Religious Authority – Page 3 – Virtually Islamic News

Fri 7 Rajab 1445AH 19-1-2024AD
Books, Religious Authority

Reading List: Making Islam Work

I’ll be catching up with this book soon: it looks really interesting, and it is Open Access. Thijl Sunier, (2023). Making Islam Work. Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004684928

Tue 4 Rajab 1445AH 16-1-2024AD
Artificial Intelligence, Fatwas, Religious Authority

AI in Islam

Изкуственият интелект на Аллах (продължение) Here’s the second part of an interesting article by Atanas Shinikov on aspects of artificial intelligence in Islam, which also summarises some key points...

Mon 8 Rabi Al Thani 1445AH 23-10-2023AD
Fatwas, Religious Authority, UAE, UAE Digital

AI and Fatwas

Khaleej TImes, UAE minister proposes fatwa on how AI, robots should be used to serve people, 23 Oct 2023 “In a world that is changing by the minute, there...

Wed 12 Rabi Al Awwal 1445AH 27-9-2023AD
Artificial Intelligence, Fatwas, Iran, Iran internet, Iranian internet, Religious Authority

Robot Fatwas

Vishwam Sankaran, Independent, Iranian officials mulling over use of AI to issue fatwas, 27 Sep 2023. Based on FT.com, ‘Robots can help issue a fatwa’: Iran’s clerics look to...

Mon 26 Safar 1445AH 11-9-2023AD
'healing', Gender, Health, Journalism, Morocco, Qur'an, Sudan internet

‘Spiritual Healing’ Investigation

This was first broadcast over a month ago, but I have only caught up with it on its broadcast repeat. It’s a must-see programme. Hanan Razek, BBC News, Investigating...

Thu 1 Safar 1445AH 17-8-2023AD
Academia, Canada, Religious Authority, Research

Research: Muslims in Canada

New and noted: Selby, J.A., Sayeed, R. Religious authorities in the digital age: the case of Muslims in Canada. Contemporary Islam (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-023-00536-7 Some very interesting research findings. I’m...

Mon 20 Muharram 1445AH 7-8-2023AD
Animal Welfare,, Egypt Internet, Egypt,, Religious Authority

Egypt and Animal Welfare

Alice Bennett, Grunge, The Real Reason there are so many Stray Dogs in Egypt, 6 Aug 2023 There is a positive social media edge to this story. “Egypt’s highest...

Thu 2 Muharram 1445AH 20-7-2023AD
Religious Authority, Technology

Cloned Voices

There are going to be some interesting religious decisions that will have to be made once this launches:

Wed 1 Muharram 1445AH 19-7-2023AD
Iran, Iran internet, Iran Protests 2023, Iranian internet, Iranian Social Media, Religious Authority

‘Iran’s Hijab-Industrial Complex’

Analysis/opinion. There are some social media elements to this discussion too: Kourosh Ziabari, New Lines Magazine, Iran’s Hijab-Industrial Complex, 19 July 2023 “Iran Open Data, a data transparency and...

Mon 22 Dhul Hijjah 1444AH 10-7-2023AD
Digital Qur'an, Religious Authority

Reading the digital Qur’an

About Islam, Does Reading Quran on Phone Count?, 6 June 2023 “Reciting the Noble Quran is greatly rewarded by Allah Almighty. This reward applies whether a Muslim recites the Quran from a written copy (Mushaf)...

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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