

The AMI Podcast
Al-Mahdi Institute
AMI Podcasts explore a range of different topics including the latest cutting-edge research within the field of Islamic Studies, book reviews by prominent authors and academics, and discussions among scholars of diverse faiths and denominations within Islam.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 31, 2025 • 18min
Digital Spiritualism: A New Meaning to Religious Secularism in India by Dr Zairu Nisha
Dr Nisha explores how digital technologies are reshaping religious life in contemporary India. Challenging the strict divide between the secular and the religious, she argues that digital media has given rise to new hybrid forms of belief, practice, and spiritual experience.

Dec 31, 2025 • 22min
Techno-Gnosticism for the Digital Age: AI, Transhumanism, and the Flight from Embodiment by Professor Michal Valčo
This talk critically examines transhumanism and AI through the lens of Christian theological anthropology. Professor Valčo contrasts visions of technological “optimization” with religious understandings of embodiment, vulnerability, and communion, offering an alternative ethical vision for the digital future.

Dec 31, 2025 • 22min
Blue Notes and Black Codes: Womanism, Digital Faith, and the Algorithmic Future by Rev. Dr Shonda Nicole Gladden
This talk centres Black women’s digital religious leadership through a Womanist lens. Rev. Dr Gladden explores how digital rituals, online worship, and algorithmic systems intersect with justice, creativity, and resilience in contemporary faith communities.

Dec 31, 2025 • 22min
Between the ‘Digital’ and the ‘Analogue’: Intergenerational Transformations within Muslim Communities by Professor Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor
Drawing on major UK and European research projects, this talk explores how digital spaces are reshaping Muslim religious authority, identity, and practice. Professor Cheruvallil-Contractor examines how different generations navigate faith across online and offline worlds.

Dec 31, 2025 • 24min
Re-making the Human Being according to the Transhumanist’s Image and Likeness by Rev. Ugochukwu Stophynus Anyanwu
This presentation critiques transhumanist visions of remaking humanity through technology. Rev. Anyanwu examines how such ideas challenge religious understandings of human nature, divine providence, and moral limits in an age of rapid technological enhancement.

Dec 31, 2025 • 18min
Ethics, Human Nature and AI’s Challenge by Dr Rahul Kumar Maurya
This talk explores how classical ethical traditions and religious philosophy can respond to the growing moral challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Drawing on Buddhist thought and contemporary philosophy, Dr Maurya examines whether AI threatens human agency and how ethical frameworks might help safeguard humanity in an increasingly automated world.

Dec 31, 2025 • 22min
Techno Apocalypse in Islam: Between Utopia and Dystopia by Professor Mahan Mirza
This presentation examines Islamic apocalyptic thought in relation to modern technological change. Professor Mirza explores how digital culture, scientific worldviews, and rapid social transformation shape Muslim imaginaries of the future, offering a balanced theological response beyond fear or utopianism.

Dec 31, 2025 • 20min
Equivocation and Erosion: How LLMs Undermine Catholic Religious Discourse by Jonathan Karr & Louisa Conwill
This joint presentation investigates how large language models influence Catholic theology and moral reasoning. Karr and Conwill examine how AI systems can blur doctrinal distinctions, while also considering how faith-based ethical frameworks might guide responsible religious uses of AI.

Dec 31, 2025 • 26min
Technology and the Crisis of Modernity: Romano Guardini, Faith and the Transformations of Power by Professor João J. Vila-Chã
Focusing on the work of Romano Guardini, this talk examines how modern technology reshapes human power, faith, and social structures. Professor Vila-Chã reflects on the loss of authentic human experience and considers how religious thought can help address the dehumanising tendencies of modern technological systems.

Dec 31, 2025 • 19min
Understanding Digital Othering and Religious Bias in Internet Memes by Professor Heidi A. Campbell
Professor Campbell analyses how internet memes shape public perceptions of religious communities. She explores how humour, stereotypes, and digital culture can reinforce religious bias, while also highlighting how faith communities can critically engage and respond.


