Introduction: Islam, Space, and the Internet

Abstract

This special issue comes from a panel we organized at the conference of the European Association for the Study of Religion (easr) held in Bern in June 2018.1 The panel, titled "Space, Religion, and the Internet," aimed at exploring the relationship between religion and new media by considering the spatial turn in Religious Studies. We launched an open call for the panel and, while it was not restricted to a specific religion, it mostly attracted papers on Islam. This resulted in a panel exploring digital Islam in countries that are not predominantly Muslim, analyzing topics that included Salafi and fundamentalist practices, gender performances within Islam, online Islamophobia, and the use of the Internet to counteract stereotypes. Following the panel, we decided to publish this special issue with a focus in Islam in Europe and North America.The growing academic interest on Islam and the Internet, shown by the significant number of submissions on the topic we had for the easr conference panel, has different causes. First, Muslims living in non-Muslim countries often employ digital media to gain knowledge about Islam, negotiate religious practices, explore ways to be part of a community, consume Muslim-inspired pop culture, and find like-minded people to discuss religious and cultural backgrounds (Echchaibi, 2011;Bahfen, 2018). Second, the growth of digital practices also sheds light on the intersection between offline and online Islamophobia, which is a pressing social issue. Together with street-level Islamophobia, the Internet may offer venues for stereotypes, abuses, discriminations and threats 1 For information, see http://www.easr2018.org/.

Prayer and AI: Exploring the Impact on Orthodox Romanian Youth in a Confessional High School Context

“…The present study represents a step toward a more complete understanding of the implications of new technologies, specifically artificial intelligence, in the religious life of young Romanian Orthodox Christian. It raises the issue of a new dimension of the Church's relationship with young believers, a kind of third territory (Evolvi and Giorda 2021). The research hypothesis was partially confirmed.…”

“…Could this be a signal that the Church sees in these tools an acceleration of the secularization process and does not want to amplify it? To ignore the discussion of a third space (Evolvi and Giorda 2021) where it could find or help spiritually disoriented young people? To be uninterested in this chapter because of the specific Orthodox nature of prayer, silent and withdrawn?…”

“…This study falls within the research area of digital religion (Campbell and Evolvi 2020;Campbell 2023;Evolvi and Giorda 2021) but is approached from a multidisciplinary perspective: practical Orthodox theology, the study of digital religion, and digital theology.…”

Religious Materiality and Virtual Sainthood: The Case of Shna Ndou (St. Anthony) Pilgrimage in Laç

“…This intertwining of materiality and technology necessitates a tangible connection, blurring the boundaries of virtuality through the physicality of the smartphone, which transforms into a religious artifact itself. Technology serves here as a tool to augment, support, and compensate for physical worship, rather than replacing it (Evolvi and Giorda 2021). It becomes an additional secular infrastructure of the religious space, facilitating a deeper engagement with the spiritual practice.…”

Shia Clerics, Holy Sites, and the Online Visual Culture of the Revolutionary Youth in Iran

“…Academic interest in the usage of online platforms by Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries revolve around three major causes (Evolvi and Giorda 2021): First, the ways Muslims utilize digital media for gaining knowledge about Islam (Echchaibi 2011;Bahfen 2018); second, the expansion of the intersection of offline and online Islamophobia in the wake of the proliferation of online practices, including acts of threat, discrimination and abuse against Muslims and the imposition of stereotypes (Awan 2014;Evolvi 2019;Elfenbein et al 2021); and third, the utilization of online tools for resisting stereotypes by Muslims in European and North American societies, responding to hate, integrating into society, as well as normalizing the practice of "lived Islam" in everyday settings (Van Zoonen et al 2011;Evolvi 2017). This cause manifests itself in the online presence of Muslim women who wear hijab to consolidate agency and gain visibility (Echchaibi 2013;Wheeler 2014;Peterson 2016Peterson , 2020.…”