Virtual Islam: main stages of formation, forms of manifestation and transformation of Muslims’ traditional ways

In the modern world, significant changes in the interpretation, perception and practices of Islam occur not only under the influence of various socio-cultural factors, but are also affected by new technologies. One of the key aspects of this change is the virtualisation process of Islam, which is associated with the growing influence of digital technologies and the Internet on spreading religious information and communication of believers. This article examines the phenomenon of the virtualisation of Islam in the context of studying the problems of the interaction between religion and the Internet. The virtualisation of Islam is a process in which digital technologies are used for disseminating religious information, as well as for education and communication among believers. Social networks, online platforms and mobile applications play an increasingly significant role in shaping the religious practices and perception of Islam. The phenomenon of online religion in the post-Soviet space still has not been fully uncovered. Russian scholars define cyber-religion as a “religious innovation”, and some include it in the list of “quasi-religions”, and still consider it not as reality, but rather as something amorphous, applied, while religious movements are successfully exploring the digital environment and using it for their purposes. In the meantime, control over these processes is being lost. Cyberspace transforms Islam in terms of both ideology and discourse. Along with anonymity and accessibility of information, that leads to an increase in the number of different branches of religion which originate and are discussed on the Internet. Researchers are trying to understand exactly what kind of transformations are happening to Islamic media, the religious identity of Muslims and their opinion leaders, as well as to online rituals and the Islamic discourse on social networks.