Research – Page 20 – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 20 Dhul Qidah 1445AH 28-5-2024AD
Research

‘From Sheikh Google to ImamAI‘ – BRAIS Conference

I attended BRAIS last week in Leeds. It was a well-run and interesting conference. Colleagues from the Digital Islam Across Europe project attended (photos to follow). I also gave...

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...

Fri 17 Shawwal 1445AH 26-4-2024AD
Books, Digital Islam, Gary R. Bunt, Research

Islamic Algorithms – Unboxed

I had to do it. The unboxing of ‘Islamic Algorithms‘ …

Mon 13 Shawwal 1445AH 22-4-2024AD
Artificial Intelligence, Conferences, Research

Conference Activities

I’m giving a paper on AI and Islam as part of the BRAIS ‘24 conference in Leeds …

Wed 1 Shawwal 1445AH 10-4-2024AD
Research

Turkey Crypto Case

Jenna Scatena, Wired, He Emptied an Entire Crypto Exchange Onto a Thumb Drive. Then He Disappeared, 2 Apr 2024 “Faruk Özer just started a 11,196-year prison sentence. Did he...

Wed 1 Shawwal 1445AH 10-4-2024AD
Egypt Internet, Egypt,, Music, Rap, Research

Women Rappers in Egypt

AFP/France24 Egypt’s women rappers fight for place in rising scene, 10 Apr 2024 “Last year, 60 percent of Spotify’s most-streamed Arab artists were in the hip-hop genre, which includes...

Mon 29 Ramadan 1445AH 8-4-2024AD
Digital British Islam, Ramadan, Research

Khadijah Elshayyal & Laura Jones, How online Ramadan content has brought Muslim ideas around faith, worship and community into the mainstream, 4 April 2024. “Research suggests that during Ramadan, Muslims are more...

Wed 17 Ramadan 1445AH 27-3-2024AD
Academia, Archives, Digital Archives, Digital British Islam, Research

Islam, Academia & Research

Gary R. Bunt, Digital British Islam, Exploring Islam, Academia & Research, 29 Mar 2024. Explanatory article linking to the project’s archive of online activities associated with the study of...

Thu 4 Ramadan 1445AH 14-3-2024AD
Academia, Digital British Islam, Ramadan, Research

Ramadan Online Activity

Here’s what I have been up to today:

Tue 2 Ramadan 1445AH 12-3-2024AD
Academia, Architecture, Art, Podcasts, Research

Jonathon Bloom Podcast

Professor Bloom discusses ‘Paper before Print‘ (a classic) and other work in the Afikra podcast:

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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