Virtually Islamic News – Page 38 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Sun 20 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 12-10-2025AD
Alaa Abdel-Fattah

Alla Abdel-Fattah Interview

I'm learning how to get back into life, freed British-Egyptian activist says www.bbc.com/news/article…...

Sun 20 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 12-10-2025AD
Gaza

Gaza Drones‘ View

Drones capture staggering images of Gaza devastation – as people find nothing left...

Fri 18 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 10-10-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Internet, ChatGPT, India internet, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malaysia Internet, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Budget ChatGPT

Ernestine Sin, CNBC, OpenAI expands budget-friendly ChatGPT Go to 16 more countries in Asia, 9 October 2025. “The rollout brings OpenAI’s cheapest plan to users across a total of...

Thu 17 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 9-10-2025AD
‘influencers'

‘Finfluencers‘ face trial

Some interesting details re UAE regulations on ‘finfluencers‘, although this case does not relate to UAE: The National, UK ‘finfluencers’ to face trial after global crackdown, 8 Oct 2025...

Tue 15 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 7-10-2025AD
‘Islamic State', Radicalisation

Net Influences on Synagogue Attacker

More details on the social media influences on synagogue attacker …...

Tue 15 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 7-10-2025AD
Gender, Radicalisation

Gender and Violent Extremism

Recommended: interesting research from @crexuio.bsky.social...

Mon 14 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 6-10-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Disinformation, Sudan, Sudan internet, UAE, UAE Digital

Currently reading: Marc Owen Jones, Dysinfluence, Substack, Nobody Talks Like This: Meet 50 AI-Powered Propaganda Accounts in Sudan’s Social Media War, 6 Oct 2025. “How 50 AI-generated accounts are...

Mon 14 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 6-10-2025AD
‘influencers', Artificial Intelligence, Disinformation, Germany, Influencers, Israel

‘PR Strategies‘ and Gaza

Sherouk Zakaria and Zaira Lakhpatwala, Arab News, How PR firms are whitewashing genocide in Gaza to rebrand Israel’s global image, 4 Oct 2025. “The strategy aims to flood the...

Mon 14 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 6-10-2025AD
Research

European Commission Presentation

I presented with team colleagues Prof. Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor (UK team), Dorota Wójciak (Poland team), Dr. Berta Güell (Spain team) and Prof. Egdūnas Račius (Lithuania team) on the Digital Islam...

Sat 12 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 4-10-2025AD
Research

Manchester Synagogue Attack

...

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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