September 2025 – Page 2 – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 1 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 23-9-2025AD
Alaa Abdel-Fattah

Alaa Abd El-Fattah

Updated. Some positive (and overdue) news about Alaa Abdel Fattah’s release from prison: British-Egyptian activist reunited with family after release from prison www.bbc.com/news/article… [image or embed] — Gary R....

Mon 30 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 22-9-2025AD
Abu Dhabi, Nvidia, UAE, UAE Digital

Nvidia/UAE Collaboration

Reuters, Abu Dhabi to host first Nvidia AI Technology Center in Middle East, 22 Sep 2025. “The joint research hub is the first Nvidia AI Technology Center in the...

Sun 29 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 21-9-2025AD
Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, TikTok

Sana Yousaf Case

Wesley Dockery with AP and Pakistani media, DW, Sana Yousaf killing: Man charged over TikToker’s death, 20 Sep 2025 “Islamabad Additional and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka formally indicted 22-year-old...

Tue 24 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 16-9-2025AD
Abu Dhabi, Amazon, Arabic, Artificial Intelligence, Digital MENA, Dubai Internet, Libraries, UAE, UAE Digital

UAE AI

The National, Editorial, How the UAE is maintaining Arabic’s place in the information era, 16 Sep 2025 “Concerns about Arabic’s place in the digital era are held by many...

Mon 23 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 15-9-2025AD
‘influencers', Digital MENA, MENA, UAE, UAE Digital

UAE Influence

It’s interesting to determine the implications of this investment on influencers (however defined) in UAE and MENA. UAE influencer development...

Mon 23 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 15-9-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, UAE, UAE Digital

AI UAE

There is substantial positioning and investment in AI from UAE, so I am interested in determining its implications in relation to perspectives on AI and Islam (my current research...

Sat 21 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 13-9-2025AD
Games, Gaming, KSA, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

Assassin’s Creed Al-Ula Content

This story has been widely reported, and represents an interesting question relating (potentially) to soft power across gaming, as KSA’s investment in gaming industries intensifies. The New Arab, Did...

Thu 19 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 11-9-2025AD
Archives, Digital Archives

9/11 Archive

CNN, 24 years after 9/11, previously unseen images are still emerging. This group finds and publishes them, 11 Sep 2025 “The 9/11 Media Preservation Group – which publishes its...

Wed 18 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 10-9-2025AD
Hamas, Israel, Qatar

Qatar Under Attack (updated)

There is rolling coverage from various channels on this situation: BBC News, Qatar looks to hold Israel’s PM responsible for breaching international law over strike, 10 Sep 2025 CNN,...

Wed 18 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 10-9-2025AD
Far-right, Gaza

‘Anti-Islamic Biker Gangs in Gaza’

There is an online element to this article: Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza aid sites www.bbc.com/news/article…...

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:

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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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