Mecca – Virtually Islamic News

Wed 19 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 30-9-2026AD
Apps, Mecca, umrah

Umrah Apps

Taken from TheIslamicInformation.com’s Facebook post: integrating apps into the ritual experience is significant (and also an expectation for pilgrims), so it has become more nuanced, including food deliveries and...

Tue 16 Dhul Hijjah 1447AH 2-6-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Hajj, Mecca, Pilgrimage, umrah

Hajj 1447 and AI

The Islamic Information, Facebook, “A pilgrim at the Masjid al-Haram in Saudi Arabia recorded 5G internet speeds of 514 Mbps. The high-speed connectivity is provided via SIM cards available...

Wed 5 Dhul Qidah 1447AH 22-4-2026AD
Apps, Hajj, Mecca, Pilgrimage, Research, umrah

e-Hajj

I’ve written extensively about digital hajj in my books and related chapters, so this story is of particular interest: E-hajj tracking...

Prof. Gary R. Bunt, VR Immersive Technology, UWTSD

Thu 9 Ramadan 1447AH 26-2-2026AD
Mecca, Mosques, Research

VR Islam

Hands-on virtual reality experimentation today. I’ve written a lot about VR and Islam in the past, so today I was exploring options with AI elements, thinking about designing content...

Thu 9 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 5-6-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Hajj, Mecca, Research

Hajj 1446

There are several stories relating specifically to technology and hajj that are worth tracking: Riazat Butt, AP, No kids, excess heat and payment plans. What to know about Hajj...

Tue 4 Ramadan 1446AH 4-3-2025AD
Hajj, Mecca, Pilgrimage

Hajj logistics

Opinion/analysis on #hajj logistics Dilshad Ali, RNS, Saudis’ new Hajj system is making the pilgrimage safer, if less accessible, 3 Mar 2025 “One feature of Hajj that no one...

Wed 6 Dhul Hijjah 1445AH 12-6-2024AD
Egypt,, Hajj, Mecca, Pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia

’Illegal’ Hajj (update)

‘Illegality’ is probably in the eye of the beholder here: AFP/France 24, Hajj on the cheap: off-the-books pilgrims hide out in Mecca, 5 Jun 2024. “Living on canned beans...

Tue 20 Dhul Qidah 1445AH 28-5-2024AD
Hajj, Mecca, Pilgrimage

Hajj 1445 AH

I write about the hajj in its digital frameworks in Islamic Algorithms, and you can track back in this channel for previous stories and links (try the #hajj hashtag...

Wed 14 Dhul Qidah 1445AH 22-5-2024AD
Hajj, Mecca, umrah

Flying Taxi to Mecca

The next step is an uber:

Thu 26 Shaban 1445AH 7-3-2024AD
Mecca, Mosques, Ramadan

Imams in demand

I rather liked this post from The Holy Mosques:

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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