The holy month of Ramadan is marked by social and religious gatherings where Muslim families and friends unite to break their fast together, after sunset during iftar or before dawn during suhoor.
Traditionally, many Muslims increase their attendance at mosques during the month and congregate for longer prayers for taraweeh and qiyam. Some Muslims also spend consecutive days and nights at mosques during the last 10 days of Ramadan (i’tikaf) for prayers.
However, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, this Ramadan, Muslims had to comply with physical distancing measures, including the closing of mosques, monitoring of public gatherings, and other restrictions on movement. This will have direct implications for the social and religious gatherings central to Ramadan, causing people to feel disconnected in all aspects (practices and consumption habits) of being a Muslim.
This year, Muslim Pro’s Ramadan Reconnect campaign, which was officially launched on March 27, invite users to reconnect with their faith through the Muslim Pro app, providing a holistic experience for users to live the 30 days of Ramadan through its many different lifestyle offerings such as food, health, soul, and conversations on the Muslim identity, as well as through a variety of in-app content consisting of video series, articles, and a Ramadan starter kit.
Muslim Pro will be collaborating with Muslim KOLs and content creators from around the world as the brand believes in showcasing the rich and diverse global Muslim community.
Fara Abdullah, Co-CEO at Muslim Pro said: “We have had an incredible year with a few key milestones and achievements such as the highly successful Khatam Qur’an campaign last Ramadan and new features such as our Streak Rewards. This Ramadan, we are featuring our beautiful and diverse Muslim cultures from around the world through our Muslim Pro brand, as there isn’t a cookie-cutter representation on the Muslim identity.”
Technology has been instrumental in keeping Muslims spiritually connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to play a role in enabling young Muslims to access their faith wherever they are. But tech also provides a means for platforms like Muslim Pro to elevate Muslim voices, perspectives, and profiles globally.
Despite making up almost a quarter of the world’s population, Muslims remain almost invisible in industries such as entertainment. While a few Muslim stars have made undeniable progress, Muslims worldwide have only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible. Countless stories are waiting to be explored.
“Muslim Pro aims to give Muslims around the world the stories, entertainment and enriching content that they are seeking. We want to open the door to users who might not have interest in an app focused solely on religious matters. We have invested in content across various lifestyle topics without losing sight of our company vision—reconnecting Muslims around the world through technology,” said Fara.
Bitsmedia has promoted Fara Abdullah and Nik Emir Din as Co-CEOs to drive the company’s next phase of growth. The new appointments come as former CEO Louis-Bernard Carcouet steps down to take on a senior advisory role with the company.
In their new roles, Fara and Nik will lead Bitsmedia’s new direction as a leading global provider of Muslim lifestyle services. A new product is expected to be launched within the year under Bitsmedia.
In the past year, Muslim Pro has been expanding its offerings with more lifestyle-driven initiatives, investing in content development and community-centric features to further engage its users across the world.
“I am excited for Nik and Fara to lead Bitsmedia and Muslim Pro into its next phase of growth. There are currently 2 billion Muslims around the world belonging to diverse communities — each with their own customs, language, traditions and ways of life — and they’re seeking tools and content to connect more deeply with their spirituality. We believe there’s plenty of room to grow and meet evolving needs of Muslims everywhere, and Fara and Nik are just the right people to achieve it,” said Carcouet.
Speaking on his appointment, Nik said: “Having worked at Bitsmedia for the past four years, I am familiar with the culture and vision of the company. It is extremely rewarding to be part of a team that is helping Muslims all over the world connect with their faith through a more holistic approach. This year, we are making an aggressive push into content offerings and we are all working very hard towards achieving this vision. I cannot ask for a better team to spearhead this growth.”
“I am proud to be working alongside talented and passionate people who are constantly innovating and finding new ways to enhance the Muslim Pro app for all our users. 2022 will be a big year for us at Bitsmedia and Muslim Pro, as we work on launching a new product and service — the biggest thing we are working on since the inception of Muslim Pro. I am humbled to be appointed as the company’s first female CEO, and I look forward to working with Nik to further develop Muslim Pro as well as future brands under Bitsmedia and enter the next frontier in growth,” said Fara.
Prior to their promotion, Nik was Chief Financial Officer and Country Manager of Malaysia since joining the company in 2018, and Fara took on the Managing Director role based in its headquarters in Singapore after joining the company in 2021.
Nik brings with him a strong background in finance and investment, having previously worked at RHB Banking Group’s regional investment banking outfits and sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional. In his new role, Nik will take charge of the finance, legal, human resources, and technology departments of the company.
