Palestine – Virtually Islamic News

Sun 2 Rabi Al Thani 1448AH 13-9-2026AD
Archives, Gaza, Maps, Palestine, Research

Mapping Palestine

This is an interesting thread on the mapping of historical Palestine and ‘missing’ villages and population zones, based around content in the Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestine Question:

Tue 21 Safar 1448AH 4-8-2026AD
Gaza, Palestine

Gaza’s “Digital Lifeline”

BBC Radio 4, Crossing Continents, 4 Aug 2026 “Stable electricity and internet are difficult to come by. And yet co-working hubs have begun to pop up, giving well educated...

Tue 22 Muharram 1448AH 7-7-2026AD
Archives, Digital Archives, Gaza, Museums, Palestine, Research

Palestinian Digital Archive

Tamara Davison, Wired, How Palestinians Are Building a Digital Archive That Can’t Be Erased, 6 July 2026 Here’s an excellent article from Tamara Davison in Wired on the significance...

Mon 14 Muharram 1448AH 29-6-2026AD
Apps, Palestine

UpScrolled Profiled

“”I looked at the social media landscape, and I was seeing people’s voices being suppressed, silenced, and people getting deactivated from these platforms, only for speaking out about Palestine,...

Wed 26 Dhul Qidah 1447AH 13-5-2026AD
Gaza, Germany, Palestine

Watermelon Ban

This, from Germany … Germany’s intelligence agency BfV also classified the slogan “from the river to the sea” as extremist...

Wed 26 Dhul Qidah 1447AH 13-5-2026AD
e-commerce, Gaza, Palestine, Research

Gaza e-wallets

In #Gaza, e-wallets become essential … "As cash shortages intensified, e-wallet applications rapidly spread through markets, grocery stores, transportation networks, and displacement camps."...

Wed 6 Shawwal 1447AH 25-3-2026AD
Palestine

Amazon Ads Issues

Allegations: “In practice, this means that books dealing with what it believes are contentious contemporary issues — including Palestine and Gaza — are often barred from the very promotional...

Sat 3 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 25-10-2025AD
Palestine, robotics

Palestine Robotics

Ben Dowsett, Wired, Meet the Palestinian Teens Trying to Win Robotics Gold, 24 Oct 2025 “Next week, five teens from Palestine will head to Panama to compete in one...

Wed 8 Dhul Hijjah 1446AH 4-6-2025AD
Research

Podcast on Gaza

Probably not the greatest programme, as the presenter (the usually excellent Anna Foster) had problems controlling the speakers talking despite their being requested not to. This may have been...

Thu 24 Dhul Qidah 1446AH 22-5-2025AD
Gaza, Microsoft, Palestine

Tom Warren, The Verge, Microsoft blocks emails that contain ‘Palestine’ after employee protests, 21 May 2025 “Microsoft employees have discovered that any emails they send with the terms “Palestine”...

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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