In an era where technology is rapidly advancing, and globalization is intertwining various aspects of life, social media platforms have emerged as key players in shaping behaviors and consumer preferences globally, especially among the youth. Over time, these platforms have evolved from mere tools for communication and entertainment to powerful instruments of influence and marketing, significantly reinforcing consumer culture among individuals in their twenties and thirties.

Social media plays a crucial role in shaping the behaviors and consumer tendencies of today's youth. According to a study conducted by eMarketer (a company specializing in internet market research) in 2023, 85% of young people use social media on a daily basis.

Furthermore, a report by Statista, a company specializing in market and consumer data, indicated that the number of social media users worldwide exceeded 3.8 billion in 2021. This has made social media a primary driver of youth behavior and has facilitated easy access to user opinions and experiences with various products and services.

This influence affects purchasing decisions and contributes to the spread of consumer culture, as social media increasingly impacts youth desires and tendencies, encouraging their consumer inclinations through advertisements and content related to products and brands.

Social Pressure

In response to this, young people are greatly influenced by these desires, often resorting to purchasing and consuming even when they have no real need, driven by the social pressure exerted by social media, which places external appearances as a top priority.

In this context, recent statistics indicate that a significant portion of consumers—around 54%—are influenced by social media content in their purchasing decisions, according to a report issued by the Pew Research Center in 2021.

Additionally, a study conducted by Nielsen (a market research company) in 2020 revealed that 49% of consumers trust recommendations they receive through social media platforms. This aligns with a report from eMarketer, which noted that the number of social media users worldwide reached 4.33 billion in 2023, with 54% of them using these platforms to search for new products and services.

The same report highlighted that young people are the most affected age group by advertisements on social media, emphasizing the psychological and intellectual influence on this particular demographic globally, especially in the Arab world.

Advertising products and services through social media is one of the most impactful forms of advertising on youth globally. This is reflected in the average amount of time they spend on these platforms, which is 3.7 hours per day, according to Hootsuite (a company specializing in social media management).

Arab Youth

The situation is no less impactful than its global counterpart. A study conducted by the Gulf Research Institute in 2022 revealed that 60% of Arab youth consider social media a primary source of information about products and services.

Additionally, a study conducted by Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia in 2021 found that 70% of young people rely on social media for research and consultation before making purchases.

“Influencers” are one of the main factors contributing to this significant influence of social media on the youth. They possess the ability to change consumer preferences and guide them toward specific products.

Hootsuite reported that 73% of influencers are effective marketing tools for brands, and product manufacturers already utilize them for promotional purposes.

Targeted advertising for various youth segments plays a significant role in reinforcing consumer culture, as companies use big data to direct advertisements precisely to the appropriate audience.

In this regard, a study published by Forbes magazine in 2021 indicated that 67% of users feel that advertisements on social media influence their purchasing choices.

With the increasing reliance on online shopping, a survey conducted by The Economist in 2022 found that 85% of consumers prefer to shop online after seeing products on social media.

Of course, this influence does not come without its negative aspects. A study published by the Journal of Social Sciences in 2023 found that excessive exposure to advertisements and marketing content can lead to “increased social pressure” to possess the latest goods and services. This contributes to excessive consumer culture that often surpasses individuals' actual needs.

Consequently, social media has become a “facilitator” for addiction that is no less dangerous than drug addiction, whether in terms of psychological or financial impact, according to the aforementioned studies.

Thus, there is an urgent need to raise consumer awareness, particularly among the youth, and encourage them to adopt conscious and responsible consumption. Achieving this can only be accomplished by instilling “non-material” values in their hearts and minds and challenging the culture of appearances reinforced by social media.

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The term "secularism" has historical roots tracing back to Europe’s religious wars in the 17th century and the emergence of the modern nation-state, where power shifted to civil governance, away from the dominance of the Church.

The late scholar Dr. Abdelwahab Elmessiri distinguishes in his encyclopedia "Partial and Comprehensive Secularism" between two approaches to understanding secularism. One confines it to the separation of religion from politics and economics, meaning the separation of religion from the state. This type of secularism does not oppose religious and moral principles but prefers not to involve them in worldly matters subject to experimentation.

