ajiss 26-4-final-obay.qxp iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam Gary R. Bunt Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. 358 pages. In his new book iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam, Gary Bunt builds upon the research represented in his two previous books: Virtually Islamic (Oxford University Press: 2000) and Islam in the Digital Age (Pluto Press: 2003). Bunt’s latest book, however, provides a more comprehensive, elabo- 118 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 26:4 ajiss 26-4-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:15 PM Page 118 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com rate, and up-to-date analysis of the nature and various approaches of the diverse Muslim voices that are projected online and included in what he described in previous work as a “cyber-Islamic environment.” In this six-chapter book, Bunt succinctly explains the consequences of the interaction between what he characterizes as two of the most powerful and widely dominant forces in the twenty-first century: Islam and the Internet. He argues – and correctly so – that there are many “Net-literate generations” of Muslims who are highly connected to and engaged with the Internet. This engagement takes different forms, such as participating in chat rooms, blogging, receiving religious edicts (fatwas) online, and download- ing religious sermons and lectures through various Islamic websites. A Muslim who is involved in some or all of these online activities is, in his words, an iMuslim. This term, however, should have been defined in the introduction, especially since it is part of the book’s title, instead of in the conclusion. Bunt’s book takes the reader on a gradual, sequential, and smooth ride of the complicated world of online Islam with all of its nuances and intricacies. In chapter 1, he sheds some light on the Internet’s transformative impact on Muslims; provides examples of how the Web has changed, or at least affected, their lives, such as making available a platform where they can con- vene and share their agonies during times of crises; presents Islamic informa- tion and knowledge beyond what they receive at their mosques; and exposes them to translations and interpretations of the Qur’an. All of these serv- ices are part of what the author refers to as “Web 2.0,” a term that reflects the Internet’s role in providing “user-generated content, and enhanced and evolved information-retrieval systems” (p. 41). These services provided by the Internet, however, do not come without some difficulties and challenges. In chapter 2, Bunt discusses one such challenge: Internet access (or lack thereof) by the average Muslim. He refers to the “digital divide” seen in the Muslim world today between the technology haves and have-nots. This chapter includes some significant and telling statistics related to this divide. According to Bunt, no Muslim- majority country seems to be pioneering in Internet access or penetration in today’s world. The chapter also includes a very interesting table compiled by Bunt showing the Muslim-majority countries’ ranking with regard to the Digital Opportunity Index (DOI) and provides some suggestions on how to reduce the digital divide, such as selling computer hardware and software at cheaper prices and Arabizing the software to make it more user- friendly in Arab countries. Book Reviews 119 ajiss 26-4-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:15 PM Page 119 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com Unlike Bunt’s two other books, which noticeably focused on extremist and jihadi or militaristic Islamic sites at the expense of mainstream or mod- erate sites, this book provides a more balanced perspective by shedding light on both mainstream and jihadi sites. In fact, the whole of chapter 3 deals with how mainstream Islamic sites serve as extensions of “real- world” Islam by providing basic information (e.g., prayer direction and times) or more complex services (e.g., online zakat payments). In this chapter, Bunt poses an interesting and essential question: Can humanity’s relationship with God take on a digital interface? He does not try to impose his answer, but leaves it to the reader to decide after discussing the various services available through mainstream Islamic websites. The chapter also includes examples of particularly prominent Islamic sites, such as IslamiCity.com, Islamonline.net, and Al-Islam.com, along with visuals showing their homepages, which makes the readers live the experi- ence of actually visiting these sites. Despite his lively and well-picked exam- ples, however, Bunt does not offer any in-depth description of one or more of these sites through a scientific content or textual analysis – something that could have provided the reader with a better idea of what these sites have to offer. One element that was missing in Bunt’s two previous books, but is addressed in this one, is the impact of such social-networking sites as MySpace and Facebook on the younger generations of Muslims. To add a lively aspect to his discussion of these sites, the author provided exam- ples of several MySpace pages belonging to young Muslim men and women. One main form of social networking is blogging, which is dwelt upon at length in the fourth chapter. This chapter starts off with a gener- al definition of what blogging is and how it developed, and then moves on to dealing with it in an Islamic context by means of examples of blog- gers from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Egypt, and other Islamic countries. Chapters 5 and 6 shed light on the militaristic or jihadi Islamic sites. As the term jihad is often simplified by many western media outlets, Bunt uses chapter 5 to explain its Islamic context: the “spiritual striving to attain goals, focused on the paradigm of the Prophet Muhammad, which draws on the divine source of the Qur’an” (p. 183). Terms coined by Bunt, such as e-jihad, multi-media jihad, and digital jihad are discussed at length in the last two chapters, with several examples taken particularly from Iraq and Palestine. Overall, 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 120 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 26:4 ajiss 26-4-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:15 PM Page 120 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com studies, digital media, and international communication. It can also be a use- ful guide for those interested in learning more about the fascinating world of online Islam. Mohammed el-Nawawy Knight-Crane Endowed Chair, School of Communication Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina Book Reviews 121 ajiss 26-4-final-obay.qxp 6/9/2010 4:15 PM Page 121 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com http://www.pdffactory.com