Research – Page 14 – Virtually Islamic News

Sat 19 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 17-5-2025AD
Research

Anwar’s “Second Wife”

SCMP, Putin’s ‘second wife’ joke about Malaysia’s Anwar draws laughs and anger amid MH17 ruling, 16 May 2025 “A joke by Russian President Vladimir Putin about Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a “second wife”...

Wed 16 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 14-5-2025AD
Bahrain, Bahrain Internet, Censorship, Cyber Security, Human Rights, prosecutions, Research, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, Surveillance, UAE, UAE Digital

Digital Research Methodology Issues

An important article by Marc Owen Jones for all those working in digital zones. Marc Owen Jones; Lessons from the Digital Coalface in the Post-Truth Age: Researching the Middle...

Mon 14 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 12-5-2025AD
Arabic, Artificial Intelligence, LLMs, Research

AI, Islam, LLMs and Data Harvesting

“This data harvesting already raises red flags around misinformation, bias, harmful outputs, and the processing of personal data. But when that training data comes from platforms that already fail to moderate content,...

Prof. Gary R. Bunt speaking at the Digital British Islam event at East London Mosque, 8 May 2025

Fri 11 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 9-5-2025AD
east London, Research

East London Mosque Event

Here’s a recording of the 8 May 2025 Digital British Islam event at East London Mosque/London Muslim Centre. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor, Sadek Hamid and I presented. Thanks to our hosts...

Fri 20 Shawwal 1446AH 18-4-2025AD
Research

‘Tech Agnostic‘

One for the reading list …...

Wed 18 Shawwal 1446AH 16-4-2025AD
Research

Somalia and Starlink

@Reuters: SpaceX's Starlink satellite system is now available in Somalia, owner Elon Musk wrote on social media platform X on Sunday, while a Somalia government official confirmed the company...

Tue 17 Shawwal 1446AH 15-4-2025AD
Research

Disinformation and Syria

The Assad regime developed a sophisticated media apparatus to discredit opponents, present itself as a defender against terrorism, and justify its actions. This continues, despite the regime's fall as...

Sat 14 Shawwal 1446AH 12-4-2025AD
Research

‘AI Slop‘

Among many new terms entering my vocabulary recently (see my BlueSky), ‘AI Slop‘ is high up there: “AI slop” is now firmly in my vocabulary...

Sat 14 Shawwal 1446AH 12-4-2025AD
Research

KSA X Advertising

Even before Musk, Twitter enabled MBS’s crackdown—used by the Saudi regime to track dissidents and push propaganda. Under Musk, X didn’t just become a right-wing playground—it became a full-blown...

Tue 4 Ramadan 1446AH 4-3-2025AD
Gary R. Bunt, Research

Islamic Algorithms

Please excuse the commercial break: Here’s a word cloud for my book Islamic Algorithms (details in the sidebar).

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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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.

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