Virtually Islamic News – Page 165 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Wed 13 Jumada Al Oula 1444AH 7-12-2022AD
Arabic, Podcasts

ArabPod

Zaira Lakhpatwala, Arab News, Podcasts: The future of media in the Arab world? ” There are estimated to be more than 10 million podcast listeners in the Middle East...

Fri 8 Jumada Al Oula 1444AH 2-12-2022AD
Indonesia Internet, TikTok

Risyiana Muthia, Al Jazeera, Indonesia’s TikTok sellers do roaring trade in hijab, handbags “Most of Cicalengka’s production caters to brick-and-mortar wholesale markets across the Southeast Asian country but Pambudi...

Thu 7 Jumada Al Oula 1444AH 1-12-2022AD
M, Music, Palestine

Palestine Tapes

BBC World Service, The Palestinian tapes, part 1 “Mo’min Swaitat unearthed a vast trove of forgotten Palestinian music. Not only did it hold long-lost recordings of his own Bedouin...

Tue 5 Jumada Al Oula 1444AH 29-11-2022AD
Fatwas

Football Fatwa

Thaer Mansour, The New Arab, World Cup 2022: Egyptian Salafi leader’s football ‘fatwa’ stirs controversy “Head of the ultraconservative Nour party congress and former party president, Younis Makhyoun, criticised...

Mon 4 Jumada Al Oula 1444AH 28-11-2022AD
Egypt Internet, Fatwas, Games, Gaming

Gaming Fatwas

Arab News, Egypt turns to religious edicts to protect children from harmful video games . “A recent report by the Global Fatwa Index showed that 33 percent of the...

Thu 30 Rabi Al Thani 1444AH 24-11-2022AD
Human Rights, Yemen Internet

Yemen Child Brides

Social media element to this: The National, The Yemeni child bride activist leading the fight against the scourge of early marriage “Social media saved my life. After that, I...

Thu 30 Rabi Al Thani 1444AH 24-11-2022AD
Malaysia, Politics

Anwar Ibrahim

The National, Reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as Malaysian PM “Malaysia’s King has named reformist leader Anwar Ibrahim as the country’s next prime minister after last week’s elections...

Mon 27 Rabi Al Thani 1444AH 21-11-2022AD
Iran Protests 2022

Iran Protests 2022

Iranian fans raised the “Woman, Life, Freedom” banner during the #IranvsEngland game. The game was overwhelmingly under the shadow of the protests & the killings in Iran. Many want...

Thu 23 Rabi Al Thani 1444AH 17-11-2022AD
Research

KSA Black Hat

Mohammed Helal, Asharq Al-Awsat, Black Hat Brings Together Cybersecurity Experts in Riyadh “Black Hat contributes to accomplishing the kingdom’s goal to empower its citizens, enhance their skills in the...

Wed 22 Rabi Al Thani 1444AH 16-11-2022AD
Religious Authority

‘Dirty Da’wah

Zeba Khan, Muslim Matters, “Dirty Da’wah – Insult In The Name Of Islam” (Part 1) “The internet can be a nasty place, especially for Muslims. Insults, misrepresentations, attacks against...

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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