du embraces the spirit of Ramadan through novel social media campaign

With the intention of spreading the true meaning of Ramadan while reaching out to the web-savvy generation, du announced a series of initiatives on its social media platforms – Facebook and Twitter. Social media is an additional channel du has adopted to provide religious insights through one of Islam’s most popular Sheikhs and a Qur’an recitation competition, to be held throughout the Holy Month.

du is launching two Ramadan initiatives as part of the campaign. The first of these is ‘Ask the Sheikh’, an interactive daily hour -long session that offers customers a direct line to Sheikh Mohammad Al Arefe, one of the most popular Sheikhs in the Islamic world, allowing them to ask him Fatwa-related questions. du customers can submit their queries in either Arabic or English through a dedicated tab on the “du and friends” Facebook page.  Alternatively, they can call him on +971559335050 daily from 3-4 Pm. Sheikh Mohammad Al Arefe will answer calls from du customers, who will then be able to discuss their Fatwa-related question with him. All the “Bonus on Incoming” credit earned at the end of the month on the specified number will be donated to the Iftar distributions. The conversations with the Sheikh during the session will be recorded and uploaded onto du’s Facebook page and accessible via an audio gallery, so that anyone who didn’t get the chance to speak to the Sheikh can listen to the recorded sessions online. 

The second initiative is ‘Khatim Al Qur’an’, a recitation competition. Traditionally, Muslims attempt to read the entire Qur’an before the end of Ramadan; through this competition, contestants will be  able to upload a demo of their Qur’an recitation to the du’s Facebook page or record it by calling +971559445050 Sheikh Shirzad Abdul Rahman will go through the entries and select a winner on a daily basis, with 30 winners in total. Winners will have the privilege to participate in a professional recording of the full Holy Qur’an under Sheikh Shirzad’s guidance and will be given the recording after Eid Al Fitr.

“As a telecommunications company, it is only natural that we will come up with new, inventive ways with which we can connect our customers and our community,” commented Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du. “The Holy Month of Ramadan is an especially important time that is steeped in religious introspection. We wanted to come up with a way in which we could enable our customers benefit and get the most blessings during this month, which is why we are providing them with such an insightful explanation of Fatwa, and allowing them to demonstrate their creative passion through recitations of the Holy Qur’an.”

Both initiatives utilise Bonus on Incoming-activated mobile lines. Bonus on Incoming is a du-created campaign that, when activated, allows du mobile users to earn 0.01fils of credit for every second of every phone call (originating in the UAE) that they receive. Every time someone calls the number dedicated to ‘Ask the Sheikh’ or records their Holy Qur’an recitation through the phone option, they are donating to those particular lines, which will be converted from credit to money that will go towards funding du’s Mawaed Al Rahman free Iftar meals.

“By activating our Bonus on Incoming promotion on the lines dedicated to our Ramadan initiatives, we are adding an additional layer to our Ramadan campaigns, in observance with the month’s charitable connotations,” added Badri. “Our customers will be able to do a good deed by contributing towards providing nutritious Iftar meals for the less fortunate at our Mawaed Al Rahman. Ramadan is a month where community should draw together and help one another, and we are happy to be lending a helping hand to this end. Ramadan Kareem.”

In addition to donating through the above-mentioned Bonus on Incoming-activated lines, du customers are able to donate money through specified short codes, or can volunteer their time to help distribute meals at du’s Mawaed Al Rahman.