Fara comes armed with an in-depth knowledge of marketing and business development. She has taken on roles in Pearson Education and Danone where she was responsible for the development of global brands in strategic accounts and markets across the APAC region. In her new role, Fara will helm the commercial, marketing, communications and product development arm of the company.
Muslim Pro, the world’s most popular Muslim lifestyle app with over 120 million downloads worldwide, has raised over USD $115,000 with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in its efforts for the children affected by the crisis in Afghanistan.
The two-month campaign was well received by the app’s audience, successfully raising 70% of the target within the first month. The campaign signifies a continued collaboration with UNICEF, with Muslim Pro supporting the Children in Yemen Appeal campaign in May, coinciding with the app’s larger Ramadan campaign, which saw close to 500,000 completed Quran readings globally.
Fara Abdullah, Managing Director at Muslim Pro said: “We have had an incredible 2021 with UNICEF in its efforts to support the global community in need. In total, USD $165,000 was raised to support UNICEF’s emergency fund campaigns. We are extremely pleased with our crowdfunding efforts for the children of Afghanistan.”
The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly with the recent political and socioeconomic developments. Essential services are on the brink of collapse, exacerbating the needs of an already vulnerable population.
With the support through Muslim Pro crowdfunding efforts and donors all over the world, UNICEF was able to provide life-saving services such as ready-to-use therapeutic food to nourish starving children; water trucking to the most in need communities; education supplies to children, including girls; and mobile health clinics to bring urgent medical care directly to vulnerable families and children in hard-to-reach areas.
Fara added: “Muslim Pro would like to thank each and everyone who has made this fundraiser a success. We also look forward to our continued efforts with UNICEF and encourage the global community to help out the less fortunate in any way they can.”
Muslim Pro has partnered with a Malaysian non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pertubuhan Kebajikan Sedulur (SEDULUR) to donate food and essential supplies to 410 affected homes in the Klang, Shah Alam, Hulu Langat, and Banting areas in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
As part of its support for flood relief efforts, Muslim Pro donated USD $10,000 (RM 42,265) to flood-hit households at Orang Asli Mah Meri at Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Bumbun in Kuala Langat; residents in Sungai Lui, Batu 18 Hulu Langat, residents at Kampung Bukit Lanchong, Klang; and residents at Section 23 and Jalan Impian, Shah Alam.
“Muslim Pro is deeply saddened by the recent floods and is committed to playing our part to help individuals and families impacted, including those who have lost their homes in this tragedy. We hope that by joining community efforts to help flood victims, we can play a small part in helping families recover and rebuild,” said Nik Emir Din, Muslim Pro’s chief financial officer and country manager for Malaysia.
As part of Muslim Pro and SEDULUR’s relief efforts, families will be provided with food and essential supplies consisting of pantry essentials, personal hygiene products, and medicines. Key household items, such as mattresses, pillows, blankets, stoves and cleaning supplies will also be provided to affected families.
SEDULUR, in collaboration with other NGOs, have mobilised over 100 volunteers to assist affected communities in their cleaning efforts.
“We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support we have received from organisations such as Muslim Pro and members of public. This genuinely shows the ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ (Malaysian Family) spirit, and how we are coming together despite our differences to help each other in times of need,” said Abdul Rahman Nikman, SEDULUR’s chairman.
“During times of crisis, such as this, let us be thankful and reflect upon what we have and pray for the safety and recovery of all the flood victims,” he added.
SEDULUR has distributed 410 food and essential packs to households, and will be rolling out the distribution of cleaning supplies and household essentials in stages. Volunteers will be mobilised to help with neighbourhood cleanups for the communities throughout the flood disaster.
This is the second time Muslim Pro is partnering with SEDULUR. The first collaboration came in July this year to provide food aid to B40 communities directly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Muslim Pro, the world’s most popular Muslim lifestyle and religious app with 100 million downloads globally to date, is supporting UNICEF in its emergency fundraising efforts for the children affected by the crisis in Afghanistan.
The crowdfunding effort follows a successful campaign in May 2021 where Muslim Pro collaborated with UNICEF for its Children in Yemen Appeal, coinciding with the app’s larger Ramadan campaign which saw close to 500,000 completed Quran readings worldwide.
Fara Abdullah, Managing Director at Muslim Pro said: “The Muslim Pro app has had an amazing year with some great highs which included the highly successful Khatam Quran campaign last Ramadan. The campaign also witnessed us collaborating with UNICEF for their Children in Yemen Appeal. However, our efforts should not end there, especially when there are millions of children in Afghanistan who are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. It is only right for Muslim Pro to step up and raise awareness about the crisis in the country and end the year on a proper high.”
