Conference Activities 2008-

Presentation: 'Preliminary Results from the Digital Islam Across Europe Project.' Co-presentation with Dr Anna Grasso. Recovira-Religious Communities in the Virtual Age Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University. October 2024

Presentation: 'Approaches towards Digital British Islam'. Recovira-Religious Communities in the Virtual Age Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University. October 2024

Paper: 'Transmission, Influence, Control: The Evolution of Religious Authority and Knowledge in Islamic Digital Spaces.' Islam online – offline – and beyond: Digital media, Islamic knowledge and authority in the West Workshop. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Research Centre for Islam and Law in Europe - FAU EZIRE. September 2024. Erlangen.

Paper: 'Digital Muslim Responses to Climate Change Issues’. European Association for the Study of Religions Conference. August 2024. Gothenburg.

Presentation: Archiving Methodologies. Part of the CHANSE Digital Islam Across Europe panel. Co-presentation with Dr Anna Grasso. European Association for the Study of Religions Conference. August 2024. Gothenburg.

Keynote: 'Islamic Algorithms.' International Seminar on Islamic Digital Humanities. Fakultas Dakwah UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten. July 2024. Banten, Indonesia.

Keynote: ‘From Sheikh Google to ImamAI.‘ Faculty of Islamic Studies Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII), Leiden University and KITLV-Jakarta, Annual Masterclass 2024, “The Future of Artificial Intelligence in/and of Islam”. July 2024. Depok, West Java, Indonesia.

Keynote: 'Digital Connections: Influence, Impact and Authority in Islamic Digital Spaces.' European Network for Islamic Studies (ENIS) Spring School, “Peripheral Islam: Muslims on the Geographical, Normative, Political and Religious Margins”, UNIL Lausanne, Switzerland, June 2022. [ENIS: The Netherlands Interuniversity School for Islamic Studies (NISIS, Netherlands); Institut d’études de l’Islam et des sociétés du monde musulman (IISMM, France); The Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS at the University of Marburg, Germany); El Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC – the Spanish National Research Council, Spain)]

Paper: 'From Sheikh Google to ImamAI? Evolving Islamic Influence and Authority in Muslim Digital Worlds.' British Association for Islamic Studies Conference, Leeds, May 2024

Invited Lecture: 'Shifting Dimensions: The Evolution of Religious Authority in Islamic Digital Spaces.' 'Islam in Digital Spaces' Series. Zentrum für Islamische Studien, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt. January 2024. Online.

Keynote: 'Allāh Algorithms: Perspectives on #Islam and Religious Authority Online,' 'Sharia in Transition: Religious Authority in the Context of Migration and Mediatization' Conference, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, September 2022

Invited paper: 'The Net Imam Effect.' Lehigh University, "Cyber Muslims: Mapping Islamic Networks in the Digital Age" Conference, April 2022. Online

Discussant: 'Rewiring the House of God: Religious Self-World Relations in the Digital Environment' Workshop. University of Birmingham, University of Erfurt, University of Graz. September 2021. Online.

Conference Convener: 'Islamic Responses to COVID-19' Conference. Paper: 'Social Distance and Digital Proximity'. University of Wales Trinity Saint David. July 2021. Online.

Invited Lecture: 'Digital Piety, #Islam and Muslim Digital Worlds'. 4th International Women And Justice Summit 2020, Staying Human in the Digital World, Kadin ve Demokrasi Derneği & T.C. Aile, Çalışma ve Sosyal Hizmetler Bakanlığı. Istanbul. November 2020. Online.

Invited Lecture: 'The Allah Algorithm: Interpreting Islamic Influencers' Online Responses to Covid-19'. George Mason University. Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies, Fairfax, Virginia, September 2020. Online.

Seminar Paper: 'The Allah Algorithm'. University of Wales Trinity Saint David. June 2020. Online.

Public Lecture: 'Inside the Fatwa Machine: #Islam, Authority and the Net Imam Impact.' Canadian Muslims Online, New Muslim Public Spheres in the Digital Age, Département de sciences des religions, Faculté des sciences humaines, Université du Québec à Montréal, (UQAM), Montréal, Québec, February 2020.

Keynote Seminar Presentation: 'The Fatwa Machine: Influencers & Authority in Cyber Islamic Environments'. Islam in the Digital Age panel. 'Digital Islam, Education and Youth: Changing Landscape of Indonesian Islam'. 19th Annual International Conference on Islamic Studies. Jakarta. October 2019.

