From Digital Fatwas to Generative AI: Algorithmic Patriarchy, Women's Agency, and the Reconstruction of Islamic Family-Law Authority

Abstract

The expansion of social media and artificial intelligence has transformed how Muslim communities access, produce, and circulate knowledge concerning family relations. Advice on husbands' leadership, wives' obedience, polygamy, divorce, and domestic roles is no longer communicated solely by religious scholars and institutions but is increasingly mediated by platforms, recommendation systems, and chatbots. This transformation broadens access to religious information while creating risks of reproducing gender bias, normalizing subordination, and obscuring accountability for machine-generated advice. This study analyzes the transformation of religious authority within algorithmic ecosystems, identifies patterns through which inequality is reproduced and opportunities for empowerment, and formulates a justice-responsive framework of religious authority. It employs qualitative library research using normative-conceptual and critical discourse approaches. The data comprise 35 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2021 and 2026 and are analyzed through thematic content analysis and critical-comparative analysis. The findings demonstrate that recommendation systems and language models are not neutral: they may reproduce biases embedded in training data, amplify hierarchical religious narratives, and personalize advice without adequately understanding users' social experiences and vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, the same ecosystem creates space for female Muslim scholars, academics, and Muslim women activists to develop counter-narratives and broaden participation in knowledge production. This study proposes a gender-responsive model of religious authority grounded in scholarly competence, transparency of sources and systems, protection of vulnerable groups, equal participation, and human accountability. The model affirms that technology should remain a supporting instrument, while legitimacy and moral responsibility must remain with qualified human actors and accountable institutions