Israel – Virtually Islamic News

Mon 14 Shaban 1447AH 2-2-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Google, Israel

Google AI Issues

Exclusive: Google breached its own policies that barred use of artificial intelligence for weapons or surveillance in 2024 by helping an Israeli military contractor analyze drone video footage....

Mon 26 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 17-11-2025AD
Israel, KSA, Music, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, UAE, UAE Digital

Spotify UAE KSA

...

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...

Wed 18 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 10-9-2025AD
Hamas, Israel, Qatar

Qatar Under Attack (updated)

There is rolling coverage from various channels on this situation: BBC News, Qatar looks to hold Israel’s PM responsible for breaching international law over strike, 10 Sep 2025 CNN,...

Sun 25 Muharram 1447AH 20-7-2025AD
Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Israel-Hamas Conflict 2025, Palestine, Pope Leo XIV, War crimes

Gaza in Crisis (cont/d)

Nick Maynard, a UK surgeon in Gaza, told BBC this morning he is seeing injuries cluster chronologically. Teenage boys are getting shot at the food distribution sites, but in...

Sun 19 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 15-6-2025AD
Iran, Iranian internet, Israel, Research

Israel-Iran Conflict (updated)

Jonathan Gornall, Arab News, Analysis: What happens if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz? In the same week that Israel waged war on Iran, it targeted and cut off...

Thu 9 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 5-6-2025AD
Digital MENA, Israel, MENA, Saudi Arabia, Technology

KSA-Israel Technology ‘Ties‘

Assad Gilead, Jerusalem Post, Under the radar: Israeli cyber companies operating in Saudi Arabia, 5 Jun 2025 “A “Globes” investigation reveals that most of the Israeli companies active in...

Thu 9 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 5-6-2025AD
Gaza, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, War crimes

Gaza Under Siege (cont/d)

Multiple stories and issues are emerging associated with human rights, war crime allegations, and conflict, in which, in the absence of journalists, those on the ground are documenting digitally....

Fri 18 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 16-5-2025AD
Israel, Spyware

Pegasus spyware against 1,400 WhatsApp users. ‘Pegasus, which grants near-total access to a target’s device, including microphones, cameras and encrypted messages, was used against journalists, human rights defenders and...

Fri 20 Shawwal 1446AH 18-4-2025AD
Gaza, Israel, Palestine, War crimes

War Crimes – database

Aljazeera released their entire database of war crimes and Israeli soldiers they investigated. www.aljazeera.com/news/longfor…...

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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