Then there is comprehensive secularism, which rigorously seeks to neutralize the relationship between religion and values in all aspects of life. It sees materialism as the sole means of interpreting the world and places it at the center of existence. This perspective emerged alongside the development of secularism itself, the rise of nation-states, European colonialism, increased production, and the erosion of intermediary institutions like the family. It was fueled by utilitarianism devoid of values, rampant consumerism, and phenomena like postmodernism, transnational corporations, sexual deviance, the nuclear family, and the misuse of science in medicine and research.

Secular states, along with their educational, entertainment, and media institutions, have infiltrated human consciousness, dreams, and behavior, undermining what remains of religious or even human ethics.

When Socialism and Liberalism Converged

Elmessiri points to the convergence of Western philosophies in their materialistic essence, regardless of surface differences. The Soviet Union, deeply rooted in comprehensive communism, hastened to adopt liberal values and American consumer goods with fervor after its collapse. On the other hand, the United States, which once allowed religious freedom and Protestant missionary work, became deeply entrenched in secularism and atheism due to the expansion of industrialization and urbanization. The commodification of everything—even humanity—became an American hallmark, exported globally as "Americanization." Symbols like McDonald's, Pepsi, hamburgers, sexualized advertisements, war films, the American lifestyle, and art focused on mundane realities rather than ideals became the most dominant worldwide. This was despite their embedded racism, particularly against the Third World, Arabs, and Muslims.

Globalization has dismembered the world—quite literally—through its colonial expansion and the emergence of Westernized elites in the Third World, ruling through oppression with Western (democratic secular) support. Alternatively, phenomena like Nazism and Zionism dismantled the human spirit, whether it was the Polish and Russian Jews in Europe or Palestinians in the Arab East. It is impossible to separate the history of secularism from the history of modern Western colonialism.

The Nazi and Zionist Models

Modern secularism manifests as the disappearance of values and the sacred from human life, glorifying only commodities and materialism. This led to the digitization of everything, as Elmessiri puts it. He draws a parallel between how European Jews were once treated as disposable objects and deported eastward via "transfer," and how today’s Zionists, backed by America, expel and exterminate Palestinians.

Elmessiri compares Nazi concentration camps and gas chambers to the oppression, extermination, and arrests Palestinians face today at the hands of contemporary Zionist Nazis. These acts are carried out by cold bureaucrats who believe such systematic steps are necessary for the security of “Israel,” the offspring of Western colonialism. For them, it’s a rational matter, devoid of emotions or even historical acknowledgment, as they erase history itself, adhering to Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest logic.

In his renowned book "Modernity and the Holocaust", Polish-English sociologist Zygmunt Bauman links modernity with the collapse of values. With increasing moral relativism and the erosion of religious absolutes, humanity has become fixated on the body, devoid of standards or principles, focusing instead on pragmatic rationalization concerned only with processes, not ends. This is reminiscent of the Nazis, who used "euthanasia" to kill the mentally ill and disabled before advancing to gas chambers for Jews, seeing both as unproductive classes.

Some have linked Turkey’s secular forces during Erbakan’s rule to this trend, as they militarily overthrew the public’s choice of a moderate Islamic party—Welfare Party—turning secular forces into the biggest opponents of democracy. This became a form of fascist secularism until the scales tipped toward moderation later.

Elmessiri highlights the influence of Western pragmatism on Arab political elites over past decades. The Palestinian cause, once centered on land stolen from its people and handed to Jews through massacres and destruction, gradually transformed into reclaiming the 1967 borders. Concessions continued, shifting the discourse post-Camp David agreements toward economic rather than pan-Arab issues. The ultimate hope has now become merely halting the killing of innocents or curbing settlement expansion.

Looking at “Israel,” it becomes clear that it is merely a practical application of Western imperialism, which has historically exterminated millions and plundered resources in Africa and Latin America for its benefit. Zionism, as a secular Darwinian movement, commodified Jews and Palestinians to serve its ends, much like it did in Vietnam, Bosnia, Chechnya, and other operations led by American intelligence.

