twitter bots amount to up to 12 per cent of visits on the social media...

Mon 29 Shawwal 1443AH 30-5-2022AD
Digital Art, Digital MENA, MENA

Jeddah’s Digital Art Museum

The National, Borderless: what to expect from Jeddah’s new digital art museum “The first permanent teamLab Borderless museum in the Middle East broke ground last month and the project...

Mon 29 Shawwal 1443AH 30-5-2022AD
Indonesia Internet, LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+

Johannes Nugroho, SCMP, Has a video featuring a married gay couple put Indonesia’s LGBT people at further risk?, 30 May 2022 “The rights of Indonesia’s LGBT community are in...

Wed 24 Shawwal 1443AH 25-5-2022AD
Metaverse, NFTs, UAE

Blockchain UAE

PR News, H.H Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah supports the First BSV Global Blockchain Convention in...

Tue 23 Shawwal 1443AH 24-5-2022AD
Ahmadiyya, Pakistan Internet

Ahmadiyya

Sanchita Bhattacharya, SATP, EurasiaReview, Pakistan: Ahmadis Killed, Tortured, Hounded – Analysis “Even in cyberspace the Ahmadis are not safe. While anti-Ahmadi speech proliferates on the internet, the Pakistani state...

Tue 23 Shawwal 1443AH 24-5-2022AD
China,, Uighurs,

Uighur Files

John Sudworth, BBC News, The Faces from China’s Uighur Detention Camps “The Xinjiang Police Files, as they’re being called, were passed to the BBC earlier this year. After a...

Tue 23 Shawwal 1443AH 24-5-2022AD
Apps, Dating, Relationships

Shamsaha

Arab News, New mobile app offers 24/7 help for survivors of domestic violence in the Middle East, 24 June 2022 “Shamsaha, a non-profit organization that advocates for the empowerment...

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:

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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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