Gulf Region – Virtually Islamic News

Wed 24 Dhul Hijjah 1447AH 10-6-2026AD
Gulf Region, KSA, Qatar, UAE, UAE Digital

Defence Procurement Concerns

Well worth reading:

Wed 6 Shawwal 1447AH 25-3-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Gulf Region

The AI Gulf

This is a good piece by Bobby Ghosh for RestofWorld. Important points and joined-up conflict consequences here …...

Sun 2 Jumada Al Akhira 1447AH 23-11-2025AD
China,, Gulf Region, Nvidia, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, UAE, UAE Digital

AI Gulf

Indrinal Ghosh, Rest of World, U.S. gains in AI race as Gulf nations ditch China for chips, 21 Nov 2025“The deal underscores how the Gulf nations have turned the...

Ibrahim Abusharif, Social Media, Religious Authority and the Arab Gulf Crisis

Fri 23 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 14-11-2025AD
Books, Gulf Region, Religious Authority, Research

Book alert

I’m looking forward to reading this forthcoming book. Ibrahim Abusharif studied for his PhD at UWTSD with me several years ago. Ibrahim Abusharif, Social Media, Religious Authority, and the...

Thu 19 Jumada Al Oula 1446AH 21-11-2024AD
Artificial Intelligence, Gulf Region, Podcasts

Gulf AI Chips

Tonight’s listening Check out the latest episode of MEnbar, where I talk to the awesome June Park about the politics of AI Chips in the Gulf states. YouTube: lnkd.in/dp33W6Zn...

Tue 4 Rabi Al Awwal 1445AH 19-9-2023AD
Drugs,, Gulf Region, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE

Captagon Crisis

Fred Schwaller, Deutsche Welle, What is Captagon, the drug mass-produced in Syria?, 19 Sep 2023. “The psychostimulant drug is a huge concern for countries in the Middle East....

Mon 19 Ramadan 1444AH 10-4-2023AD
Gulf Region, Ramadan, Saudi Arabia, Shi'i Muslims

Gargeean

Yousef H. Alshammari, New Lines Magazine, The holiday brings more to the Gulf than a merry tradition, 10 Apr 2023 Interesting article on Gargeean concerning its commercial elements and...

Thu 15 Ramadan 1444AH 6-4-2023AD
Gulf Region, Ramadan, UAE Digital, Zakat

Zakat Online

Gulf News, Ramadan in UAE, 2023: Pay Zakat online via WhatsApp – here’s how, 5 Apr 2023 “On Sunday, April 2, the Zakat Fund, a UAE government organisation that...

Mon 28 Shaban 1444AH 20-3-2023AD
Bahrain, Gulf Region, Influencers, MENA, Religious Authority, Research, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, UAE

‘Digital Islam and Muslim Millennials’

Zaid, Bouziane, Jana Fedtke, Don Donghee Shin, Abdelmalek El Kadoussi, and Mohammed Ibahrine. 2022. “Digital Islam and Muslim Millennials: How Social Media Influencers Reimagine Religious Authority and Islamic Practices”...

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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