Today more than ever the diffusion on social networks reaches extremely high levels; no wonder, therefore, that it can become a non-place in which to develop a new one religion. Some Muslim preachers are in fact enjoying success on social networks thanks to the spread of a new faith disconnected from tradition and tending to Western values.
It is a religiosity that goes with the globalization and is based on a secular vision, embracing western modernity. What is most frightening is the fragility with which it is exposed to the capitalist market, revealing itself to be superficial and commodified. All this would go against the values and morals of Islamic teachings.
In this new model presented by the phenomenon of Islamic influencers in reality there is little attention to identity, the ideological aspect is missing, and religion seems rather at the mercy of the mechanisms of supply and demand. The topics dealt with mainly concern the spirituality and individual behavior, but there is also an emphasis on presenting a cheerful religiosity away from intimidation and punitive systems. They focus on personal, love, work and social fulfillment.
Contrary to the traditional view, an attempt is made to attract the public precisely by following the adaptation to the needs of modern life, encouraging interest in worldly matters so repudiated by Islam. Another feature is the lack of political interest or in addressing national issues and Islamic peoples or human rights. Isolation And calm: these are the keywords.
“You don’t need to change. Do not reproach yourself or blame yourself, you are good, and what you lack is happiness ”. These words of an Islamic influencer testify to the neutrality of the messages conveyed. Nothing too different from other religious professions, purely Western perhaps. Has globalization really turned the Islamic vision around? Or maybe it just fell into the hands of market references. What emerges from the rhetoric of these subjects is an encouragement to the pursuit of happiness in consumerist societies and not in religion, in introspection and in understanding the surrounding world.
These young people, in fact, did not receive a real religious education, but a very normal civic education. Therefore, the detachment from Islamic fanaticism known to most is clear. What leads us to think, on the other hand, is the superficiality with which they tackle, often inconsistently, more specifically religious issues.
The most famous names among Islamic influencers
United by gender (male), youth and colloquial language, the protagonists of this story do not wear traditional Islamic clothes, but simple clothes, whether they are sporty or branded, which they take advantage of to make advertising, prompting their followers to buy them. Like the influencers known to us, they use direct, emotional and nice communication.
One of the most famous is Omar al Odah. Starting with religiously based romantic phrases on TikTok, he then moved on to religious idealization. He is famous for his sermons on various topics: “the road to happiness”, “do not despair”, “a message for every girl”. In his highly successful books he explains how to achieve happiness through religion.
Among the best known names there is Amir Mounir and the titles of her YouTube videos are “the rule of love”, “masturbation”, “six ways to improve your life”. Along with the teachings of life, she is also dedicated to marketing and events of various kinds. In short, an influencer. He also holds paid religious courses and lectures on “the art of choosing a partner” and “self-reliance”. A kind of life coach. On his book entitled To Allah there is a blow-up of himself.
Kareem Esmail deals with issues such as friendship between men and women and ambition, based on elements of the Islamic religion and Western philosophies of well-being. He too teaches paid courses on finding a balance between physical and mental health and has written a book, A Psychological Breakthrough, in which he gives advice on how to combine human development with religiosity. In a video on YouTube he states: “Our goal is to enable people to improve their mental health. Most of the reasons for sadness, depression, mental distress and psychological distress come from religious issues. When we understand religion correctly and live well, we will improve our mental health ”.
Basically, nothing different from what we know: little competence on the topics dealt with, egocentrism, marketing, events and various and possible contents; with the only difference of the religious addition. The concern remains the commodification of religious discourse. “The term ‘Islamic’ is now used for everything: Islamic diet, Islamic fashion, Islamic disco music, Islamic swimwear, Islamic yoga,” he says Ahmad Saif al-Nasr in his item. Especially Fr.For those who are very attached to the Islamic tradition, it is difficult to accept that God can be used to satisfy market needs, especially Western ones.
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