March 2023 – Page 3 – Virtually Islamic News

Thu 1 Ramadan 1444AH 23-3-2023AD
Podcasts, Ramadan

Ramadan Podcast

BBC Asian Network, Not Even Water. A new series of five episodes, available for download: “Can you have a shower whilst fasting? Brush your teeth? Go swimming? Mehreen Baig...

Thu 1 Ramadan 1444AH 23-3-2023AD
Houthi, Yemen Internet, YouTube

Yemeni YouTubers Imprisoned

Al Jazeera, Yemeni YouTubers sentenced to prison after criticising Houthis, 23 March 2023. “A court in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital has sentenced three YouTubers to prison terms ranging from six...

Thu 1 Ramadan 1444AH 23-3-2023AD
'Islamic State', Iraq

‘Daesh’

Paul Iddon, Arab News, Why Daesh is still not a spent force despite facing terminal decline in Iraq, 23 March 2023 “Joel Wing, author of the “Musings on Iraq”...

Thu 1 Ramadan 1444AH 23-3-2023AD
Apps, Dating, Egypt Internet, LGBTQ+, Relationships

Grindr Egypt Warning

Joe Ali, Pink News, Grindr sends every user in Egypt warning about police tricking and arresting queer men, 23 March 2023 “LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr has urged all users...

Thu 1 Ramadan 1444AH 23-3-2023AD
Hacking, Iran, Iran Protests 2023, Iranian internet

Iran’s ‘Cyber Army’

Arian Khameneh, Wired, The Scorched-Earth Tactics of Iran’s Cyber Army, 21 March 2023 “Amid ongoing protests, the Iranian regime has lost control of its image, pushing it to employ...

Thu 1 Ramadan 1444AH 23-3-2023AD
Divorce, Gender, Mosques, Personal Law, Religious Authority

Copenhagen All-Female Mosque

James Jackson, Hyphen, The Nordic imama leading the fight for gender equality, 22 March 2023 “Sherin Khankan’s all-female mosque in Copenhagen has drawn support from a range of faiths...

Wed 30 Shaban 1444AH 22-3-2023AD
'Islamic State', Radicalisation

Shamima Begum Case

BBC News, Friend who inspired Shamima Begum to join IS mocks her as non-believer, 22 March 2023. “Shamima Begum’s best friend, who she says inspired her to join IS,...

Wed 30 Shaban 1444AH 22-3-2023AD
LGBTQ+, Pakistan Internet,, Trans

Transgender Pakistan

Ayesha Le Breton, gal-dem, How Pakistan’s Khwaja Sira and transgender communities are fearing and fighting for their futures, 21 March 2023 Social media elements associated with this story. “There...

Tue 29 Shaban 1444AH 21-3-2023AD
Digital Archives, Digital MENA, Photography

Middle East Digital Archive

Middle East Eye, Dusting off the family album: A personal history of the Middle East, 21 March 2023 “Photographs collated in a new digital Middle East archive shed new...

Mon 28 Shaban 1444AH 20-3-2023AD
'Islamic State', Human Rights, Iraq, MENA

Iraq: 20 Years On

Jeremy Bowen, BBC News, Iraq war 20 years on: How invasion plunged country into decades of chaos, 20 March 2023 “It is a sign of how bad the past...

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.

Ramadan 1444
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Sha				Shw »
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29