January 2025 – Virtually Islamic News

Fri 1 Shaban 1446AH 31-1-2025AD
Hamas, Israel-Hamas Conflict 2025, Palestine, Qatar, Research

Social Media and Online Coverage: Israel-Hamas Conflict (Month Sixteen) – updated

This is the sixteenth month since the current Israel-Hamas conflict commenced. I have been keeping copies of selected online content since 7 October 2023. While there is a ceasefire...

Fri 1 Shaban 1446AH 31-1-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, Israel, Israel-Hamas Conflict 2025

‘Hasbara AI goes rogue‘

This is quite a story … I'm returning to this story (originally in Ha'aretz), which provides detail beyond the paywall: english.almayadeen.net/news/politic…...

Fri 1 Shaban 1446AH 31-1-2025AD
Crime, Digital British Islam, Islamic finance, Research

Faith and Fraud in the Digital Age

New from my colleague Dr Alamgir Ahmed: Our second new article is Dr Alamgir Ahmed's ‘Faith and Fraud in the Digital Age: Financial Scams Targeting Muslims Online‘ – which...

Elon Musk image on a phone, union jack background

Fri 1 Shaban 1446AH 31-1-2025AD
Crime, Elon Musk

“Elon Musk, Grooming Gangs and British Muslims”

From my colleague Dr Sadek Hamid: One of two new Digital British Islam articles – this one by Dr Sadek Hamid: digitalbritishislam.com/elon-musk-gr…...

Fri 1 Shaban 1446AH 31-1-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, DeepSeek

DeepSeek has dominated the digital week: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article… DeepSeek under understandable scrutiny. [image or embed] — Gary R. Bunt (@garyrbunt.bsky.social) 29 January 2025 at 13:05 "What we have is a...

Fri 1 Shaban 1446AH 31-1-2025AD
Academia, Influencers, Research

“God’s Influencers” Journal Special Edition

New(-ish) and noted, with many interesting articles for those working on digital religion: Volume 13 (2024): Issue 2 (Oct 2024): Special Thematic Articles: God’s Influencers: How Social Media Users...

Thu 30 Rajab 1446AH 30-1-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence

‘AI Jesus‘

Also relevant, of course, in Islamic contexts: AI Jesus has been a viral sensation this past month. But don't let the playful nature of "AI kiss" apps obscure the...

Thu 30 Rajab 1446AH 30-1-2025AD
Qur'an, Sweden

Sweden Shooting – Update and Context

Man who burned Quran 'shot dead in Sweden' www.bbc.com/news/article… [image or embed] — Gary R. Bunt (@garyrbunt.bsky.social) 30 January 2025 at 11:12 Context/further Reading: In light of events in...

Sat 25 Rajab 1446AH 25-1-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Books, Gary R. Bunt, Indonesia, Indonesia Internet

Menjadi Muslim Metaverse

I was intrigued to see this information regarding a book discussion focused on ‘Islamic Algorithms‘, and I rather wish I could have been a fly on the wall …

Sat 25 Rajab 1446AH 25-1-2025AD
prosecutions, Southport Tragedy

Southport Attack

In this case, there are references to the Prevent agenda, alongside the downloading by the perpetrator of al-Qaeda online manuals. See earlier coverage under the Southport Tragedy tag. How...

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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