From Publishers Weekly
University of Wales lecturer Bunt is an authority on Islam on the Internet, having exhaustively researched the presence and practice of the faith on the Internet for two other books besides this one, the latest in the UNC Press's Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks series. Bunt states from the outset that a practice of Islam, distinct from Islam lived in real life, has already emerged online, with Muslims sometimes identifying more with a Web site than a particular mosque or formal sect. Those who espouse their Muslim values online, the iMuslims of the title, are not just jihadis sharing bomb-making instructions but also hajjis (pilgrims) and other bloggers. Blogs allow these iMuslims to delve deeply into theological and societal issues not otherwise addressed. Bunt further theorizes that Muslims have an open-source educational legacy. This open-source nature of Islamic theology inclines Muslims, possible more than other faith adherents, towards an online rewiring of their faith. Though stopping short of analyzing the theological implications of such developments as Muslim dating Web sites, iMuslims is a near-encyclopedia of Islam online. (May 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"The hundreds of examples included in iMuslims will undoubtedly be most useful to those unfamiliar with the virtual landscape of ever expanding CIEs."
-MESA
"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
"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
"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
"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 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
"A near-encyclopedia of Islam online."
-Publishers Weekly
"Groundbreaking. . . . Provides a refreshing report on the world's contemporary Muslim community, and raises stimulating questions that will contribute to the ongoing discussion on the adaptability of religion in the computer age."
-MEI Bulletin
-MESA
"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
"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
"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
"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 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
"A near-encyclopedia of Islam online."
-Publishers Weekly
"Groundbreaking. . . . Provides a refreshing report on the world's contemporary Muslim community, and raises stimulating questions that will contribute to the ongoing discussion on the adaptability of religion in the computer age."
-MEI Bulletin
