History – Virtually Islamic News

Fri 6 Shawwal 1446AH 4-4-2025AD
Anti-Muslim Hate, Anti-Muslim Prejudice, History

Hegseth’s Tattoo

The misreading of history from Hegseth et al is beyond parody (and into something far more dangerous) Annika Brockschmidt, Thomas Lecaque, Defense Secretary Hegseth’s New ‘Kafir’ Tattoo is the...

Sat 28 Jumada Al Oula 1446AH 30-11-2024AD
British Muslims, Food, History

‘Bangla Town‘ Documentary

BBC World Service, How ‘Bangla Town’ changed a nation’s food culture “Devina Gupta traces their history and flavours on Brick Lane in east London, where many people settled and...

Tue 28 Shawwal 1445AH 7-5-2024AD
History, Research, Shi'i Muslims

Dissertation

This dissertation by one of my postgrads has been made available in the UWTSD Repository: Husain, Adnan Mustafa (2024) The Bedouin of the Fatimid Empire Faith vs. Politics in...

Tue 30 Ramadan 1445AH 9-4-2024AD
British Muslims, History

‘Defiance‘ documentary

Channel 4‘s ‘Defiance‘ documentary series can be streamed (in the UK) via this link (requiring log-in). “The story of how – from 1976 to 1981 – Britain’s Asian community...

Mon 20 Muharram 1445AH 7-8-2023AD
Digital Qur'an, History, Qur'an, Research

Qur’an MSS dating

Sat 18 Muharram 1445AH 5-8-2023AD
Fatwas, History, LGBTQ+

LGBTQ+ History

This tweet is picking up substantial traction:

Fri 3 Muharram 1445AH 21-7-2023AD
Basra,, History, Iraq, Iraq Internet, Mosques

AP/alarabiya, Unraveling history: Demolition of Basra’s minaret sparks cultural preservation debate, 20 July 2023 “In the early hours Friday morning, the 11-meter-high (33-foot-high) minaret was razed to the ground,...

Tue 30 Dhul Hijjah 1444AH 18-7-2023AD
History, India internet, Indian Muslims, Instagram

India Internet Issues

Parth M.N., Instagram Posts About a 17th-Century King Are Getting People Arrested, 17 July 2023 ““What has happened offline has happened online,” says Osama Manzar, founder of the Digital...

Wed 11 Dhul Qidah 1444AH 31-5-2023AD
British Muslims, History, Podcasts, Radio

Bradford 12 Documentary

BBC World Service, Bradford 12: The Asian youth who took on the racists, part 1 “As a Pakistani immigrant teenager in 1970s Britain, Tariq Mehmood endured homelessness and years...

Thu 24 Shaban 1444AH 16-3-2023AD
Archives, Digital Qur'an, History, Libraries, Mali, Manuscripts, Qur'an, Research, Timbuktu, West Africa

Timbuktu: Qur’an Manuscript Fragments

Ali Diakite and Paul Naylor, HMML, Why so Many Fragments? Incomplete Manuscripts in the Timbuktu Collections, 16 Mar 2023 This is really interesting. Do check out the whole 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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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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