Digital MENA – Page 3 – Virtually Islamic News

Mon 8 Ramadan 1445AH 18-3-2024AD
Abu Dhabi, Business, ChatGPT, Digital MENA, Malaysia, Malaysia Internet

Chip Strategies

A couple of chip stories: Arab News, Abu Dhabi-backed firm in talks to invest in OpenAI chip venture, 16 Mar 2024 “Abu Dhabi’s state-backed investment firm MGX is in...

Fri 6 Shaban 1445AH 16-2-2024AD
Business, Digital MENA, Egypt Internet, Egypt,, MENA

Egypt’s “Digital Nomads”

Mohamed Alaa, Guardian, Egypt’s economic woes lure digital nomads – but cast others out to sea, 16 Feb 2024 “The number of digital nomads rose sharply during the pandemic, when...

Fri 7 Rajab 1445AH 19-1-2024AD
Artificial Intelligence, Digital MENA, MENA, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, UAE, UAE Digital

KSA AI

MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, Saudi Arabia goes big in Davos as it looks to become a top AI tech hub for the Middle East, 19 Jan 2024 “Becoming a tech...

Sat 1 Rabi Al Awwal 1445AH 16-9-2023AD
Business, Digital MENA, Games, Gaming, MENA, Turkey, Turkey Internet

Turkey Gaming

The National, Turkey’s gaming start-ups raise more than $1bn over five years to outpace Mena region, 16 Sep 2023 “The $1.2 billion attracted by these companies during the five-year...

Wed 7 Safar 1445AH 23-8-2023AD
Artificial Intelligence, Digital MENA, Human Rights, Jordan Internet, MENA, Turkey, Turkey Internet

MENA AI Biometric Concerns

Cathrin Schaer, Deutsche Welle, AI-enhanced identification: A danger in the Middle East?, 23 Aug 2023 “The use of digital biometric identification — recognizing people by their unique features —...

Wed 1 Muharram 1445AH 19-7-2023AD
Digital MENA, Facebook, Gender, MENA, Research

New & Noted: “Gender Beliefs of Muslim Facebook Users”

This looks interesting: Charles, M., Friedland, R., Afary, J., & Yang, R. (2023). Complicating Patriarchy: Gender Beliefs of Muslim Facebook Users in the Middle East, North Africa, and South...

Thu 26 Dhul Qidah 1444AH 15-6-2023AD
Business, Digital MENA, Games, Gaming, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

KSA Gaming

Arab News, Report: 81% of gamers and developers in Saudi highly optimistic about industry growth, 15 June 2023 “Fostering the growth of gaming in the Kingdom through upskilling presents...

Tue 3 Dhul Qidah 1444AH 23-5-2023AD
Digital MENA, MENA, Podcasts

MENA Podcasts

Arab News, Swedish Acast partners with MidEast podcast networks Sowt and Kerning Cultures “Podcasts are an estimated $6 billion market opportunity in MENA and have largely gone untapped. We’re...

Tue 29 Shaban 1444AH 21-3-2023AD
Digital Archives, Digital MENA, Photography

Middle East Digital Archive

Middle East Eye, Dusting off the family album: A personal history of the Middle East, 21 March 2023 “Photographs collated in a new digital Middle East archive shed new...

Tue 9 Rajab 1444AH 31-1-2023AD
Digital MENA, Dubai Internet, e-commerce

Khaleej Times, Islamic Coin gets more traction, 31 Jan 2023 “Islamic Coin, shariah-compliant digital money offering ethics-first financial services for the Muslim community and beyond, is getting more and...

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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