ABSTRACT
Millennial Muslims, among others who have grown up around the Internet Age, have become “digital natives”, those acclimated to navigating and utilizing the spaces associated with new media. The now ubiquitous use of digital spaces is the subject of ongoing investigation as novel incidences that arise from the interrogation of and involvement within new media reveal interesting points of confluence between religion and new media. This chapter presents observations of Islamic phenomena in new media with special attention paid to how digital media have affected intra- and inter-religious discourse, perceptions and practices for the Muslims who engage in these spaces. In particular, this chapter observes the effects of digital media on Islam (and vice versa) through a brief analysis of the effects on political discussion, the ritual of nikah and mahr, the hijab and the female Muslim emoji. The statements made in this chapter are broad in an attempt to forward an assessment of a novel area of research in order to establish grounds for further study into intra- and inter-religious studies in new media.
