Research – Page 4 – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 22 Muharram 1448AH 7-7-2026AD
Archives, Digital Archives, Gaza, Museums, Palestine, Research

Palestinian Digital Archive

Tamara Davison, Wired, How Palestinians Are Building a Digital Archive That Can’t Be Erased, 6 July 2026 Here’s an excellent article from Tamara Davison in Wired on the significance...

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
Censorship, Iran, Iran internet, Research

Iran Net Analysis

Fateme Karimkhan, New Lines Magazine, Iran’s Internet Blackout Was Decades in the Making, 1 Jul 2026 “While the scale of the recent blackout was unprecedented, it was far from...

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
al-Qaeda,, Artificial Intelligence, Research

Damien McElroy, The National, AI models provide assistance to terror attacks, 1 Jul 2026 “July 01, 2026″The group created the counter-terrorism AI benchmark, which found one third of responses could help...

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
Conferences, Gary R. Bunt, Religious Authority, Research

Islamic Responses to COVID-19

I organised a lockdown conference: ‘Islamic Responses to COVID-19: Authority and Religiosity in #Muslim Communities and Digital Worlds‘. There were significant contributions from international scholars exploring aspects of digital...

Mon 14 Muharram 1448AH 29-6-2026AD
Conferences, Research

Islam and Digitality Conference

Details of a forthcoming conference “Islam & Digitality: Media, Materiality, and Hermeneutics” on July 10 and 11 at Goethe University. The programme has a QR Code for online observation....

Thu 10 Muharram 1448AH 25-6-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Religious Authority, Research

AI and Islamic Jurisprudence

Looks interesting (haven’t read it yet). Free to download too. Muhammed Ameen Fazal, AI and Islamic Jurisprudence: Re-reading Contemporary Fatwās forEthical Possibilities in Techno-Social Forms of Life, Islamic Studies...

Thu 10 Muharram 1448AH 25-6-2026AD
Fatwas, Indonesia, Malaysia, Research, Southeast Asia,

‘Effective Fatwas‘ article

This caught my attention (haven’t read it yet): Syafiq Hasyim, ‘Effective Fatwas and Shariatisation in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore‘, Archipel [Online], 111 | 2026, June 2026, http://journals.openedition.org/archipel/10169 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/16fx3 “This article argues that the institutionalisation of...

Tue 8 Muharram 1448AH 23-6-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Religious Authority, Research

Recent Research on AI, CIEs and Religion

New(-sh), noted, and free to download: Lohlker, Rüdiger, and Soleh Hasan Wahid. 2026. “The Transformation of Islamic Religious Authority” Religions 17, no. 4: 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040493 “The transformation of religious authority in...

Mon 15 Dhul Hijjah 1447AH 1-6-2026AD
Research

‘AI godbots‘

Adam James Fenton, Chris Shannahan, The Conversation, AI godbots: religious leaders warn of ‘alarming consequences’ when machines speak in the name of God, 29 May 2026

Wed 10 Dhul Hijjah 1447AH 27-5-2026AD
Research

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha Mubarak to all! Photo: Masjid Pangeran Diponegoro, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. I took it a couple of years ago. © Copyright Gary R. Bunt, 2026

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.

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