MENA business – Virtually Islamic News

Wed 5 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 16-9-2026AD
China,, MENA

‘Digital Silk Road’

This reads more like an advertorial, but it is still interesting:

Wed 27 Shaban 1446AH 26-2-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Business, Digital MENA, MENA, Research

AI Middle East (Report)

Alvin R. Cabral, The National, Many Middle East firms struggle to know where to start with AI, 26 Feb 2025 “A report from global consultancy Deloitte has found that...

Wed 20 Shaban 1446AH 19-2-2025AD
Business, Gaza, MENA, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Cola goes Pop

I thought this was a useful reflection on the impact of MENA consumer regional boycotts on certain products. I’m not a soft drinks fan, but I would try the...

Wed 8 Rabi Al Awwal 1446AH 11-9-2024AD
Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

KSA Nvidia

There is plenty of significant detail in this report, focusing on AI in KSA.

Thu 9 Shawwal 1445AH 18-4-2024AD
Artificial Intelligence, China,, Digital MENA, MENA, Microsoft, UAE, UAE Digital

AI UAE

This is a significant story on influence and AI in UAE: Ryan Heath & Ina Fried, Axios, U.S., Microsoft elbow China’s AI in Gulf, 17 Apr 2024 “Microsoft’s new...

Fri 6 Shaban 1445AH 16-2-2024AD
Business, Digital MENA, Egypt Internet, Egypt,, MENA

Egypt’s “Digital Nomads”

Mohamed Alaa, Guardian, Egypt’s economic woes lure digital nomads – but cast others out to sea, 16 Feb 2024 “The number of digital nomads rose sharply during the pandemic, when...

Fri 7 Rajab 1445AH 19-1-2024AD
Artificial Intelligence, Digital MENA, MENA, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet, UAE, UAE Digital

KSA AI

MacKenzie Sigalos, CNBC, Saudi Arabia goes big in Davos as it looks to become a top AI tech hub for the Middle East, 19 Jan 2024 “Becoming a tech...

Sat 1 Rabi Al Awwal 1445AH 16-9-2023AD
Business, Digital MENA, Games, Gaming, MENA, Turkey, Turkey Internet

Turkey Gaming

The National, Turkey’s gaming start-ups raise more than $1bn over five years to outpace Mena region, 16 Sep 2023 “The $1.2 billion attracted by these companies during the five-year...

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:

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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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