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The Friday Round Up: Islamic reality TV, Muslim Olympians, Egypt Ramadan, Facebook Arabia and Scottish oats while fasting in the Middle East
It is the end of the first week of Ramadan, and also the beginning of the Olympics this evening! Two huge events of global scale to celebrate.
In depth
We immerse ourselves in the rich and colourful traditions of Ramadan in Egypt this week. Fanous Ramadan, brightly coloured lanterns, were introduced in the 10th century and continue till today. Dawn and dusk are marked by cannon fire. And who on earth is the mysterious but utterly valuable Al-Mesarahaty, and why does he know the names of every person in every household?
Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last few days, you’ll know that tonight sees the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics. But for Muslim Olympians, this is an occasion where their sporting passion meets head on their religious obligation in the shape of Ramadan. Should they fast? Read about the dilemma in our post on the Olympics, Muslim athletes and Ramadan.
And finally, a personal blog post from Shelina Janmohamed, senior strategist at Ogilvy Noor, on thought leadership and winning WPP’s Atticus Award for the Ogilvy Noor blog and AdCritique which she maintains.
Cheat sheet: sharp insights into Muslim consumer markets this week
Opening up the world of sports for Muslim women in the Middle East
Scottish Muslims design a special Muslim tartan
An insight into how British Muslims will be embracing the current month of fasting of Ramadan and the Olympics
“Facebook Arabia: Young, Masculine, Confidential and Linguistically Confused”
“For Muslim Women in Delhi, a Breath of Fresh Air” as park offers women and kids only space as oasis in crowded city
“Islamic Bank of Britain boosts efforts to attract ethical savers” just in time for the start of Ramadan
Google gets serious about Ramadan with live YouTube streams from Mecca, Google + hangouts and more
Nielsen: 50% of Malaysian Muslims stock up a month before Ramadan, and up to one fifth buy non-perishables even earlier
Malaysia pension reform could give boost to Islamic funds: employees could give greater share of their retirement contributions to Islamic investments
A small Scottish market town enjoys a boom in exports of porridge oats thanks to fasting Muslims in the Middle East. ‘Quaker Soup’ appears as a Ramadan special on some Middle Eastern restaurant menus
The Middle East is high on consumer confidence, especially among women. Those under 30 are particularly optimistic
Islamic reality TV show in Malaysia seeks best women preachers