Pakistan – Virtually Islamic News

Wed 6 Rabi Al Awwal 1448AH 19-8-2026AD
Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, TikTok

Pakistan TikTok Murder

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar , Independent, Pakistani TikToker Shamso Bibi shot dead amid rising violence against women social media stars, 18 Aug 2026. “A 28-year-old Pakistani TikToker with more than 1.3 million...

Wed 9 Shaban 1447AH 28-1-2026AD
Human Rights, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Pakistan Human Rights Issues

#Pakistan cyber elements to this widely-reported human rights case...

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...

Sun 29 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 21-9-2025AD
Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, TikTok

Sana Yousaf Case

Wesley Dockery with AP and Pakistani media, DW, Sana Yousaf killing: Man charged over TikToker’s death, 20 Sep 2025 “Islamabad Additional and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka formally indicted 22-year-old...

Wed 11 Rabi Al Awwal 1447AH 3-9-2025AD
Research

Reading List

Here are some recent publications on Islam and the internet which have caught my attention (detaills via Google Scholar). I’ve noted a great deal of new research, which I...

Mon 3 Safar 1447AH 28-7-2025AD
Balouchistan, Gender, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Pakistan “Honour Killing” Video (updated)

update on the Baluchistan “honour killing” – which has an online dimension … [image or embed] — Gary R. Bunt (@garyrbunt.bsky.social) 28 July 2025 at 14:22 Widely reported: Deutsche...

Tue 27 Muharram 1447AH 22-7-2025AD
Artificial Intelligence, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Pakistan AI ‘slop‘

Mavra Bari, DW, Pakistan lags in AI readiness, but surges in ‘slop’ content, 21 Jul 2025 “Despite trailing in global AI readiness rankings, Pakistan is seeing a boom in...

Thu 16 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 12-6-2025AD
Gender, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, Pakistan Internet,, TikTok

TikTok Pakistan

Juliette Mansour, AFP/France 24, ‘This is a culture’: TikTok murder highlights Pakistan’s unease with women online, 15 Jun 2025. “TikTok is wildly popular in Pakistan, in part because of...

Sat 11 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 7-6-2025AD
Crime, Gender, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet, TikTok

Pakistan Influencer Murder

Abubakar Siddique, RFE/RL, Teenage TikTok Star’s Killing Sparks Outrage Over Violence Against Women In Pakistan, 6 June 20205 “For many women in Pakistan, the latest killing of a social...

Wed 23 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 21-5-2025AD
Censorship, Journalism, Pakistan, Pakistan Internet

Pakistan ‘Cybercrime‘

Haroon Janjua, DW, Is Pakistan’s cybercrime law silencing dissent?, 21 May 2025 “Journalists are alarmed about the potentially wide reach of the law, which allows authorities to imprison social media users...

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:

AI ‘Fake Journalism‘ Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

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

Virtually Islamic on Substack Fri 28 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 9-10-2026AD

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

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

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.

Rabi Al Awwal 1448
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
« Saf				Rb2 »
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29