Cyber Muslims: Mapping Islamic Digital Media in the Internet Age

Description

Through an array of detailed case studies, this book explores the vibrant digital expressions of diverse groups of Muslim cybernauts: religious clerics and Sufis, feminists and fashionistas, artists and activists, hajj pilgrims and social media influencers. These stories span a vast cultural and geographic landscape-from Indonesia, Iran, and the Arab Middle East to North America. These granular case studies contextualize cyber Islam within broader social trends: racism and Islamophobia, gender dynamics, celebrity culture, identity politics, and the shifting terrain of contemporary religious piety and practice. The book's authors examine an expansive range of digital multimedia technologies as primary "texts." These include websites, podcasts, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube channels, online magazines and discussion forums, and religious apps. The contributors also draw on a range of methodological and theoretical models from multiple academic disciplines, including communication and media studies, anthropology, history, global studies, religious studies, and Islamic studies.

Robert Rozehnal is Professor of Religion Studies and the Founding Director of the Center for Global Islamic Studies at Lehigh University, USA. His books include Cyber Sufis: Virtual Expressions of the American Muslim Experience (2019) and Piety, Politics and Everyday Ethics in Southeast Asian Islam: Beautiful Behavior (Bloomsbury, 2019).

There is no doubt that this is a timely volume. Cyber Muslims offers a fantastic range of material to readers curious about the myriad ways in which the internet is shaping and being shaped by Muslims. From art and lifestyle influencers, to podcasters and spiritual guides, these essays refuse to essentialize or flatten the effects of digital platforms and the affective communities that produce and engage them. The result is a terrific read that opens up both new understandings of contemporary Muslim life and new directions for future exploration. * Anna Bigelow, Director, Stanford Center for South Asia, Stanford University, USA * The catastrophic quarantine associated with Covid-19 has forced all religious communities, including Muslims, to move online. Cyber Muslims brings together many scholars who have been working on digital Islam prior to Covid. This brilliant collection, masterfully edited by Robert Rozehnal, is enthusiastically recommended for all." * Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies, Duke University, USA *