Religion, Media, and Materiality: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Religious Authority

This looks like an interesting programme. CERES, Religion, Media, and Materiality: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Religious Authority, 17-19 Jan 2018 "Religious practice necessarily involves the use of media to bridge the gap between immanence and transcendence. Scholarship has been increasingly interested in the relationship between religion and media and how material and immaterial objects become entangled in religious belief-systems and practices. In this respect, the issue of authority emerges as paramount."

Singapore + Net

Today, Giving platform to radical foreign preachers not in Singapore’s national interest: Shanmugam", 8 Jan 2018 Responding to Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad’s question on the effectiveness of banning such preachers given that their teachings could be accessed through the Internet, Mr Shanmugam acknowledged that there are “limits” to which the Government can prevent access."

"That’s not a Hadith. That’s Tupac."

Rayana Khalaf, Stepfeed, This Muslim sheikh's tweets about frequent questions will crack you up - "That’s not a Hadith. That’s Tupac." "While Muslim clerics and preachers are often thought of as characteristically serious and stern, this Florida-based lecturer is all about humor, especially on social media."

New Saudi policy will ensure clerics fall in line

Hassan Hassan, The National, New Saudi policy will ensure clerics fall in line, 13 Sep 2017 "The clerics – who include Salman Al Odah, Awad Al Qarni and Ali Al Omari, as well as other unconfirmed individuals – are associated with a religious current that dates back to the 1970s, when a broad process of hybridisation between revolutionary Islamist ideas and Salafi teachings led to the birth of a new breed of clerics who portray themselves as reformists. Although products of the trend varied, they tended to be revolutionary. Many of the figures influenced by the trend went on to become jihadis or to directly influence jihadis, while others continued to adhere to peaceful activism."

De los imames a los nuevos predicadores: liderazgos en la interpretacion del Islam en Europa

Lina Klemkaite, CIDOB, De los imames a los nuevos predicadores: liderazgos en la interpretacion del Islam en Europa "The aim of this article is to analyse the locus of Muslim religious authority in Europe. It has shifted, leading to an increased number of Muslim voices demanding space for critical and intellectual participation and a degree of rivalry for religious and social authority. Those competing for religious au- thority have primarily been men, but women – contrary to prevailing opinion – have not been wholly excluded. We may thus af rm that women also participate in this compe- tition for authority, although only to a cer- tain degree. Ultimately, there are ever more Muslim social, political and religious lead- ers advocating a range of causes with the aim of satisfying the sophisticated demands of the individualised Muslim community."

New & Noted: Political Islam and Global Media

This looks interesting, although I haven't seen a copy yet:

Political Islam and Global Media: The boundaries of religious identity, Edited by Noha Mellor, Khalil Rinnawi (Routledge)

Table of contents is as follows:

Introduction – Noha Mellor Part I: The Rise of Political Islam 1 Legitimate Singularities – Ratiba Hadj-Moussa  & Samar Ben Romdhane 2 Social Media as the New identity Battleground – Noureddine Miladi 3 Online Aesthetics of Martyrdome – Magdalena Karolak 4 ISIS and Saudi Arabia – Andrew Hammond 4 Friday Khutba Without Borders – Ehab Galal Part II: Religious Activism 5 The Online Response to the Quran Burning Incidents – Ahmed Rawi 6 Working Around the State – Deborah L. Wheeler 7 Religious Minorities in Cyberspace – Dalia Yousef & Rasha Abdulla 8 British Arab Youth – Khalil Al-Agha 9 The Revival of Muslim Identity versus Arab Identity – Khalil Rinnawi Part III: Mediated Islamic Practices 10 The new Saudi Nationalism of the New Saudi Media – Gilbert Ramsay  & Sumayah Fatani 11 What is Happening: The Dynamics of the Saudi Twitterverse – Mohammad Ibrahrine 12 The Neo-Liberal Islamic Preachers – Nermeen Alazrak & Alamira Samah Saleh 13 Fatwas Online – Roxanne D. Marcotte 14 How Islamic is Islam Online Counselling? – Mona Abdel Fadil 15 Islam in the News – Mohammed-Ali Abunajela & Noha Mellor 

Some familiar names and themes there - so I look forward to reading this in due course.

iMulla: Tatarstan citizens were offered to invite imam by one click

realnoevremya.com, iMulla: Tatarstan citizens were offered to invite imam by one click, 29 June 2016 online access for Tatarstan imams discussed here: "In general, iMulla is very simple to use. On the home page of the website there are two big buttons — 'Invite a mullah' and 'Find a mullah'. Clicking on the 'Find a mullah', we found a list of 21 profiles, where it is specified what rites and where they are ready to hold them, their work schedule, age, place of work and place of study, additional data. In the case if a user decides to invite a mullah, he or she can order a call or fill in the form on the website with information about themselves, the rite they want, place and time of the meeting. If a person does not know whom to choose, the system can do it for him. The majority of profiles belongs to the Moscow clergy, and the project is mostly focused on the Muscovites yet."

