Virtually Islamic News – Page 57 – Researching Islam, Muslims and the Internet

Sun 9 Ramadan 1446AH 9-3-2025AD
'Islamophobia', Anti-Muslim Hate, Anti-Muslim Prejudice, British Muslims

Tell Mama

Tell Mama has been an important service for many years, with a significant online presence: Exclusive: The government is cutting all funding from the Islamophobia reporting service Tell Mama,...

Sun 9 Ramadan 1446AH 9-3-2025AD
Human Rights, Iran, Iran internet, Iranian internet

Iran – Recipes for Survival

Rachel Cooke, Observer, Crumble, cookies and madeleines – recipes of hope for Iran’s jailed women “Sepideh Gholian’s diary of prison life came out four years ago. Next month, she...

Sat 8 Ramadan 1446AH 8-3-2025AD
Afghanistan, Afghanistan Internet, Artificial Intelligence, Gender, Taliban

AI Afghanistan

“Women in Afghanistan have been forced to turn to artificial intelligence for friendship after the Taliban government restricted their rights across the country.”...

Sat 8 Ramadan 1446AH 8-3-2025AD
‘Islamic State', Podcasts, Syria

Inside the Islamic State prisons

Guardian, Inside the Islamic State prisons the world forgot – podcast, 7 Mar 2025 “Michael Safi travelled to north-east Syria to speak to IS foreign fighters imprisoned there. And discovered...

Fri 7 Ramadan 1446AH 7-3-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, ChatGPT

ChatGPT Numbers

ChatGPT just gained 200 million users in the last two months. "By November 2023, ChatGPT had reached another milestone of 100 million weekly active users, which grew to 300...

Wed 5 Ramadan 1446AH 5-3-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, Elon Musk, Relationships, Sexuality, X

Chatbot’s potential impact

Grok 3 (+) under discussion in Metro: Jen Mills, Metro, Elon Musk’s chatbot which has phone sex with users ‘will hit global birth rates’, 4 Mar 2025 “An AI...

Wed 5 Ramadan 1446AH 5-3-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Google, Radicalisation

‘AI Deepfake Terrorism‘

Bryon Kaye, Reuters, Google reports scale of complaints about AI deepfake terrorism content to Australian regulator, 5 Mar 2025 “In its report, Google said it received 258 user reports...

Wed 5 Ramadan 1446AH 5-3-2025AD
Journalism, Syria

Syria report

An excellent and powerful report from Paraic O’Brien in #Syria on @channel4news.bsky.social this evening youtu.be/-9arRFAa5wk?…...

Tue 4 Ramadan 1446AH 4-3-2025AD
Gary R. Bunt, Research

Islamic Algorithms

Please excuse the commercial break: Here’s a word cloud for my book Islamic Algorithms (details in the sidebar).

Tue 4 Ramadan 1446AH 4-3-2025AD
Ramadan

‘Muawiyah‘ TV Series

Middle East Eye, Muawiya: The Ramadan series about an early Islamic ruler that’s causing a stir, 3 Mar 2025 “A TV show centred on the life of an early...

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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