The Crisis in Afghanistan
Muslim Pro users may donate to UNICEF until 8 November 2021 via an in-app link at https://bit.ly/3mLaTGh to support the organisation’s emergency response and overall work to support the humanitarian assistance for the children in Afghanistan.
According to UNICEF, Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places to be a child. War, destruction and loss are commonplace to the children, families, and communities in Afghanistan. However, escalation in tension and violence in the country is further threatening the situation which is also becoming more desperate.
Fara added: “We hope that the global community can step up in solidarity to help the children in Afghanistan who are suffering from the crisis. Muslim Pro is committed to this campaign and we will work hard in raising awareness about the situation in which the children in Afghanistan are living in.”
SINGAPORE, 30 April 2021 – Muslim Pro, the world’s most popular Muslim religious and community app with 100 million downloads to date, is collaborating with UNICEF as it launches its first-ever crowdfunding effort to raise money for its Children in Yemen Appeal.
The crowdfunding effort follows strong support for Muslim Pro’s Khatam Quran campaign, which encourages users to complete readings of the Quran during Ramadan. The campaign has far exceeded its expectations, with close to 500,000 Quran readings being created worldwide since the start of Ramadan.
Besides the crowdfunding effort, Muslim Pro has pledged to donate to UNICEF and Indonesia’s Islamic philanthropy organisation Dompet Dhuafa to support children’s educational needs – in line with its Khatam Quran campaign goals and objective to send disadvantaged children to school.
Muslim Pro designed its Khatam feature with a purpose: to convert good intentions into positive action. The campaign aims to reach at least 10,000 Quran completions, and has pledged to contribute to the education of disadvantaged children after it achieves this target.
Zahariah Jupary, Head of Community for Muslim Pro said: “Although the Khatam Quran campaign is only for this Ramadan, we want it to have a positive and lasting impact on community.
“The response to the Khatam feature has already been impressive, and this week, more than 7,000 individuals and groups have completed their Quran readings. All these readings mean that Muslim Pro can help empower hundreds of disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Yemen and Indonesia.”
#Giftofkhatam: Empowering children
Muslim Pro users can donate to UNICEF throughout Ramadan until the end of May via an in-app link at https://help.unicef.org/yemen/muslim-pro to support the organisation’s emergency response and overall work to support the education of children in Yemen.
Besides the crowdfunding effort, Muslim Pro will also make a corporate donation to UNICEF.
Yemen is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with more than 24 million people – some 80% of the population and more than 12 million children – in need of assistance. The damage and closure of schools and hospitals has disrupted access to education and health services, leaving children even more vulnerable and robbing them of their future. As well as supporting the immediate emergency needs of children whose
access to food and water is severely limited, the UNICEF appeal aims to look at the long-term development of the country and the future of its children. Approximately 8.1 million school-age girls and boys need Education in Emergencies (EiE) assistance across Yemen. More than 2.2 million children in Yemen are out of school.
Muslim Pro’s corporate donation to Indonesia-based Islamic charity organisation Dompet Dhuafa (dompetdhuafa.org) will support its pre-school programme that serves Muslim children aged three to five years old, in Bogor, Indonesia for one year. The programme is intended for families with economic limitations and allows children to attend kindergarten rooted in Islamic values. Muslim Pro will also donate Ramadan gifts (a schoolkit and a Quran) to 250 students in Dompet Dhuafa’s E-Tahfidz School, a free senior high school Islamic programme for high-achieving students from underprivileged backgrounds.
#UnitedinKhatam: Khatam Quran campaign
From the 500,000 Quran readings that have been created, Indonesia tops the list of countries with the highest number of Khatams completed, followed by India and France.
More than eight in ten (80.1%) of Khatam Quran users read from Muslim Pro’s digital Quran, while nearly 20% are using the app to track reading of a physical Quran.
Reciting the Quran in Ramadan is a religious practice that Muslims believe gives spiritual benefits to the person reading and completing it throughout this month. Muslim Pro’s free feature gives users complete flexibility in choosing how to complete their Quran reading: either individually or in groups of up to 30, and either reading the Quran digitally through the app, or tracking their progress in the app as they read a physical copy of the Quran.
Ms Zahariah added: “Although we had hoped to see an improvement in the COVID-19 situation for this second Ramadan spent in a pandemic, we are pleased to see that our app continues to be of a great support and aid to Muslims all over the world as our features help bridge physical distances in the practice of our faith.”
