Virtually Islamic News – Page 163 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Sun 22 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 15-1-2023AD
Saudi Arabia Internet

Awad Al-Qarni

The Guardian, Saudi prosecutors seek death penalty for academic over social media use, 15 Jan 2023 “Court documents reveal reasons for Awad Al-Qarni’s arrest – even though rulers are...

Fri 20 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 13-1-2023AD
Iran Protests 2023

Ghazal Ranjkesh

21-year-old Ghazal Ranjkesh, who was blinded in one eye after being shot by regime forces during the protests in Iran posted this photo of herself saying: “My story has...

Thu 19 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 12-1-2023AD
Saudi Arabia Internet

KSA Dance Arrest

#Saudi woman arrested with 2 male friends for posting this dance clip filmed in #Jeddah on TikTok #السعودية pic.twitter.com/n2jY7KZ7Zl— sebastian usher (@sebusher) January 12, 2023

Thu 19 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 12-1-2023AD
Hajj, Mecca, Pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia Internet, umrah

Asharq al-Awsat, ‘Smart Haram’ Project to Pave Way for Comprehensive Digital Transformation “The project aims to harness technology and expand e-applications and e-platforms to achieve a comprehensive digital transformation...

Wed 18 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 11-1-2023AD
Houthi, Yemen Internet, YouTube

Houthi YouTube

Al Jazeera, Crackdown on YouTubers leaves little space for dissent in Yemen, 11 Jan 2023 “Three of Yemen’s most prominent YouTubers have been arrested in the past few weeks...

Tue 17 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 10-1-2023AD
Research

‘YouTube Village’

Adi Renaldi, WiredUK, The Tiny Indonesian Village That Makes YouTube Stars I’ve seen similar coverage before, but it’s great that @WiredUK have picked up on this story. “A former...

Tue 17 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 10-1-2023AD
Digital MENA, Research

Digital Middle East

Abdellah Iftahy, Tom Isherwood, Chiara Marcati, and Karan Soni, McKinsey & Company, Digital consumers in the Middle East: Rising adoption and opportunity, 9 Jan 2023 “The region’s consumers have...

Tue 17 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 10-1-2023AD
Turkey Internet

Turkey Child Bride Controversy

Riada Asimovic Akyol, New Lines Magazine, The Child Bride Who Shook Turkey “The shocking case of H.K.G., a girl who was “married” at 6 and sexually abused for years...

Tue 17 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 10-1-2023AD
Books, Gary R. Bunt, Research

Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Islamic Spirituality has just been published. Congratulations to the editors Bruce B. Lawrence and Vincent J. Cornell for bringing this volume (and team of...

Wed 11 Jumada Al Akhira 1444AH 4-1-2023AD
al-Qaeda,

aQ Leader

Al Qaeda Is Planning to Fake the Death of Its Dead Leader https://t.co/rEqY5aJwxX via @thedailybeast— Sami Yousafzai (@SamiYousafzaii) January 7, 2023

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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