February 2023 – Page 2 – Virtually Islamic News

Fri 26 Rajab 1444AH 17-2-2023AD
Architecture, Artificial Intelligence

AI Architecture

Bayt al-Fann, Exploring Futuristic Ai-Generated Islamic Architecture “This thread explores the potential of AI-generated Islamic architecture, showcasing futuristic designs that push the boundaries between real and artificial. Architects and...

Fri 26 Rajab 1444AH 17-2-2023AD
'Islamic State', ISWAP, West Africa

‘Islamic State’ ISWAP

In the latest issue of the weekly al-Naba (378), the Islamic State (#IS) published an infographic to claim a major IS-#Sahel attack against the #Niger army and a banner...

Fri 26 Rajab 1444AH 17-2-2023AD
'Red-pill', Andrew Tate, Influencers

Tate’s ‘Muslim Fanbase’

Sana Noor Haq, CNN, Andrew Tate’s Muslim fanbase is growing. Some say he’s exploiting Islam for internet popularity “Iman and Serena’s experience reflects a growing chorus of Muslim women...

Fri 26 Rajab 1444AH 17-2-2023AD
Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT

AI/ChatGPT

I’m interested in the implications of AI in aspect of my own research (there’s something on it in my next book): Molly Gluck, Inverse, ChatGPT Could Make Tech Feel...

Wed 24 Rajab 1444AH 15-2-2023AD
Afghanistan Internet, Taliban

Taliban Working 9-5 Online

Matthew Gault, Motherboard, Vice, Taliban Bureaucrats Hate Working Online All Day, ‘Miss the Days of Jihad’ ““I sometimes miss the jihad life for all the good things it had,”...

Wed 24 Rajab 1444AH 15-2-2023AD
Turkey, Turkey Internet

Turkey social media and earthquake

Ece Toksabay and Ezgi Erkoyun, Reuters, Turkey arrests 78 over earthquake social media posts “Turkish police said they have arrested 78 people accused of creating fear and panic by...

Sat 20 Rajab 1444AH 11-2-2023AD
Turkey, Turkey Internet

Turkey-Syria Earthquake – update

15 homes, just three survivors – the community lost under one Turkish apartment block https://t.co/rkwxi3Tk6I— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) February 11, 2023 https://t.co/BHGXQfyK7ETurkey-Syria earthquake: Rebel leader in Idlib calls for...

Sat 20 Rajab 1444AH 11-2-2023AD
Broadcasting Media, Hacking, Iran Protests 2023, Iranian internet

Iran hacktivists

Iranian hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali on Saturday hacked the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) while the state-run TV was broadcasting President Ebrahim Raisi’s speech at the regime’s Revolution...

Sat 20 Rajab 1444AH 11-2-2023AD
Influencers

Egypt Influencers Arrested

Chao Deng, WSJ, Egypt Arrests Social-Media Influencers in Deepening Crackdown (paywalled)

Fri 19 Rajab 1444AH 10-2-2023AD
China,, Uighurs,

Uighur Issues

NEW @UyghurProject report 🗒️ The Complicity of Heritage: Cultural Heritage & Genocide in the Uyghur Region—we examine 👇🏽 ➡️ China’s “cultural cleansing” of Uyghurs➡️ How China uses heritage for...

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:

AI ‘Fake Journalism‘ Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Starlink Test Implications Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Virtually Islamic on Substack Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Iran AI Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Indonesia Online Gambling Thu 27 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 8-10-2026AD

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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