Secularism from Within

Secularism has never upheld dreams of peace, justice, or equality as it claims. The French Revolution marked an era of sacred violence, Napoleon’s armies wrought destruction and death in Eastern lands, the British Empire looted and enslaved nations, and the Bolshevik Revolution gave rise to Stalin in Russia. Thus, secular regimes around the world share a similar trajectory.

In his encyclopedia, Elmessiri dedicates sections to the grim models produced by secularism. These include:

• The Singaporean hero, reduced to a production machine in a market driven by consumption.
• The Thai hero, turned into a marketable sexual commodity.
• The Zionist hero, characterized by brute materialistic force devoid of any value, who decides on the annihilation of others in camps.

Colonialism, with its "transfer" ideology, created human beings devoid of loyalty to culture or place. It relocated surplus populations to serve its interests, such as Chinese to Malaysia, Jews to Palestine, and even Jews to Argentina. This logic of uprooting extended to human identity itself.

The idea of transition and instability has evolved to encompass even human genders, with men transforming into women and vice versa. Advocacy now supports free choice in partnerships, allowing same-sex marriages, plunging humanity into a quagmire of deviation from any values or natural instincts.

Thus, comprehensive secularism has dehumanized people, treating them as raw materials, cheap labor, and guaranteed markets for the benefit of the superior and more dominant races in its biased colonial view. It has encouraged the division of the world into small nation-states, fueled conflicts to maintain its dominance, and simultaneously elevated consumption rates. Through Americanization, it eradicated cultural distinctiveness, celebrated immediate gratification of desires outside traditional frameworks, and denied the sanctity of humanity while idolizing materialism.

Our duty is to confront secularism with a comprehensive project that expresses our open, civilized, and authentic Arab-Islamic identity, instilling it in future generations.

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Most television viewers in the eighties and nineties, especially from Arab and Islamic countries, cannot forget the astonishment that struck them whenever they watched fashion shows or the latest haircuts in the United States or Europe. They would often exclaim in disbelief, “What is this crazy world?! Can any sane person anywhere in the world wear such clothes or style their hair in such a way?!”

This astonishment was justified for two primary reasons: firstly, the designs of these fashions were entirely inappropriate for the religious values or societal customs that most people in these countries adhered to. Secondly, the number of people who followed or adhered to such new designs or trends was limited even in their countries of origin, mostly belonging to specific social or professional groups or rebellious youth movements.

Soft Infiltration

It's not difficult to divide the relationship of our Arab and Islamic countries with Western fashion and its trends into two historical phases. The first phase was the period of Western colonization, during which the West controlled these countries and their resources. This created a sense of inferiority among some, leading to a desire to imitate the West in every movement and stillness, to the extent that some intellectual and cultural elites openly advocated for it. They were leaders of the Westernization trend, seeing the West as the pinnacle of progress and scientific advancement. This call was met by limited societal groups.

At first, some of these individuals firmly believed that following these fashion trends was a sign of sophistication and civilization, marking the belonging to high social classes. This belief, besides being considered a necessity of “elegance,” became a measure of the openness and desire to keep up with development and imitate the West.

The second phase began after the departure of foreign occupation and the rise of national sentiment among most populations, who earnestly sought to reclaim their religious values and unique traditions and heritage. This made fashion programs and their content a source of mockery for many years. People only watched them out of necessity, as they occupied a time slot on limited television channels back then, or as an amusing form of entertainment, remaining largely ineffective.

However, in contrast, the West did not tire of working to standardize societies according to its desires, focusing on other mechanisms that, though old, were more effective. One of the most notable was cinema. The fame gained by actors and actresses was enough to make them models for imitation by young men and women, particularly those belonging to specific social classes. This imitation then slowly spread to other segments of society.

Then came globalization and the accompanying communication revolution, which supported the Western aim of standardizing societies, not just in terms of fashion or hairstyles, but in everything that a person might use or do: cars, electrical appliances, accessories, even types of food and drinks, and ways of eating and moving.

