Virtually Islamic News – Page 3 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Tue 9 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 20-10-2026AD
Iran, Iran internet, Iranian internet, Iranian Social Media, prosecutions

Iran prosecutions

LBC News, Iranian twins, 21, torn apart as one faces execution and other gets 25 years in prison, 20 Oct 2026. “The Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre for Human Rights...

Thu 4 Jumada Al Oula 1448AH 15-10-2026AD
Iran, Iran internet, Iranian internet

Iran ‘blasphemy’ Social Media sentence

LBC, Iranian woman, 23, sentenced to death for ‘insulting the prophet’ in ‘blasphemous’ social media post, 15 Oct 2026 “A criminal court sentenced her to death on charges of...

Sun 30 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 11-10-2026AD
Gender, manosphere

Muslim ‘Manosphere’ Online

Maysaa Ajjan, Wired, Inside the Muslim Manosphere Policing Women Online, 11 Oct 2026. “From Red Pill coaches to “Dawah Bros,” influencers are dressing up hypermasculinity and misogyny in religious...

Sun 30 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 11-10-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Deep Fakes, Religious Authority, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, Sermons

Sheikh Sudais on Fake AI

Sheikh Sudais calls out fake AI: The Islamic Information, Sheikh Sudais Calls Fake AI Videos and Voice Cloning Haram, 10 Oct 2026. Having been a victim of this himself,...

Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Journalism

AI ‘Fake Journalism‘

Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD
Starlink

Starlink Test Implications

Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD
Gary R. Bunt, Research

Virtually Islamic on Substack

I’m now also operating on Substack. Details on my first post here:

Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Iran, Iran internet, Iranian internet, Research

Iran AI

Thu 27 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 8-10-2026AD
Gambling, Indonesia, Indonesia Internet

Indonesia Online Gambling

Wed 26 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 7-10-2026AD
Facebook, KSA, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

KSA Facebook

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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