Cyber Security – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 11 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 22-9-2026AD
Cyber Security, UAE, UAE Digital

UAE Cyber Security

Mon 14 Muharram 1448AH 29-6-2026AD
Cyber Security, Iran, Iran internet

Iran cyberattacks intensify

Mon 18 Shawwal 1447AH 6-4-2026AD
Cyber Security, Syria, Syria Internet

Syrian Cybersecurity

This, from Danny Makki @wired.com "When Syrian government accounts were hijacked in March, the breach looked chaotic. But it revealed something more troubling: a state struggling with the most...

Fri 16 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 7-11-2025AD
Android, Cyber Security

MENA+ Android Spyware

A newly identified Android spyware targeted Galaxy devices for close to a year, including users in the Middle East, researchers exclusively tell TechCrunch....

Mon 5 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 27-10-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

KSA Faces AI Threats

Waad Hussain, Arab News, AI-powered threats test Saudi Arabia’s cyber defenses, 23 Oct 2025 “The Kingdom now faces one of the most aggressive cyberthreat landscapes in the world. Regional...

Tue 17 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 9-9-2025AD
Cyber Security, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Pakistan Digital Surveillance

Reuters, Amnesty says Pakistan spying on millions through phone-tapping, firewall, 9 Sep 2025 “Pakistan’s spy agencies can monitor at least 4 million mobile phones at a time through its...

Tue 27 Muharram 1447AH 22-7-2025AD
Cyber Security, Malaysia, Malaysia Internet

Malaysia Digital ID Issues

SCMP, Malaysia mulls making digital ID mandatory as security fears hinder adoption, 22 Jul 2025 “A botched roll-out and data leaks involving millions in recent years have made Malaysians...

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...

Thu 28 Shaban 1446AH 27-2-2025AD
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Internet, Cyber Security, Surveillance, Taliban

Under Taliban Surveillance

Taliban surveillance Inside the Taliban's surveillance network monitoring millions www.bbc.com/news/article…...

Tue 24 Jumada Al Oula 1446AH 26-11-2024AD
China,, Cyber Security, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Abid Hussain, Al Jazeera, Pakistan tests China-like digital ‘firewall’ to tighten online surveillance, 26 Nov 2024 “The trial of the new firewall comes at a time of heightened political tensions in...

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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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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