Class-based Fashion

Over time, we ended up with two types of fashion and new trends. One type is followed by the social elite and the wealthy, involving global brands (labels) in fashion, and the accessories that come with it, such as expensive glasses, key chains, watches, rings, and bracelets. The other type is the fashion of the poor, laborers, and marginalized groups in popular areas. These groups also keenly follow their trends, some of which try to imitate the fashion of the wealthy, at least in appearance.

Despite both groups adhering to fashion, there is a significant disparity in their appearances, naturally reinforcing social class distinctions and creating a vast gap between two classes. However, the important thing for the West is to standardize the lives of both classes and push them to eagerly follow everything it offers, keeping everyone within its control.

Fashion and Identity

Some might argue that there is no connection between adhering to national attire and maintaining identity. After all, some nations have changed aspects of their culture but preserved their national attire as a symbol. Other nations have not held on to their national dress but have separated it from the ability to innovate culturally and maintain their identity. Supporting this is the fact that Islam does not prescribe a specific dress code for men or women but sets certain standards to ensure modesty and cover.

However, amidst the identity struggle, it has become clear that attire is indeed an expression of identity and that clothing is a symbol of nations. This is highlighted by Western scholar Bernard Lewis, who stated, "Clothing expresses identity and affiliation." Therefore, especially for women, and in this era of cultural and civilizational subjugation, Arab and Islamic societies have not been immune to the frenzy of Western fashion and clothing. Unfortunately, many have chased after the latest fashion trends, cosmetics, and designs from Western fashion houses, imitating Western women in their dress and customs. Meanwhile, some Western fashion lines have blurred the lines between men's and women's clothing, leading many men to imitate women's clothing styles and vice versa, which clearly contradicts Islamic teachings and societal customs.

Beauty Standards

The issue did not stop at the globalization of fashion and its trends. The West aimed for a deeper goal: to establish new standards of beauty for men and women, which in themselves became a vast trade, generating enormous profits. For example, the newly marketed standard of female beauty in the West required tools that the West itself manufactured and continually developed.

Naturally, the West aimed to overturn a value principle upheld by most societies: that a woman's beauty is not in her face but in her morals. The model the West persistently presented and promoted was one of allure and seduction, with specific characteristics defined by the West. The West used all forms of psychological influence to convince others, resulting in staggering figures for the consumption of cosmetics, powders, hair dyes, nail polishes, lipsticks, perfumes, and slimming drugs and devices, which have multiplied fivefold in the past thirty years according to statistics.

Additionally, the phenomenon of skin whitening to resemble Western blondes or tanning to achieve a bronze look, millions of liposuction and lip augmentation, face and neck lifts, and cosmetic surgeries in various body parts to conform to Western standards, have all spread. These standards continuously evolve based on developments in Europe and America, which certainly do not align with the beauty standards traditionally upheld by different nations.

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The slogan "Halal" has deeply penetrated global food markets. It's rare to find a major food market anywhere in the world without the word "Halal" displayed on a sign, restaurant, or product packaging. This slogan embodies significant meanings, primarily the religious perspective on food and the jurisprudential rulings regarding certain foods. It also serves as an introduction to Islam for many non-Muslims and creates shared spaces for interaction between Muslims and others. Moreover, "Halal" foods have become a health and ethical preference for a significant portion of the global population, representing a symbol of ethical and healthy food consumption.

The Zionist writer Melanie Phillips, in her book Londonistan published 18 years ago, noted the positive interaction fostered by halal food between Muslims and others. However, she warned that halal food is merely the beginning of imposing a separate Islamic identity and subsequently Islamic law, which does not recognize the state. She suggested that this allows the Muslim minority to impose its values on British society, seemingly to support the campaign of fear against Islam.

A Promising Global Market

Human daily activity is closely tied to seeking food, consuming significant effort, expenses, and health resources. Consequently, religion has regulated this relationship. Islam introduced the concept of wholesome food, emphasizing that food must be from lawful sources and inherently good and beneficial. Hence, food-related rulings occupy a considerable space in Islamic jurisprudence.

In the era of globalization, statistics indicate that the average spending on food accounts for 40% of income in low-income economies, 22% in middle-income economies, and 10% in high-income economies. This underscores how food acts as a medium for cultural, civilizational, and religious interaction.

