Spotlighting the Millions of Muslims that Engage in Ramadan
Muslimah Yusuff
Have you ever encountered individuals who have mentioned observing a practice called Ramadan, during which they abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset? Ramadan is a sacred month within the Islamic faith, observed by Muslims worldwide.
This period of fasting encompasses not only abstaining from food and drinks – which includes water! – but also refraining from bad habits. The purpose of this practice is to foster a heightened awareness of God, encourage reflection on one’s blessings, and cultivate empathy for the struggles faced by others.
Given that Ramadan spans 29 to 30 days and that there are an estimated 3.45 million Muslims in the United States, we thought to gain a deeper insight into their sentiments regarding this observance.
By utilizing the hashtag “Ramadan” and examining posts made between March 22 and April 20 of this year, we discovered that the topic reached an astounding audience of over 4 Billion people!
Contrary to what you might think, the tweets categorized as “negative” primarily consisted of people “sad” that Ramadan was coming to an end or people that were “devastated” regarding the tensions between Israel and Palestine.
At the start of Ramadan, there was a significant surge in tweet activity, with thousands of people expressing their joy and excitement about experiencing Ramadan once again after a year.
However, as the month progressed, the volume of tweets noticeably declined, which can be attributed to the tendency of Muslims to reduce their social media usage during this time to devote more attention to worship and spiritual practices. On April 4, the tweet volume experienced a slight increase due to the escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestine, capturing the attention and concern of many.
In response to these dynamics, various communities across the country organized interfaith dialogues aimed at fostering relationships between different religious groups and promoting religious literacy. One such event was organized by the Muslim Community of Knoxville, known as the “Fast-A-Thon.” This event invited people of diverse faiths to try fasting for a day after which iftar (dinner to break the fast) was hosted where topics aimed at fostering cooperation and collaboration were discussed. Additionally, the event raised approximately 20 thousand dollars for those in need.
Returning to the tweets, aside from those centered around making prayers (duas), there was a notable presence of humorous and sarcastic content, exemplified by the following sample tweet.
It’s always funny when we see someone hiding food just because we’re fasting. No it does not make us sad, it does not make us hungry.
A notable topic of discussion within the Muslim community revolves around the perceived lack of recognition and representation from brands and organizations regarding the celebrations of Eid Mubarak. Despite this, rather than passively accepting the situation, Muslims are taking proactive steps to celebrate and showcase their traditions. However, it would be advantageous for brand representatives to acknowledge that this represents a significant untapped market with the potential to generate a new revenue stream.
We hope you enjoyed learning about the Islamic faith and Ramadan traditions. If there is any other part you would like to delve deeper into or gain a better understanding of, please let us know!