Virtually Islamic News – Page 133 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Sat 4 Muharram 1445AH 22-7-2023AD
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Internet, Gender, Sports

Afghan WhatsApp Judo Lessons

Nils Adler, AL Jazeera, How Afghan women secretly learn judo — over WhatsApp, 21 July 2023. “While Khalili and her opponent spar, in the corner of the room, a...

Fri 3 Muharram 1445AH 21-7-2023AD
Basra,, History, Iraq, Iraq Internet, Mosques

AP/alarabiya, Unraveling history: Demolition of Basra’s minaret sparks cultural preservation debate, 20 July 2023 “In the early hours Friday morning, the 11-meter-high (33-foot-high) minaret was razed to the ground,...

Fri 3 Muharram 1445AH 21-7-2023AD
Research

New and Noted

I haven’t read either of these chapters yet: Abusharif, Ibrahim N., ‘Islam and Digital Religion’, in Heidi A. Campbell, and Pauline Hope Cheong (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Digital...

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Censorship, TikTok, Tunisia, Tunisia internet,

Tunisia and Satire

Elizia Volkmann, New Lines, Under Tunisia’s Humorless Autocrat, Satirists Wonder Who Will Get the Last Laugh, 19 July 2023. ““It’s the last day of freedom in Tunisia and we...

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Internet, Taliban

Ellwood Video

UK MP Tobias Ellwood’s video on Afghanistan was not well-received in the UK (but was reposted by the Taliban). Here’s a summary: Roh Yakobi, KabulNow, Opinion: Normalising the Taliban...

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Religious Authority, Technology

Cloned Voices

There are going to be some interesting religious decisions that will have to be made once this launches:

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Artificial Intelligence, Books, Research

AI: Automating Islamophobia

Here’s an interesting call for submissions for a book on AI:

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Iran, Iran internet, Iran Protests 2023, Iranian internet, Iranian Social Media

Iran Protests 2023 (update)

RRE/RL, Iranian Protests Spread Over Morality Police Crackdowns, 18 July 2023. “Masses of demonstrators are turning out throughout Iran, where some are shouting down police enforcement of strict religious...

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Balouchistan, Music, Pakistan Internet,

Ustad Noor Bakhsh

Sayida Ansari, The Guardian, ‘Totally full of spiritual energy’: Ustad Noor Bakhsh, the Pakistani musician going global in his 70s, 19 July 2023 “In clips of sunset jams near...

Wed 1 Muharram 1445AH 19-7-2023AD
Digital MENA, Facebook, Gender, MENA, Research

New & Noted: “Gender Beliefs of Muslim Facebook Users”

This looks interesting: Charles, M., Friedland, R., Afary, J., & Yang, R. (2023). Complicating Patriarchy: Gender Beliefs of Muslim Facebook Users in the Middle East, North Africa, and South...

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:

UAE Data Centres Thu 18 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 29-10-2026AD

Iran’s Hidden Web of Military Agencies Thu 18 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 29-10-2026AD

Satellites above KSA Wed 17 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 28-10-2026AD

Handala Hack Wed 17 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 28-10-2026AD

Dar al-Ifta Haseen platform Mon 15 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 26-10-2026AD

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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