I-Muslims: Rewiring the House of Islam - Hardcover

'iMuslims, especially combined with Bunt's previous books, is a detailed, rich, and informative encyclopedia of Islam online. It is based on descriptive analysis and relies on a thorough examination of the contents and formats of online Islam. His study is laudable for breaking ground in an area that is inherently difficult to research due to its scope, complexity, vagueness, and expansiveness.'--Sociology of Religion 'iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam is an interesting, easy to-digest book that is a must-read for basic and advanced courses in religious studies, digital media, and international communication. It can also be a useful guide for those interested in learning more about the fascinating world of online Islam.' The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 'Gary Bunt, leading expert on Islam, provides a fascinating picture of the Internet as a vehicle for transformation of mainstream Islam as well as a propaganda and recruitment tool for militants.' John L. Esposito, Georgetown University, coauthor of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think

The internet has profoundly shaped how Muslims perceive Islam, and how Islamic societies and networks are evolving and shifting within the twenty-first century. While these electronic interfaces appear new and innovative in terms of how the media is applied, much of their content has a basis in classical Islamic concepts, with an historical resonance that can be traced back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. "I-Muslims" explores how these transformations and influences play out in diverse cyber Islamic environments, and how they are responding to shifts in technology and society. This book discusses how, in some contexts, the application of the internet has had an overarching transformational effect on how Muslims practice Islam, how forms of Islam are represented to the wider world, and how Muslim societies perceive themselves and their peers.On one level, this may be in terms of practical performance of Islamic duties and rituals, or on the interpretation and understanding of the Qur'an. On another level, cyber Islamic environments have exposed Muslims to radical and new influences outside of traditional spheres of knowledge and authority, causing long-standing paradigmatic shifts at a grassroots level within societies. "I-Muslims" looks at how these changes are taking place, including through social networking sites and the blogosphere. This book also explores how the internet has dramatically influenced jihad-oriented campaigns by networks such as al-Qaeda, and has made a significant difference to how forms of Islamic activism and radicalization have been engendered. This book concludes by determining the way forward for the articulation of diverse understandings of Islam online, and how Muslim networks will be further shaped through their relationships with the internet.