Interpretation Battles on Google and YouTube: Islamic and Non-Islamic Views on Rulings about Apostasy and Theft

Lino Marius Klevesath^*

• Department of Democracy Studies, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

Diverse and conflicting interpretations of Islamic norms are readily accessible, especially but not exclusively on digital online platforms. This paper explores the micro market of interpretations internet users will reach when they search for content on the Islamic ruling on apostasy (ridda), the abandonment of Islam, as well as the Islamic ruling on theft, using the platforms of Google and YouTube. It discusses the following research question: Which type of norm interpretation dominates when users search on Google and YouTube for information on the Islamic rulings on apostasy and theft? Drawing on the theory of non-Muslim Islams developed by Jesper Petersen and Anders Ackfeldt (2023), it is shown that non-Muslim actors also compete in the market of claims to authority on the interpretation of Islamic norms. The paper comes to the conclusion that neither Islamic conservative perspectives nor secular videos or any other type of interpretation remain unchallenged. The wide variety of interpretations of the most diverse Islamic commandments by the most diverse actors (secular and Muslim, including followers of a rigid Sunni Islam as well as a liberal interpretation of Islam) ensures that divergent interpretations are always just a few clicks away. When it comes to the discussion of apostasy, anti-Islamic content is also very visible on YouTube.