Stream 5: Religious Norms in Cyberspace
Convenor: Vít Šisler
Workshop 1: Religion and the Internet (9:00 - 10:30)
Time Author Institute
Charles University in
Dominika Sokol Prague, Institute of
Information Studies
Charles University in
Libuše Martínková Prague, Hussite
Theological Faculty
University of York,
Madeleine Frost Sociology Department,
North Yorkshire, UK
Workshop 2: Rituals of the Digital Realm (10:45 - 12:15
Universität Heidelberg
Nadja Miczek Institut für
Religionswissenschaft
Universität Heidelberg
Simone Heidbrink Institut für
Religionswissenschaft
Universität Heidelberg
Radde-
Kerstin Institut für
Antweiler
Religionswissenschaft
Workshop 3: Islam in Cyberspace (13:15 - 15:45)
Charles University in
Simona Hlaváčová Prague, Institute for Near
Eastern and African Studies
St. Paul‟s United
John Chesworth Theological College,
Limuru, Kenya
Department of
Comparative Religion,
Attila Kovacs
Comenius University in
Bratislava
Institute of Southeast
Terenjit Sevea
Asian Studies, Singapore
Charles University in
Vít Šisler Prague, Institute of
Information Studies
Stream 5: Religious Norms in Cyberspace
Convenor: Vít Šisler
Workshop 1: Religion and the Internet (9:00 - 10:30)
Abstract
The Sikh minority, primarily concentrated in Punjab, India is based on a religion that combines aspects of
Hinduism and Islam. It remains part of India while the predominantly Islam states of Bangladesh and
Pakistan achieved independence. The Sikh Diaspora has relentlessly lobbied for its independence
employing a variety of methods including spreading the message via cyberspace. Considering the small
GSM Technology and its Use in Religious Life: A Preliminary Inquiry GSM technology with all its highly
interactive services and tools is closely related to the Internet and its growth in last few years has been
enormous. It allows viewing the GSM communication space as the new terrain of scientific research. This
study examines the way in which religious groups as well as the individuals use the GSM technology
CAN CYBERSPACE TRULY BE A TEMPLE FOR THE CYBERSANGHA?
For some people Buddhism is a philosophy, for others it is a religion, but for all it is a spiritual quest for
enlightenment. Buddhism was quick to embrace the opportunities that new technologies have afforded the
orkshop 2: Rituals of the Digital Realm (10:45 - 12:15)
Exploring the Religious Frameworks of the Digital Realm: Ritual Elements on Personal and Institutional
Homepages Within the field of the new media, the Internet is recognised by a growing number of
researchers both as source and tool for examining and analysing religions and religious activities. Today
there is a wide range of religious rituals crossing the border from the offline to the online realm. On
Exploring the Religious Frameworks of the Digital Realm: Offline-Online-Offline Transfers of Ritual
Perfomance Looking at the constantly growing field of religion online, the shifting and new definition of
religious frameworks becomes increasingly an important topic. In the field of religious rituals, it´s not only
the participant, location and conduction of the ritual that is affected by this shift; also the researchers have
Exploring the Religious Frameworks of the Digital Realm: Cyber-Rituals in Virtual Worlds In the context of
Internet Research, Virtual Worlds offer a new environment to meet, communicate and perform rituals - the
so called Online-Rituals - in a virtual reality, irrespective of geographical and real-life body conditions. The
most prominent example for such worlds, that have existed since 1998 is the privately-owned, subscription-
Workshop 3: Islam in Cyberspace (13:15 - 15:45)
US based Islamist Network: Presence in Cyber-space and Online Projects The purpose behind this paper
should be to explore how the organizations and individuals affiliated with the Islamic movement [i.e.,
political Islam] in the U.S. make use of electronic media as part of a broader „soft dawah“ strategy, [i.e.,
missionary activity that encompasses media projects, educational campaigns, political lobbying etc.] to
A study of selected Islamic Internet Sites in East Africa
Islam is making increasing use of the Internet to propagate ideas and to inform followers as well as to
attract non-adherents. The paper examines selected Islamic Internet sites whose content is oriented for
East Africa. The purpose and content of the sites is examined, the religious and political dimensions of the
Palestinian Islamic movements and the Cyberspace. Islamic radical movement wordwide using
cyberspace to comunication, presentation and transmission their ideology in many forms as texts, images,
audio and audiovisual materials etc. In the focus of my paper are the main Islamic organisations in
Palestine and Israel (Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Qassam brigades, Jerusalem batallions, the sites
Creating the Religious Body - Gayathri Spivak, in assessing the problematic of power and representation(s)
draws attention to the logic of a „speaking‟ subaltern in relation to hegemonic power structures, where the
subaltern women “will be as mute as ever” (1988, 294). It is in light of this that this paper will assess
representations of the „veiled Muslim woman‟ within two feminist discourses as constituents of power and
The Internet and the Construction of Islamic Knowledge in Europe Muslim communities in Europe vary
greatly in regards to their ethnic origin, geographical location, religious and cultural background. From
Muslims in the Balkans, settled in the area for centuries, to the first-generation immigrants of Asian or
African Muslims in the Western Europe, these communities live in a legal and political framework where the