iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks)

Exploring the increasing impact of the Internet on Muslims around the world, this book sheds new light on the nature of contemporary Islamic discourse, identity, and community. The Internet has profoundly shaped how both Muslims and non-Muslims perceive Islam and how Islamic societies and networks are evolving and shifting in the twenty-first century, says Gary Bunt. While Islamic society has deep historical patterns of global exchange, the Internet has transformed how many Muslims practice the duties and rituals of Islam. A place of religious instruction may exist solely in the virtual world, for example, or a community may gather only online. Drawing on more than a decade of online research, Bunt shows how social-networking sites, blogs, and other "cyber-Islamic environments" have exposed Muslims to new influences outside the traditional spheres of Islamic knowledge and authority. Furthermore, the Internet has dramatically influenced forms of Islamic activism and radicalization, including jihad-oriented campaigns by networks such as al-Qaeda. By surveying the broad spectrum of approaches used to present dimensions of Islamic social, spiritual, and political life on the Internet, iMuslims encourages diverse understandings of online Islam and of Islam generally. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Note on Transliteration......Page 14 Introduction. iMuslims and Cyber-Islamic Environments......Page 18 1 Locating Islam in Cyberspace......Page 24 2 Accessing Cyber-Islamic Environments......Page 72 3 Decoding the Sacred: Islamic Source Code......Page 94 4 The Islamic Blogosphere......Page 148 5 The Cutting Edge: Militaristic Jihad in Cyberspace......Page 194 6 Digital Jihadi Battlefields: Iraq and Palestine......Page 260 Conclusion. The Transformation of Cyber-Islamic Environments......Page 292 H......Page 308 M......Page 309 S......Page 310 Z......Page 311 Notes......Page 312 A......Page 366 C......Page 367 G......Page 368 I......Page 369 K......Page 370 M......Page 371 P......Page 372 S......Page 373 U......Page 374 Z......Page 375 IMuslims and cyber-Islamic environments -- Locating Islam in cyberspace -- Accessing cyber-Islamic environments -- Decoding the sacred: Islamic source code -- The Islamic blogosphere -- The cutting edge: militaristic jihad in cyberspace -- Digital jihadi battlefields: Iraq and Palestine -- Conclusion. The transformation of cyber-Islamic environments -- Glossary of key Islamic terms