May 2025 – Page 2 – Virtually Islamic News

Mon 21 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 19-5-2025AD
Digital British Islam, Gary R. Bunt, Research, Scotland

Scottish Parliament

Initial findings from the Digital British Islam project were presented at the Scottish Parliament session on 29 April 2025, sponsored by Foysol Choudhury MSP MBE. I presented alongside Prof....

Mon 21 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 19-5-2025AD
Games, Radicalisation, Research

Gamification and Hate

This is a significant article exploring the impact of gamification on encouraging participants to participate in diverse forms of extremism (on- and offline). "When applied to social networks and...

Sat 19 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 17-5-2025AD
Research

SCMP, Putin’s ‘second wife’ joke about Malaysia’s Anwar draws laughs and anger amid MH17 ruling, 16 May 2025 “A joke by Russian President Vladimir Putin about Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a “second wife”...

Fri 18 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 16-5-2025AD
Israel, Spyware

Spyware

Pegasus spyware against 1,400 WhatsApp users. ‘Pegasus, which grants near-total access to a target’s device, including microphones, cameras and encrypted messages, was used against journalists, human rights defenders and...

Wed 16 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 14-5-2025AD
Archives, Conferences, Digital Archives, Digital Islam Across Europe, Gary R. Bunt, Scotland

Digital Islam Across Europe Conference

Here are details of the Digital Islam Across Europe Conference (for which I am a Co-Investigator). The programme is diverse and offers a chance to learn more about the...

Wed 16 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 14-5-2025AD
Bahrain, Bahrain Internet, Censorship, Cyber Security, Human Rights, prosecutions, Research, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, Surveillance, UAE, UAE Digital

Digital Research Methodology Issues

An important article by Marc Owen Jones for all those working in digital zones. Marc Owen Jones; Lessons from the Digital Coalface in the Post-Truth Age: Researching the Middle...

Tue 15 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 13-5-2025AD
Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

Ahmed al-Doush Case

"A British man jailed for 10 years in Saudi Arabia, reportedly over a tweet he wrote seven years ago, has done nothing wrong and is being failed by the...

Tue 15 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 13-5-2025AD
Censorship, Gaza, Gaza Protests

Pro-Gaza Streamer Detained

I'm sensing a theme here today:...

Tue 15 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 13-5-2025AD
Censorship, Elon Musk, Human Rights, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

KSA Musk

Oh. "Elon Musk's warm welcome by Saudi royals is at odds with his ownership of X, whose users are imprisoned for criticising Riyadh."...

Mon 14 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 12-5-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Education, Islamic Education, Religious Authority

AI and Islamic Learning

AI has ‘revolutionised’ Islamic learning. Is it coming for scholars next? – Hyphen hyphenonline.com/2025/05/06/a… [image or embed] — Gary R. Bunt (@garyrbunt.bsky.social) 11 May 2025 at 10:40 Issues of...

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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