2023 – Page 38 – Virtually Islamic News

Wed 28 Ramadan 1444AH 19-4-2023AD
Iran Protests 2023, Iranian internet, LGBTQ+

LGBTQ Iran

BBC News, Iran protests: LGBTQ community rises up, 19 April 2023 “Many Iranians on social media have warmly welcomed the increased visibility of the LGBTQ community. Yet the move...

Wed 28 Ramadan 1444AH 19-4-2023AD
Fashion, Ramadan

BBC News, PrettyLittleThing Eid shop: Young Muslims criticise fashion brand, 19 April 2023 “PrettyLittleThing has been criticised for its “inappropriate” outfits offered to Muslim shoppers celebrating the end of...

Wed 28 Ramadan 1444AH 19-4-2023AD
Ramadan

Fasting and Fitness

BBC News, How Ramadan fasting and fitness can run together, 19 April 2023 “Pilates instructor Sahir Ahmed-Evans believes there is a natural connection between fasting and fitness.” Social media...

Tue 27 Ramadan 1444AH 18-4-2023AD
Apps, Hajj, Mecca, Prayer, Ramadan, umrah

Haramain

There’s substantial updated content on Haramain, especially during Ramadan, alongside other streaming media. Their app is now being promoted on social media.

Tue 27 Ramadan 1444AH 18-4-2023AD
Artificial Intelligence, Law, Pakistan Internet

ChatGPT Legal

Baba Tamim, Interesting Engineering, Pakistani court utilizes ChatGPT-4 to grant bail in a juvenile kidnapping case, 12 April 2023 “The Phalia court in the Punjab state of Pakistan regarded...

Tue 27 Ramadan 1444AH 18-4-2023AD
China,, Pakistan Internet

Chinese engineer: “Blasphemy” charge

SCMP, Pakistan keeps Chinese engineer in top-security jail to avoid mob attack over blasphemy charge, 18 April 2023 Online dimensions to this case “Pakistan has taken extraordinary precautions to...

Tue 27 Ramadan 1444AH 18-4-2023AD
Russia, Turkey Internet

Turkey Twitter

Ragip Soylu, Middle East Eye, Turkey elections: Thousands of Russian Twitter accounts reactivated in Turkish “Thousands of Russian- and Hungarian-speaking Twitter accounts have been reactivated as Turkish users weeks...

Mon 26 Ramadan 1444AH 17-4-2023AD
Egypt Internet, Ramadan

Egypt TV Confusion

The New Arab, Easter Mass, Ramadan Taraweeh prayer mix up costs Egypt TV director his job “A local TV channel in Egypt accidentally wrote Easter Mass on the screen...

Fri 23 Ramadan 1444AH 14-4-2023AD
'Islamic State', Radicalisation

‘IS’ UK Recruit

Duncan Gardham, Sky News, Shabazz Suleman: British IS recruit who claimed he spent time in Syria ‘on Playstation’ pleads guilty to terror offence, 14 April 2023 “A former grammar...

Thu 22 Ramadan 1444AH 13-4-2023AD
Kuwait internet

‘Fedha’ Virtual Presenter Controversy

Arab News, Kuwait News’ first virtual presenter makes bad headlines among Arab social media users, 13 Apr 2023 “Despite having a popular Kuwaiti name, the artificial intelligence-powered presenter, who...

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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