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Understanding and Embracing the Muslim Consumer Identity

16/08/2022
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Alwi Sulieman, marketing lead at Muslim Ad Network discusses how agencies and marketers must push for more diversity and how using the right terminologies can accomplish this

An important cultural trend of our day is represented by the rising diversity of American customers. Race, ethnicity, and in the case of Muslim consumers, religious beliefs are all factors that are becoming more significant to people's identities, and brands already have a sizable percentage of their audience made up of diverse consumers. If marketers want to engage consumer culture authentically, they must push for diversity, and to accomplish that, they must use the proper terminologies.

“Muslims spent US$2 trillion in 2021 across industries. This reflects an 8.9% year-on-year growth from 2020, with Islamic finance growing to US$3.6 trillion in 2021, up 7.8%, from US$3.4 trillion in 2020.” - State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2022.

The vast majority of Muslim consumers are young and are looking for brands that speak to them as though they matter; brands that understand and cater to their needs rather than force-feed stereotypical media pieces down their throats. A study also revealed that “religious consciousness and content quality have a direct positive significant influence on consumer buying behaviour”.

As a diverse consumer segment, Muslims want to be addressed authentically along two dimensions: the terms they use to describe themselves, and their sentiment toward terms your brand uses to describe them in general.

“A key element of thoughtful, engaging advertising is using the correct terms that resonate with each segment. The language consumer brands use for a segment’s core identities can make them feel embraced and understood. Alternatively, it can isolate, completely pushing them away from the brand.”- Collage Group

We explore how brands can choose terms that best reflect the preferences of Muslim consumers for better engagement with their content and marketing efforts.

Cater to the Muslim identity: Address them as Muslims first and American/British etc. second. According to Farhana Akthar, Author of The Generational Diversity of Religious Orientations of Muslims in Britain, younger generations want a ‘purified, universally oriented Islamic identity, or, in other words, a religious orientation towards Ummah (Muslim community) nationalism,’ as opposed to the majority of first-generation Muslim migrants who saw Islam as a component of their ethnic identity.

Cater to diversity within the Muslim community: There is a certain degree of complexity that most marketers and advertisers come up against when engaging with Muslim consumers. Muslims are quite diverse in regards to levels of religiosity, ethnic backgrounds, and demographics. You cannot make everyone happy but the terms you use to speak to them or describe them must be balanced properly.

“Throughout Islamic history, Muslims in Africa and Asia maintained their way of life without transgressing the principles of Islam and kept the Shariah intact. A process of cultural selection went underway to keep what did not contradict Islamic principles. Consequently, Muslims in their different societies did not abolish their cultural practices altogether and this is evident with Arab Muslims, Turks, Asians, and Africans.” - Religion Vs. Culture: Where does Islam fit?

Cater to all ethnic cultures: There is not one majority ethnic group in the United States that dominates the American Muslim consumer audience. You need to cater to Hispanic Muslims, cater to Black Muslims, Asian Muslims, and more. This means you need to be sensitive about the terms you use like ‘Latino’, ‘African American’ etc.

Get the knowledge: Islam is a straightforward religion and Muslims have grown accustomed to this simple approach. Brands need to gain the proper knowledge of the basics of Islam to understand what certain terminologies like ‘shariah’ actually mean before talking to Muslims about complex issues like ‘shariah-compliant’ products and services.

Start listening: You will need to join forums, use tools like Hootsuite for social listening, and get directly involved with these different Muslim communities to understand the way they describe themselves and the components of their day-to-day Muslim life. You should also make sure that they are OK with an outsider using those terminologies to describe or address them.

To get you started, here are some very general terminologies:

Ablution - A ceremonial act of washing parts of the body.

Bengali - Bengali, also rendered as Bangalee, or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia.

Burkini - A burkini is a style of swimsuit for women. The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands, and the feet while being light enough for swimming.

Eid ul Adha - The Muslim festival marking the culmination of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorating the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

Eid ul Fitr - The Muslim festival marking the end of the fast of Ramadan.

Hadith - Record of the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), revered and received as a major source of religious law and moral guidance, second only to the authority of the Qurʾān, the holy book of Islam

40 Hadith an-Nawawi - A compilation of forty hadiths by Imam al-Nawawi (a jurist and hadith scholar). He authored numerous and lengthy works ranging from hadith to theology, biography, and jurisprudence.

Hajj - The great Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, which takes place in the last month of the Islamic calendar year and which all Muslims are expected to make at least once during their lifetime if they can afford to do so. It is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Halal - Halal is an Arabic word that means ‘permissible’. In terms of food, it means food that is permissible according to Islamic law.

Halal Food - The practice of Islam includes observing dietary laws which come from Islamic teachings. Islamic dietary laws define foods that are Halal, meaning lawful or permitted. Muslims avoid food and beverages that are Haram, meaning not permitted.

Halal Marketing - Islamic marketing or Halal marketing assumes that religion affects consumer choice and thus, follows Islamic laws, principles, and guidelines in strategic marketing decisions of designing, communicating, and delivering products and services to customers.

Halal Pharmaceuticals - Halal pharmaceuticals relate to pharmaceutical products that contain ingredients that are permissible (Halal) in Islam; produced under Islamic regulations. For these products to attain Halal certification, every ingredient must be traceable.

Halal Tourism - Halal tourism is a subcategory geared toward Muslim families who abide by the rules of Islam. Also generally known as Halal travel or Halal friendly tourism. The hotels in such destinations do not serve alcohol and have separate swimming pools and spa facilities for men and women, serve only Halal foods, and no pork included in the menu, and have prayer facilities in the room and common hall.

