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

Bunt, Gary R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807859664 ISBN 13: 9780807859667

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2009

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

A virtual gold mine of documentation on the evolution and influence of e-jihad. . . . Superb study of Islam online.--Contemporary Islam

iMuslims is a great and much needed contribution to our understanding of the religion-technology interactions in diverse Muslim contexts. Its grand scope and empirical richness make it an indispensible source for any researcher dealing with the Internet, information and communication technology, and contemporary Islam.--Cyber Orient

For young super-surfers, as well as for practitioners in a growing field, [iMuslims] will be a valuable addition to the literature.--Journal of Islamic Studies

[A] helpful survey of blogs and militaristic sites in the Middle East and beyond.--Choice

Fascinating. . . . An excellent guide to the emergence of 'specific forms of online Islam'. . . . What is really new, as Bunt shows so powerfully, is the contribution of concerned and thinking Muslims, with no background in traditional education. This opening of Islamic knowledge to ordinary believers is a good development. . . . It will play a major part in rescuing Muslim societies from the current impasse.--The Independent U.K.

A near-encyclopedia of Islam online.--Publishers Weekly

The best overview of the Muslim Internet to date. It is up-to-date, comprehensive, and should be compulsory reading for students and scholars of Islam, media, and politics in the Middle East.--H-Net Reviews

Bunt's perceptive study concludes that the Islamic 'brotherhood' is evolving into parallel brotherhoods. The net is a marketplace . . . in which there are many traders. And none has the monopoly on God's message to humankind.--Times Literary Supplement

A fascinating study. . . . It should make atheists and Christians rethink caricatures about Islam as a timeless monolith intent on world conquest, a stereotype that habitually resurfaces. It deserves to be read by many Muslims for the same reason.--Culture Wars

Written in accessible language and will appeal to the specialist and nonspecialist alike. Bunt's work fills a niche market that has received less academic attention than it deserves.--International Journal of Middle East Studies

About the Author:

Gary R. Bunt is senior lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Wales. He is author of Virtually Islamic and Islam in the Digital Age.

About this edition

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0807859664
• ISBN 13: 9780807859667
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 376