For Better or Worse: Influencers are changing the sentiment of Ramadan

•  CATHRIN SCHAER

SAUDI ARABIA: Technology has changed the way that the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan is observed. There are now apps that allow those celebrating to do everything from timing prayers to more easily donating to charity via smartphone. An important part of Ramadan is giving to those less fortunate than yourself. But there are also more controversial developments in the Ramadan-related digital world and, perhaps unsurprisingly, social media influencers are among them. Locals in wealthy Gulf states are among the most connected in the world. For example, in the UAE an estimated 99% of the population is online; in Germany, it’s 93%.

During Ramadan, surveys show that online media use becomes even more intense as people in countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar spend a lot more time on their phones and on social media. At the same time, Ramadan also brings a surge in online shopping. At the end of the month, gifts are exchanged and new clothes are often purchased. Because there is more socialising at prayer and at communal meals, people may also dress up more. Standing at the intersection of all this is the influencer, often defined as somebody who has a large social media following and can “influence” followers’ opinions, purchasing decisions.

“Influencers’ incorporation of religious themes can range from a discussion on religious practices to suggestions about product purchases and which Ramadan streaming drama to watch,” Gary Bunt, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Wales and author of the book, “Islamic Algorithms,” said. “As with other sectors, Muslim influencers may market their own products or be sponsored to promote others.”

“Ramadan has always been a focal point for accounts with an Islamic edge, going back to the 1990s,” Bunt noted. But, he added, the current increase in influencer activity in the Middle East “aligns with the expansion of digital platforms, reduced digital divides and the growth of TikTok.”

Popular themes with Gulf state influencers include lavishly decorated tables prepared for “iftar,” the large meal eaten after sundown when families break their fast, or collaborations with local fashion or beauty brands for special Ramadan collections. Food-focused influencers help launch special Ramadan meal deals or promote restaurants. But just as some Europeans criticise Christmas’s increasingly consumerist nature, there are fears in the Middle East that Ramadan, too, is becoming overly commercial. Iyad Barghouthi, a sociology lecturer based in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, told DW that more influencers have not led to a rise in religious devotion. Instead, Ramadan customs are becoming more elaborate, less spontaneous and more superficial, he argued.

“There’s something of a link between the increasing commercialisation of Ramadan and influencers and marketing,” Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor specialising in digital humanities at Qatar’s Hamad bin Khalifa University, confirmed. “Commercialisation of Ramadan is not necessarily a new thing though. This is just a new way of doing it,” he said. “And it’s definitely growing — which has prompted a backlash. If you look at comments on social media, there are plenty of people who resent those perceived as commercialising religious events.”