Religious Authority – Virtually Islamic News

Tue 19 Rabi Al Awwal 1448AH 1-9-2026AD
al-Qaeda,, Muslim Brotherhood, Research

Empire 9/11

The Empire podcast goes from strength-to-strength:

Tue 19 Rabi Al Awwal 1448AH 1-9-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, Religious Authority

AI Religious Teachers

I’ve been writing about this issue (chapter out next year)

Wed 16 Muharram 1448AH 1-7-2026AD
Conferences, Gary R. Bunt, Religious Authority, Research

I organised a lockdown conference: ‘Islamic Responses to COVID-19: Authority and Religiosity in #Muslim Communities and Digital Worlds‘. There were significant contributions from international scholars exploring aspects of digital...

Tue 8 Muharram 1448AH 23-6-2026AD
Artificial Intelligence, Religious Authority, Research

Recent Research on AI, CIEs and Religion

New(-sh), noted, and free to download: Lohlker, Rüdiger, and Soleh Hasan Wahid. 2026. “The Transformation of Islamic Religious Authority” Religions 17, no. 4: 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel17040493 “The transformation of religious authority in...

Tue 16 Dhul Hijjah 1447AH 2-6-2026AD
Malaysia, Malaysia Internet, Religious Authority

Malaysian ‘fringe movements‘

“Mohd Faizal Musa, a senior visiting fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, said religious authorities were still too dependent on scholars trained narrowly in scripture, rather than...

Thu 2 Ramadan 1447AH 19-2-2026AD
Ramadan, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

Moonsighting

I’ve been writing about Moonsighting since Virtually Islamic emerged in 2000. Every year, there is a dynamic conversation and the presentation of multiple opinions, reflecting projections of religious authority...

Mon 7 Shaban 1447AH 26-1-2026AD
Egypt Internet, Egypt,, Religious Authority, Research

The Digital Minbar

Some familiar themes ++ here in this discussion on Egyptian digital issues. I haven’t read it yet in full: Muhammad Latif Fauzi, Imam Mustofa, Ibnu Akbar Maliki, Faiz Husaini,...

Ibrahim Abusharif, Social Media, Religious Authority and the Arab Gulf Crisis

Fri 23 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 14-11-2025AD
Books, Gulf Region, Religious Authority, Research

Book alert

I’m looking forward to reading this forthcoming book. Ibrahim Abusharif studied for his PhD at UWTSD with me several years ago. Ibrahim Abusharif, Social Media, Religious Authority, and the...

Fri 2 Jumada Al Oula 1447AH 24-10-2025AD
Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia Internet

Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan

John Gambrell, AP, Saudi Arabia appoints Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as kingdom’s new grand mufti, 23 Oct 2025 “Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, 90, took over the position,...

Thu 3 Rabi Al Thani 1447AH 25-9-2025AD
KSA, Religious Authority, Saudi Arabia

Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh

Independent, Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, dies, 24 Sep 2025 “Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia ‘s grand mufti who served the kingdom’s top religious figure...

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.

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