Wi-Fi Theft Fatwa

AP, Islamic authorities in Dubai are saying that wireless Internet belonging to neighbors cannot be used without their permission, 11 Apr 2016 "The edict says: "There is nothing wrong in using the line if your neighbors allow you to do so, but if they'd don't allow you, you may not use it.""

The Battle of Ideas in the Middle East

BBC World Service, The Battle of Ideas in the Middle East - Part One "Kevin Connolly travels through the Middle East to look at different ways in which the Arab states in the region are confronting the ideas of the so-called Islamic State and how well-equipped they are to fight them" Worth listening to, as it relates to several themes associated with this blog, including online issues. Also see Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Battle of ideas at heart of fight against Islamic State

Instagram imams

BBC News, Instagram imams are unlikely online hit, 1 Feb 2016 " They shoot hoops with schoolgirls, pose with Christmas trees to wish seasons greetings to Christians and even make the tea. These are not images of Iranian clerics which the world is so used to seeing.

"But an Instagram account that posts pictures of Islamic scholars in everyday situations has become a social media success in Iran and has more than 12,000 followers."

This refers to TalabeToday

Snapchat and Religion

Ismat Sarah Mangla, ibtimes.com, Finding God On Snapchat: Jews, Christians And Muslims Connect With Millennial Believers One Snap At A Time, 21 Jan 2016 "Oh come, all ye faithful, to — Snapchat? It sounds unlikely, but the messaging app once associated with sexting teenagers is increasingly becoming a place where religious communities connect. Faith leaders are using Snapchat in a variety of ways to reach millennial believers and help them become more invested in their faith."

More -- not less -- religion needed to fight extremism, imam director says

PBS, More -- not less -- religion needed to fight extremism, imam director says
 
This PBS report refers to the importance of internet training for imams (from Mali), and discusses the impact of onine religious authority.

'Women, “Celebrity” Shaykhs, and Spiritual Abuse'

Ustadha Zaynab Ansari, muslimmatters.org, Blurred Lines: Women, “Celebrity” Shaykhs, and Spiritual Abuse "I believe the celebrity Shaykh is a victim of his own success, a product of the techno-obsessed culture that dictates that every 'alim, school, and institution market its “authentic,” “classical” and “traditional” Islamic “products and services” or perish. Moreover, the celebrity Shaykh has become enthroned on a pedestal, the pedestal of unimpeachable piety and character, the pedestal of “see no wrong, do no wrong,” in which we, the adoring students, have cast this very fallible human being as larger than life." There are some interesting points regarding 'celebrity' and boundaries in this piece by Ustadha Zaynab Ansari.

Twitter sheikhs of Saudi Arabia

Twitter sheikhs of Saudi Arabia - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East:

Chatting Online II

Cleric says avoid e-chat, women’s groups see red "Progressive Muslim women's groups have slammed a Sunni cleric's advice to women against internet chats and visits to beauty parlours. They said such "regressive" words would discourage girls from keeping pace with a globalized world."

Chatting Online I

onislam.net, Internet Chats Between Males and Females " Many teens seek out boy/girlfriends online, and have actually dated. Furthermore many Muslims are using online chats to seek friends and chat, but as we all know most men and women are seeking more than just friends. They are possibly looking for a future wife or husband. What is the Islamic stance on that?" See the response in this Q&A session.

'Regeneration of Islamic Discourse from the Podium to the Internet' - book review

Ahram Online, Book review: The Regeneration of Islamic Discourse, review of Tagdeed Al-Khitab Al-IslamiMin Al-Minbar Ila Al-Internet (Regeneration of Islamic Discourse from the Podium to the Internet) by Mohamed Younis

'Kazakh Mullahs Get Web-Savvy'

Maqpal Mukankyzy and Farangis Najibullah, RFE/RL, Kazakh Mullahs Get Web-Savvy, 22 Nov 2013, "Darkhan Syzdykov, deputy imam of Qostanay's Maral Eshan mosque, supports the effort. Syzdykov, who took part in the local workshop along with 56 other religious leaders, believes that without the Internet and social media, mullahs would lose touch with their most important target audience.

""Nowadays, young people spent most of their time surfing on the Internet. Nobody wants to bother to listen to mosque sermons," Syzdykov says. "Young people prefer to get answers to their questions [about religion] without leaving their homes. That's why imams should be proactive on social networks.""

'The Fatwa Show'

John Thorne, Christian Science Monitor, 'The Fatwa Show': Moroccan journalist tells clerics to just have some fun, 10 April 2013

"'The Fatwa Show' satirizes Islamic legal opinions, and is one of the most popular features on the new Arab world news and commentary website Free Arabs."

You'll find a brief quote from myself in this article.

OnIslam Q&A

OnIslam, Wife Involved in Extra Marital Affairs on Internet Q&A from 'Ask the Scholar' in OnIslam "My wife had been involved in extra marital emotional affairs on internet while in marriage."