Haram - Haram is an Arabic term meaning ‘forbidden’. If something is considered Haram, it remains prohibited no matter how good the intention is, or how honourable the purpose is.

Hijab - Hijab is an Arabic word meaning barrier or partition. In Islam, however, it has a broader meaning. It is the principle of modesty and includes behaviour as well as dress for both males and females. The most visible form of hijab is the head covering that many Muslim women wear.

Hijabi - A hijabi is a Muslim woman who wears a hijab, a scarf that covers her hair and neck.

Hikmah - Hikmah literally means wisdom, philosophy; rationale, an underlying reason. It is a concept in Islamic philosophy and law.

Iftar - Iftar is a meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan.

Islam - The religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad (PBUH) as the Prophet of Allah (SWT).

Islamic Finance - Islamic finance is a way to manage money that keeps within the moral principles of Islam. It covers things like saving, investing, and borrowing to buy a home.

Islamic Values - Six articles of Faith: Belief in One God, Belief in Angels, Belief in the Prophets of God, Belief in the Revealed Books of God, Belief in the Day of Judgement, Belief in Destiny, and Divine Decree. Five Pillars of Islam: Declaration of Faith, Daily Prayer, Zakah/paying alms, Fast in Ramadan, Hajj/Pilgrimage to Mecca. The core of Islamic law is the preservation of religion, life, family, mind, and wealth.

Islamophobe - An Islamophobe is a person with a dislike of or prejudices against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force.

Modest Fashion - The term modest fashion or modest dressing refers to a fashion trend in women of wearing less skin-revealing clothes, especially in a way that satisfies their spiritual and stylistic requirements for reasons of faith, religion, or personal preference.

Mosque - a Muslim place of worship.

Muadhdhin - The Muslim official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer from a minaret five times a day.

Muslim - a follower of the religion of Islam. Muslims are monotheistic and worship one, all-knowing God, who in Arabic is known as Allah (SWT). Followers of Islam aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah (SWT). The Qur’an (or Koran) is the major holy book of Islam.

Muslim Ad Network - The largest online advertising platform helping organisations/advertisers connect with over 250 million Muslim consumers through a single platform.

Muslim Revert - According to Islam, children are born with an innate sense of submission to God, which is called the fitrah. A common definition of the word ‘revert’ is to ‘return to a former condition or belief’. A revert is returning to that innate faith to which they were connected as young children, before being led away.

MuslimReachTM - An ad targeting technology with the ability to serve ads to Muslim consumers anywhere they are browsing on the internet on any device.

Niqaab - a veil worn by some Muslim women in public, covering all of the face and hair apart from the eyes.

Niqabi - A Muslim woman who wears a niqab also known as a face veil.

Qur’an - The word Qur'an comes from the Arabic word ‘Qaraa’ which means to read, so the Qur'an is a noun from the verb qara'a. The Qur’an is a holy book that was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) through which he was asked by Allah (SWT) to spread His word of peace and guidance, which is known by Islam.

Ramadan - The ninth month of the Muslim year, during which strict fasting is observed from dawn to sunset.

Sahīh al-Bukhārī - a collection of hadith compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari. His collection is recognised by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world to be the most authentic collection of reports of the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It contains over 7500 hadith (with repetitions), in 97 books. 

Sahīh Muslim - a collection of hadith compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi. His collection is considered to be one of the most authentic collections of the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), and along with Sahih al-Bukhari forms the ‘Sahihain,’ or the "Two Sahihs." It contains roughly 7500 hadith (with repetitions), in 57 books.

Shariah - In Arabic, Shariah literally means "the clear, well-trodden path to water". Shariah acts as a code for living that all Muslims should adhere to, including prayers, fasting, and donations to the poor. It aims to help Muslims understand how they should lead every aspect of their lives according to God's wishes.

Shariah-Compliant - The term 'Shariah-compliant' is used in Islamic Finance to denote that a financial product/service/activity complies with the principles of Shariah (Islamic law).

Suhur - Suhur or Suhoor is an important meal during Ramadan, which is eaten before sunrise.

Sunnah - In Islam, Sunnah is the traditions and practices of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (), that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. According to classical Islamic theories, the Sunnah is documented by hadith (the verbally transmitted record of the teachings, deeds and sayings, silent permissions or disapprovals of Prophet Muhammad [PBUH]).

Sunnan al Tirmidhi - A collection of hadith compiled by Imam Abu ‘Isa Muhammad al-Tirmidhi’. His collection is unanimously considered to be one of the six canonical collections of hadith (Kutub as-Sittah) of the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH). It contains roughly 4400 hadith (with repetitions), in 46 books.

Taqwa - an Islamic term for being conscious and cognisant of God, of truth, 'piety, fear of God.' It is often found in the Qur’an.

Tokenism - Tokenism is the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from under-represented groups to give the appearance of diversity.

Treaty of Hudaybiyah - A compromise that was reached between Prophet Muḥammad (PBUH) and Meccan leaders, in which Mecca gave political and religious recognition to the growing community of Muslims in Medina.

Umrah - Umrah is the name given to a pilgrimage to Mecca, a shorter version of the annual Hajj gathering. The word ‘Umrah’ in Arabic means “visiting a populated place”. Umrah offers an opportunity for Muslims to refresh their faith, seek forgiveness and pray for their needs.

Uyghur - The Uyghurs are recognised as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. They are one of China's 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities.

We extracted the above terminologies from 'The Ultimate Guide To Understanding And Marketing To The Muslim Consumer' It is a free eBook for Muslim or mainstream businesses and organisations that target Muslim consumers. If you are looking to market or advertise to Muslim consumers we strongly recommend this Muslim consumer guide

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