The Muslim Pro app or Muslim Pro’s khatam Quran feature can be downloaded here https://go.muslimpro.com/prkhatam. Muslim Pro has more than 100 million downloads in over 190 countries across users of all ages.
More people prefer to go online or use a mobile app to read the Bible, Quran or other religious resources instead of using traditional print, according to a new survey of US consumers commissioned by the popular religious and community app Muslim Pro.
The survey provides new insight into how religious communities across the United States have coped with the pandemic, which has significantly restricted the way people live and connect.
Other survey findings include:
Zahariah Jupary, Head of Community at Muslim Pro, said: “The closure of many places of worship and the rise in technology during the pandemic has had a significant impact on the way people practice their faith. Times of crisis and disaster often bring people together but what is also evident from the findings of the survey is that people are relying more on their faith communities, and it has strengthened their resolve to find new ways to practice their faith, even when there hasn’t been a physical place of worship for them to visit.”
The survey coincides with the launch of Muslim Pro’s latest khatam feature on the app, in line with Muslim Pro’s vision of empowering Muslims to strengthen their faith. This feature enables users to complete reading the Quran in 30 days individually and in groups, allowing global Muslims to connect with one another virtually through the mobile app, despite the distance between them.
The research was conducted by Censuswide, with 1,033 respondents aged 16+ in the US between 29 March 2021 and 01 April 2021. The survey was conducted from a sample of US adults, with a minimum of 50 from religious groups including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.
Americans found different ways to cope with the COVID restrictions, according to the survey findings. Half the participants (52%), regardless of whether they followed a religion or not, said that by far the biggest driver keeping them going was having a positive attitude, while being able to connect with family (48%) was another big factor in keeping their spirits up.
Nearly a third (32%) of those surveyed also used prayer to keep them going, and nearly two in ten (17%) said reading from the Bible, Quran, Torah or other religious texts during the crisis helped them cope. Another element that helped people get through lockdown restrictions was practising gratitude, with 21% of participants saying that it helped to focus on the good things in life.
Over one in ten (14%) also said they had re-connected with a religion and 8% said they had turned to prayer for the first time since the pandemic began. Those who said they had turned to prayer for the first time included 23% of Muslims surveyed, 12% of Hindu and 7% of Christian participants.
Ms Jupary said: “As we approach Ramadan in the middle of a pandemic that has separated many families and friends, Muslims who want to complete the Quran during Ramadhan face additional challenges. Reciting the Quran in Ramadan is a practice that Muslims believe gives spiritual benefits to the person reading and finishing it through the month, but as the survey shows trying to keep track of their progress is an issue for three in ten Muslims.”
The survey tracked Muslim Pro’s user trends, which have shown an increase since the COVID-19 pandemic started, said Ms Jupary. As such, the app had continually introduced new features to enrich Muslims in their Islamic way of life.
Muslim Pro’s new khatam feature also allows parts of the Quran to be assigned to group members to read, as well to as nudge members to complete their readings. Achievement badges will be awarded to users who complete parts of the Quran, which they can share on social media to encourage others to khatam Quran. Muslim Pro has also designed its khatam feature with a purpose: to convert good intention into positive action. For this Ramadan, Muslim Pro will partner with global and local charities to raise funds for children’s education. Muslim Pro aims to reach 10,000 Quran completions over the Ramadan period.
Muslim Pro has more than 100 million downloads in over 200 countries across users of all age ranges. Download the Muslim Pro app or Muslim Pro’s khatam Quran feature here https://go.muslimpro.com/prkhatamus
Have a playlist for your music? What about one for the Quran?
Muslim Pro has just released the Quran Playlist, our latest development in the Quran feature just in time for Ramadan 2020. Users can now create your own Quran Playlist with your favourite surahs and share the Quran Playlist with family and friends.
Muslim Pro’s Quran Playlist consists of Featured Playlists that you could follow and your own Quran Playlist creations. We will continuously craft Featured Playlists that are relevant for our users to follow. You can tell if it’s one of ours by the Muslim Pro logo on the top left corner.
There are so many ways you can fully maximise the benefits of creating your own Quran Playlist.
How ever you use it, Muslim Pro’s Quran Playlist enables you to create a playlist for the Surahs that are personalized to your needs and situations. Each Quran Playlist enables you to include a playlist name, description and a cover image. Once you’ve created your Quran Playlist, you could also share it with your family and friends so that they could benefit from your playlist too. You can always add more surahs to the playlist or edit it anytime you want.
May this new feature bring ease to you and your loved ones in getting closer to the Quran. This feature is available on the latest app update on iOS and Android.
