Influencers – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 11 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 22-9-2026AD
Digital British Islam, Influencers, Research

Online Muslim Influencers (Digital British Islam)

I’ve cut and pasted this from Facebook. I’m not responsible for the event, which features my colleague Dr Sadek Hamid talking about the Digital British Islam project. Details are...

Thu 16 Ramadan 1447AH 5-3-2026AD
Dubai Internet, Influencers, UAE, UAE Digital

Influencers Dubai

‘I know who protects us’: Dubai influencers share near-identical videos with footage of Crown Prince www.lbc.co.uk/article/duba…...

Mon 28 Shaban 1447AH 16-2-2026AD
Gender, Influencers, Radio

‘Muslim Women and the Dawah Bros.‘

From Radio 4, Currently, Beyond the Feed: Muslim Women and the Dawah Bros. One for my Listening List: "As young Muslims navigate this online world and its offline aftermath,...

Tue 24 Rajab 1447AH 13-1-2026AD
Influencers, Research, UAE, UAE Digital

UAE Licensed to Influence

Licensed to Influence #UAE...

Mon 2 Rajab 1447AH 22-12-2025AD
Influencers, UAE, UAE Digital

‘Emirati Influencers‘

Worthy of investigation: One for my reading list from @marcowenjones.bsky.social...

Fri 2 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 24-10-2025AD
‘influencers', Influencers, UAE, UAE Digital

The National, UAE influencers have three months to sign up to mandatory licensing scheme, 23 Oct 2025 “The deadline for social media content creators, or influencers, in the UAE to obtain advertiser...

Mon 14 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 6-10-2025AD
‘influencers', Artificial Intelligence, Disinformation, Germany, Influencers, Israel

‘PR Strategies‘ and Gaza

Sherouk Zakaria and Zaira Lakhpatwala, Arab News, How PR firms are whitewashing genocide in Gaza to rebrand Israel’s global image, 4 Oct 2025. “The strategy aims to flood the...

Sun 2 Safar 1447AH 27-7-2025AD
Gender, Influencers, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, TikTok

Influencer Targeted

Lekshmy Pavithran, Gulf News, Pakistani TikTok star Sumeera Rajput found dead at home, 26 Jul 2025 “TikTok influencer Sumeera Rajput was found dead at her home in Sindh’s Ghotki district, Geo...

Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD
American Muslims, Gender, Influencers, Religious Authority, YouTube

Uthman ibn Farooq

Sarah Hooper, Metro/Apple News, Preacher who said sex with female prisoners of war is ‘halal’ not allowed to tour UK, 22 May 2025“Uthman ibn Farooq, a Muslim preacher based...

Sun 1 Shawwal 1446AH 30-3-2025AD
Andrew Tate, Influencers

Tate update

I continue to post on the Tates, given the role of Andrew Tate as an ‘influencer‘ (as discussed in ‘Islamic Algorithms‘): The Trump administration pressured the Romanian government to...

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:

AI ‘Fake Journalism‘ Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Starlink Test Implications Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Virtually Islamic on Substack Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

Iran AI Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

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.

Rabi Al Thani 1448
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Rb1
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30