Guest Post: Sana Patel, Zwan Postdoctoral Associate at the Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Imams or E-mams are Islamic authority figures that many Muslims look up to for spiritual guidance or religious legal rulings. Traditionally, imams were found at mosques and religious institutions only; today, many Muslims have direct access to them through social media. Imams with an active social media presence, are able to reach a broad audience and to connect with those who find online spaces to be more inclusive or who gain a sense of belonging through online, rather than in offline, spaces. In this blog, I highlight a few prominent imams and share my thoughts about their charisma and appeal beyond traditional Muslims authority figures.

My Research Data

I spent the past 6 years researching how Muslims utilize online sources to get a better understanding of 21st century Islam. While I was conducting interviews with self-identifying Muslims both in online and offline spaces, I found that imams remain an essential aspect of Islamic authority, but the internet has somewhat replaced the traditional means of communication with Islamic authority figures. Most of the Muslims I spoke with were Americans and Canadians. I found that imams are still needed to interpret primary Islamic sources – mainly the Quran and the Hadith (the sayings and acts of Prophet Mohammed). However, because Islamic information is readily available online, many Muslims can conduct their own research without actually meeting with an imam. They can look up answers to questions on websites, find YouTube videos on relevant topics, participate in a live Q & A on TikTok or Instagram – all without leaving their homes!

Searching and finding Islamic information has become an easy task since most of us have smartphones where we can surf the internet and download Islamic apps. So how do Muslims determine if the information they find is valid? For many, explicit references to the Quran or Hadith help confirm the reliability and authenticity. Many people I interviewed specifically said that if a blog, website, or video had references to the Quran when discussing Islamic knowledge, then it was most likely to be true and real.

Prominent On-Line Islamic Scholars

In addition to looking for such citations, people that I spoke to also identified a few prominent Islamic figures that they trusted because of their charisma, knowledge, and easy of accessibility through online platforms.

Some of the identified figures include (with the number of Instagram followers):

• Mufti Menk – Zimbabwean Islamic scholar with over 10 million followers
• Omar Suleiman – American Islamic scholar with over 3 million followers
• Yasir Qadhi – Pakistani-American Islamic scholar with over 444 thousand followers
• Suhaib Webb – American Islamic scholar with over 190 thousand followers

Effects of Technology on Islam

The Muslims that I interviewed and the popularity of these on-line imams illustrate several significant effects of advanced technologies on Islam. These include:

• Democratization of Islamic knowledge and information: Muslims around the world can easily access religious information online that is uploaded by those who are considered to have some type of authority and influence. That information might be accessed via websites, Q & A sessions, answer archives, and social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube).
• Rapid access to information: Muslims can look up their inquiries online within a matter of seconds thanks to digital literacy and widespread internet connectivity.
• Celebrity imams: Because of the popularity of social media, some Islamic figures are now treated as celebrities due to their high number of followers, attention-catching content, and charisma.
• Public influence: Due to the popularity of some Islamic influencers and imams, their views on political matters reach large audiences that can impact public opinion.

Like other religious communities, Muslims have found ways to use advanced technologies like the internet, smartphone apps, and AI tools to inform their understandings of Islam and connect with Muslims worldwide.

About the Author

A distinguished scholar of digital Islam and religious authority online, Sana explores the role of artificial intelligence in Muslim communities. She also examines how Islamophobia manifests in online spaces, shaping global anti-Muslim experiences.