Virtually Islamic News – Page 168 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Tue 24 Safar 1444AH 20-9-2022AD
Nigeria internet, West Africa

West Africa ISWAP

Sahara Reporters, Report Reveals How Boko Haram, ISWAP Use Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram To Recruit, Spread Propaganda In Nigeria “Institute for Security Studies has called on governments across the African...

Mon 16 Safar 1444AH 12-9-2022AD
Academia, Gary R. Bunt, Research

Digital Islam across Europe

Edinburgh University, Experts assess digital impact on Muslim lives Here’s a press release from Edinburgh University on the CHANSE-funded Digital Islam across Europe project. I’m a Co-Investigator on this...

Mon 16 Safar 1444AH 12-9-2022AD
Gaza, Hacking, Israel, Palestine

GhostSec

Ravie Lakshmanan, The Hacker News, Hacktivist Group GhostSec Compromises 55 Berghof PLCs Across Israel,12 Sep 2022 “A hacktivist collective called GhostSec has claimed credit for compromising as many as...

Fri 13 Safar 1444AH 9-9-2022AD
Afghanistan Internet, Taliban, TikTok

TikTok Taliban Ban

Akhtar Makoii, Mail Online, Taliban say they want to ban TikTok ‘because it promotes violence’… despite their own fighters using the app to share videos of their executions “The...

Thu 12 Safar 1444AH 8-9-2022AD
Iraq Internet

Cleric ‘kiss’ controversy

Iraqi #Shiite cleric Ali al-Sharifi received death threats after a video showing him being kissed by a woman went viral. He went to see Muqtada al-Sadr and pledged not...

Thu 12 Safar 1444AH 8-9-2022AD
Mecca, Pakistan Internet

Umrah Vlog Issues

Rija Sohaib, propakistani.pk, Internet Criticizes YouTuber Maaz Safder For Vlogging, Cracking Jokes During Umrah, 7 Sep 2022 “As soon as the pictures and videos from his trip went viral...

Thu 12 Safar 1444AH 8-9-2022AD
Research

Scholar from a Garrison Society

Congratulations to my student Shahajada Musa on his M.Res. Islamic Studies award. His thesis is entitled ‘The Emergence of a Scholar from a Garrison Society: A contextual analysis of...

Mon 9 Safar 1444AH 5-9-2022AD
Artificial Intelligence, Gender, Iran, Iran Protests 2022, Iranian internet

Iran Tech Surveillance

Benjamin Lynch, The Mirror, Iran to use facial recognition technology to enforce grim new laws on women, 5 Sep 2022 “Iran is introducing an oppressive tightening of its strict...

Mon 9 Safar 1444AH 5-9-2022AD
'Islamophobia', India internet, Meta

‘Islamophobia’ in India

The New Arab, How Facebook is implicated in India’s Islamophobia epidemic “Facebook and other social media platforms have long been an incubator for intolerance. But with India’s Islamophobia crisis...

Mon 9 Safar 1444AH 5-9-2022AD
Memes

Muslim Memes

Mariya bint Rehan, The New Arab, The Muslim meme: An unadulterated appreciation for life, 5 Sep 2022 (opinion/analysis) “From Sheep-related jokes for Eid, to surreal floral daily Islamic greetings,...

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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