du’s social media initiatives during Ramadan create a buzz

Offering spiritual inspiration throughout the month of Ramadan, du’s online social media initiatives have drawn great interest from not only within the UAE, but further afield, too, as customers seek insight into the true values of the Holy Month through one of Islam’s most popular Sheikhs, and participate in du’s Qur’an recitation competition.
The UAE telecommunications company’s online campaigns are innovative, bringing the spirit of Ramadan to the web-savvy generation. There are two initiatives; the first, ‘Ask the Sheikh’, offers an interactive daily session with Sheikh Mohammad Al Arifi, one of the most popular Sheikhs in the Islamic world. du customers are able to call a dedicated, Bonus on Incoming-activated mobile number (055 933 5050) to directly ask him Fatwa-related questions; alternatively, they can submit queries in either Arabic or English through du’s Facebook application or by SMS short code. The second is ‘Khatim Al Qur’an’, a recitation competition with daily winners chosen by Sheikh Shirzad Abdul Rahman – the 30 winners chosen by the end of Ramadan will receive prizes and will be invited to record a Qur’an chapter for a compilation CD.  Submissions can be made either through du’s Facebook application, or by calling 055 944 5050.
‘Ask the Sheikh’ has received especially strong responses, with people wanting to speak to Islamic expert, Sheikh Mohammad Al Arifi –.  Recordings of all conversations are now available in the sound library, accessible through the dedicated tab on du’s Facebook page, www.fb.com/duandfriends, and everyone is welcome to listen to the insight given by the Sheikh.
Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du, commented: “The response that we have received to our online campaigns is phenomenal – we’ve acquired around 5000 new fans on our Facebook page as a result. Quite clearly there has been a demand for easily accessible information, and we are proud to be able to present such unique initiatives to our customers, in order to enhance their Ramadan experience. We would like to encourage more of our customers to participate in both activities on our Facebook page, in order to reap the full rewards of the Holy Month of Ramadan.”
Both initiatives utilise Bonus on Incoming-activated mobile lines. Bonus on Incoming is a new campaign from du that, when activated, allows du mobile users to earn 0.01fils of credit for every second of every phone call (coming from within 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.
du’s Ramadan activities can all be followed through the telecom’s Facebook page,