Singapore, April 10th 2020 — Muslim Pro as the No. 1 Islamic mobile app with more than 85 million downloads from around the world has launched a global campaign called the ‘World Quran Month’ (WQM).
In conjunction with the holy month of Ramadan where the Quran was revealed, the WQM campaign aims to encourage the global Muslim community “Ummah” around the world to reconnect with the Quran through a pledge campaign.
With Muslim Pro’s vast global community base, WQM is expected to reach 1 Million or more pledges to read the Quran this Ramadan and to become the world’s largest global Quran movement.
WQM goes far beyond the symbolic action of just reading the Quran. Muslim Pro hopes that this campaign will also be an act of solidarity to bring the global Ummah together and recite the Quran to ask for Allah’s protection during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the campaign’s main missions is to instill Quran recitation and appreciation as a daily routine during Ramadan and even after the fasting month ends.
Zahariah Jupary, Project Manager of Muslim Pro said, “Everyone’s relationship with the Quran differs. One may recite it regularly, others may not have for months or even years. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslim Pro would like to call for the Ummah around the world to take a pledge and read the Quran. It is never too late to start again and to reconnect with the Quran.”
Through this WQM campaign, the Muslim community can choose between two pledges:
Pledge 1: #1Day1Ayah, where they should read 1 ayah (verse) per day during Ramadan;
or
Pledge 2: #30Days30Juz, where they should complete (Khatam) all 30 Juz of the Quran during Ramadan.
For those that take the pledge before the 24th of April, they will receive a 30% discount code for Muslim Pro’s Lifetime Premium subscription.
Along with the WQM campaign, Muslim Pro has just released the Quran Playlist, their latest development in the Quran feature. Users can now create their own Quran Playlist for their favourite surahs using this new feature and share their Quran Playlist with family and friends.
For more information about the World Quran Month campaign and to take the pledge, visit https://muslimpro.com/worldquranmonth.
Muslim Pro also welcomes any partners, ambassadors or organisations to get in touch with us to help spread the message and unite the global Muslim community around this campaign.
About Muslim Pro
Muslim Pro was first established in the year 2010. With more than 85 million downloads from over 200 countries, Muslim Pro is the leading mobile application for Muslims. The app is recognized by millions of Islam followers through the world as the most accurate prayer time and azan application on mobile devices. It features the full Quran with Arabic scripts, phonetics, translations and audio recitations, Qibla locator, Islamic Hijri calendar, map of halal restaurants and Mosques, and much more. Muslim Pro also offers comprehensive religious, lifestyle and community features and has been awarded the Islamic Economy Award (Media category) at the Global Islamic Economic Summit 2018.
The Muslim Pro application is available for both iOS and Android.
For media/partner enquiries, please contact:
Zahariah Jupary
Project Manager
Muslim Pro
Email: za@muslimpro.com
Website: muslimpro.com
Instagram: @muslimproapp
Facebook: @MuslimPro, @MuslimProIndonesia
Twitter: @MuslimPro, @MuslimProID, @MuslimProFR
KaiOS is the emerging mobile operating system installed in over 100 million devices. About half the people in the world do not have access to the Internet or smartphones. KaiOS is bridging this digital divide with a lightweight mobile operating system that brings wi-fi, GPS, apps and other advanced features to affordable phones.
Muslim Pro is recognized by millions of Islam followers around the world as the most accurate Prayer times & Adhan application on mobile devices. In partnership with KaiOS, we build a simple Muslim Pro user interface for the KaiOS device that focused on providing valuable information such as Prayer Times, Qibla direction and the Daily Inspiration.
In the KaiOS platform, Muslim Pro users could manually select their Location and Prayer Time Conventions to get accurate prayer timings. Users can also choose to turn on or off the audio notification for the call for prayers (Adhan).
Muslim Pro simplifies the Qibla direction based on users location for the KaiOS devices.
With Daily Inspiration being one of Muslim Pro users favourited content, these inspiration cards are also made available for our KaiOS users to get inspired.
The Muslim Pro app is currently available on KaiStore in 9 languages (English, Bangla, Malay, Indonesian, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, French, Spanish).
Developing for the KaiOS platform was a new experience for the Muslim Pro team and we hope to inspire more users in the KaiOS community in their spiritual journey. Muslim Pro will continue to explore opportunities to make the app available in other languages and to improve the features to keep the community engaged and strengthen their faith.
You can read the full list of KaiOS devices and the companies that manufacture them here. Check out the Muslim Pro app on KaiStore now and let us know what you think!