June 2025 – Virtually Islamic News

Fri 2 Muharram 1447AH 27-6-2025AD
Digital British Islam, Gary R. Bunt

Manchester Q&A

I will be at Khizra Mosque, Manchester, on 28th June to discuss the Digital British Islam project with my colleague Dr Sadek Hamid. Details above.

Thu 1 Muharram 1447AH 26-6-2025AD
Academia, Digital British Islam, Research

Digital Methodologies Symposium

The Digital Methodologies Symposium at Coventry University on 25 June was a great opportunity to explore interdisciplinary dimensions of the academic studies within digital religions. It was part of...

Wed 29 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 25-6-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence

AI reflections

Pils, Jon. “Preserving Islamic Culture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Reflective Inquiry.” Traversing Tradition. 23 June 2025. An interesting discussion, with some crossover to themes explored in...

Fri 24 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 20-6-2025AD
Malaysia, Malaysia Internet, Telegram

Malaysia Telegram

Reuters, Malaysia obtains local court order against Telegram for allegedly spreading harmful content, 19 Jun 2025 “Malaysia’s communications regulator said on Thursday it has obtained a temporary court order...

Mon 20 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 16-6-2025AD
Hajj, Photography

Hajj Photography

"[Syrian pilgrim Omar] Al-Kadeeb said that the professional photos shared by photographers on platforms such as X, Instagram and TikTok enhance the status of Hajj in people’s hearts and...

Mon 20 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 16-6-2025AD
Journalism, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, Twitter

KSA Journalist

Middle East Eye, Campaigners say Saudi Arabia executed prominent journalist for Twitter account, 16 Jun 2025 “Supporters of Turki al-Jasser, who had been imprisoned for seven years, say his...

Sun 19 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 15-6-2025AD
Iran, Iranian internet, Israel, Research

Israel-Iran Conflict (updated)

Jonathan Gornall, Arab News, Analysis: What happens if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz? In the same week that Israel waged war on Iran, it targeted and cut off...

Sun 19 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 15-6-2025AD
Research

Ballymena and Social Media

“Analysis of census data shows that Ballymena has experienced rapid demographic change in recent years, while the Sky News data and forensics team also found evidence of rising tensions...

Thu 16 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 12-6-2025AD
Gender, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, Pakistan Internet,, TikTok

TikTok Pakistan

Juliette Mansour, AFP/France 24, ‘This is a culture’: TikTok murder highlights Pakistan’s unease with women online, 15 Jun 2025. “TikTok is wildly popular in Pakistan, in part because of...

Thu 16 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 12-6-2025AD
Digital British Islam, Gary R. Bunt, Research

Senedd

Photos from Digital British Islam: Policy Roundtable at the Senedd Pierhead, Cardiff, held on 11th June. It was presented by Dr Laura Jones and me, with a welcome address...

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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