Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen

This article argues that Muslims have created a specific Muslim Instagram that sustains youthfulness and cultivates their deen (religion). Instagram as a social has become a space for Muslim youth all over the world to share images. These images, being circulated over Instagram across localities, cr...

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Main Author: Farah Hasan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/658
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author Farah Hasan
author_facet Farah Hasan
author_sort Farah Hasan
collection DOAJ
description This article argues that Muslims have created a specific Muslim Instagram that sustains youthfulness and cultivates their deen (religion). Instagram as a social has become a space for Muslim youth all over the world to share images. These images, being circulated over Instagram across localities, create visual representations for other users. For this research, over 500 images with the hashtags #muslim and #islam were analysed to understand how Muslims represent themselves and their religion online. A two-step methodological procedure involved the adaption of iconographical and iconological techniques of visual art interpretation to the images collected. The concept of youthfulness and the Islamic concept of deen will be discussed in relation to the analysed images to demonstrate the emergence of a Muslim Instagram. Muslim Instagram is a translocal space that enables Muslims to simultaneously act eternally youthful and cultivate their deen. By playing with notions of youthfulness, Muslims recontextualise their faith and practice online to cultivate their deen. They thereby embed Islam and subsume Islamic concepts and practices into modern global lifestyle patterns of consumption.
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spelling doaj.art-127234e68b054a4c9f84bfe66252c5ba2023-12-03T12:09:55ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-07-0113765810.3390/rel13070658Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating DeenFarah Hasan0Faculty of Theology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, GermanyThis article argues that Muslims have created a specific Muslim Instagram that sustains youthfulness and cultivates their deen (religion). Instagram as a social has become a space for Muslim youth all over the world to share images. These images, being circulated over Instagram across localities, create visual representations for other users. For this research, over 500 images with the hashtags #muslim and #islam were analysed to understand how Muslims represent themselves and their religion online. A two-step methodological procedure involved the adaption of iconographical and iconological techniques of visual art interpretation to the images collected. The concept of youthfulness and the Islamic concept of deen will be discussed in relation to the analysed images to demonstrate the emergence of a Muslim Instagram. Muslim Instagram is a translocal space that enables Muslims to simultaneously act eternally youthful and cultivate their deen. By playing with notions of youthfulness, Muslims recontextualise their faith and practice online to cultivate their deen. They thereby embed Islam and subsume Islamic concepts and practices into modern global lifestyle patterns of consumption.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/658global IslamMuslimInstagramIslamiconlinereligion
spellingShingle Farah Hasan
Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen
Religions
global Islam
Muslim
Instagram
Islamic
online
religion
title Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen
title_full Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen
title_fullStr Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen
title_full_unstemmed Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen
title_short Muslim Instagram: Eternal Youthfulness and Cultivating Deen
title_sort muslim instagram eternal youthfulness and cultivating deen
topic global Islam
Muslim
Instagram
Islamic
online
religion
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/7/658
work_keys_str_mv AT farahhasan musliminstagrameternalyouthfulnessandcultivatingdeen