Paper: ‘The Information Souq: Religious Authority and Cyber Islamic Environments’. British Sociology Association Sociology of Religion Annual Conference. Cardiff University, July 2019.

Invited Paper:  'The Net Imam Paradox: Contesting Leadership, Religious Authority and Representation in Cyberspace'. 'Leadership, Authority and Representation in British Muslim Communities' Conference. Islam UK Centre, Cardiff University. January 2019.

Invited Paper: 'Countering Smartphone Jihad: New Approaches to Radicalisation, Religious Extremism and Community Dynamics.' Co-presented with Dr Yvonne Howard-Bunt. 'Resilience Conference: Building Resilience to Extremism and Exploitation', Marble Hall, Cardiff. Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team Wales (EYST) . November 2018.

Invited Paper: 'Approaches to Digital Religious Studies', Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research, University of Amsterdam, April 2018

Invited Paper: 'Flaming, Trolls and Memes: Digital Dimensions of Coexistence in Cyberspace'.  Conference. 'Ethical Approaches to Peaceful Coexistence'. Knowledge Exchange Programme/Muslim Council of Wales/University of Wales Trinity Saint David. City Hall, Cardiff. December 2017.

Founders' Day Annual Lecture, 'Interpreting Cyber Islamic Environments'.  University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter campus. November 2016. 

Conference Convener: BRISMES Annual Conference 2016 Networks. 'Connecting the Middle East through Time, Space and Cyberspace.' Also provided a paper: 'Interpreting Networks in Cyberspace: the ‘Fatwa Machine’ and Religious Authority Online'  as part of the 'Security, Activism and Mobilisation in Cyberspace' panel. University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus. July 2016. 

Invited Paper:  'Jihad: Between Theory and Practice' Conference. 'E-Jihad 2.0: The Evolution of Jihad in Cyberspace.' University of Leiden. March 2016.

Programme Committee member and Workshop participant: ‘Religion on Social Media’. The Ninth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM),  University of Oxford. May 2015.
 
Keynote paper: ‘Interpreting Cyber Islamic Environments'.  Conference. American University in Dubai/British Society for Middle Eastern Studies. Dubai. April 2015.
 
Paper: ‘Muslims Negotiating Modernities’ Conference. 'Islam, Social Media and the Cloud.' Vanderbilt University. September 2014.
 
Workshop (convener and presenter): International Society for Media, Religion and Culture, International Conference. University of Canterbury. 'Islam, Social Media and the Cloud.' August 2014.
 
Public Lecture: 'Islam, Social Media and the Cloud.' KU Leuven. March 2014.
 
Event, Arab States in Transition: The West’s Mediterranean Challenge, Chatham House, London, November 2012
 
Public Lecture/panel contribution, Royal Society of the Arts/Tony Blair Faith Foundation/Durham University, ‘Faith 2.0’, April 2011

Invited Lecture, 'Researching Islam and Muslims Online', Beyond Islamic Studies: De-essentializing the Study of Muslim Societies Conference, Michigan State University, April 2011
Public Lecture, University of Cardiff, Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK Public Lecture Series,   'From Mosque to YouTube', February 2011. 

Paper, 'New Horizons in Islamic Area Studies'National Institute for the Humanities (NIHU), The University of Tokyo, Sophia University, The Toyo Bunko (Oriental Library), Kyoto University and Waseda University], December 2010
 
Paper, World Congress of Middle Eastern Studies, Barcelona, July 2010, iMuslims: Surfing Electronic Frontiers

Keynote paper, ‘Islam and the Media’ conference, The Center for Media, Religion and Culture, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado, Boulder, January 2010. iMuslims: Islamic influence, authority and interpretation online.

Paper, ‘Rethinking Jihad: Ideas, Politics and Conflict in the Arab World & Beyond’, Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World, University of Edinburgh, September 2009, e-Jihad: a brief history.

Paper, BRISMES Conference, ‘Frontiers: Space, Separation and Contact in the Middle East', University of Manchester. July 2009, iMuslims: Surfing Electronic Frontiers.

Workshop, HEFCE, ‘Islamic studies: the way forward in the UK’ national conference, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London on 17 April 2008

Paper, ‘Wrathful God: Religious Extremism in a Comparative Perspective, Conference, Institute for Comparative and International Studies, Emory University, March 2008, Jihadi Networks of Cyber-Authority.