In 2023, the halal food market reached approximately $2.3 trillion (specifically $2,339.1 billion), growing at an annual rate of around 10%. By 2030, it is expected to reach $5.2 trillion. Halal consumers exhibit greater loyalty to halal-certified brands compared to the average consumer. They are also willing to pay extra for compliance with halal standards, making halal projects among the most profitable globally. Estimates suggest there are over two billion halal food consumers worldwide.

Interestingly, malls, considered hubs of globalization, have become key venues for marketing halal food to those seeking safe shopping. According to the United Nations, 56.9% of the global population lived in urban areas in 2022. This percentage rises to 79.9% in developed countries, compared to 52.3% in developing countries, making mall shopping predominant and driving the presentation of halal products there.

For over four decades, the "Halal" label has been prominently featured on global dining tables, with non-Muslim countries being the largest providers of halal food. Non-Muslim countries account for approximately 85% of the global halal product market, while Muslim countries contribute only 15%.

Given the increasing global demand for halal food, more than 36 halal certification bodies operate in over 18 countries. Halal food scarcity can even hinder tourism; for instance, a 2023 survey cited by Japan in Arabic revealed that 86% of respondents expressed concern over the lack of halal restaurants and stores.

Food and Health

According to the World Health Organization, unsafe food causes over 600 million cases of illness annually, resulting in more than 420,000 deaths. The organization estimates that unsafe food wastes over 33 million years of healthy life annually. Awareness of the strong link between food and public health has driven millions to seek food that meets stringent health and ethical standards, making halal food a preference even for non-Muslims.

In October 2022, the journal Food Bioscience published a field study by researchers from the University of Extremadura, Spain. The study compared the physical, chemical, and nutritional properties of halal and non-halal meats, focusing on beef and lamb. It analyzed the impact of their consumption on body composition, gut microbiota, and antioxidants. The findings highlighted the positive effects of halal meat on participants' weight, muscle mass, body fat, and antioxidant status without altering gut microbiota or biomarkers like glucose, insulin, or iron levels. This explains why halal meat counters attract both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. For example, in Britain, 70% of consumers prefer halal meat over conventional meat.

What distinguishes the halal meat market is that religious requirements extend beyond the slaughtering process to the animal's upbringing, emphasizing a diet of grass and beneficial, clean feed. Meat from animals raised on impure or harmful substances is considered detrimental. Islamic jurisprudence, particularly the Hanbali school, prohibits consuming meat from animals predominantly fed on impure substances, termed "jallalah" (a jurisprudential term for animals whose diet significantly impacts their flesh and milk). For non-Muslims, the halal label is often associated with organic meat, which adheres to strict standards of quality and cleanliness, starting from the animal's upbringing to its arrival on the consumer's table. This similarity has increased non-Muslim demand for halal meat.

Globalization has facilitated the establishment of major halal certification bodies, such as the World Halal Council (WHC), founded in 1999 to standardize halal certification processes. The council initiated the designation of Ramadan 17 as the "World Halal Day," commemorating the revelation of the verse: "So consume what you have taken of war booty [as being] lawful and good" (Al-Anfal: 69).

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1. The Halal certification began in the West in the mid-1960s in the United States, initiated by Muslim food experts as a necessity for Muslims living in a non-Muslim society.

2. A shopping mall typically offers more than 40,000 items.

3. The ten largest exporters of Halal products are India, Brazil, Austria, the United States, Argentina, New Zealand, France, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore.

4. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Turkey are among the leading Muslim countries contributing to the Halal economy, with Turkey's exports exceeding $20 billion annually.

5. European laws mandate the stunning of animals before slaughter. In 2012, the European Union passed a law requiring countries to double the stunning level for poultry before slaughter, often using carbon dioxide gas, which usually results in the animal's death before slaughter.

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The globalization of customs and traditions poses a significant threat to identity, especially with the spread of fashion culture and "brands" and the growing consumerism of everything new and Western. This embodies a new form of occupation, one that captures minds and hearts before occupying land and countries.

Al-Mujtama'a engaged with a number of experts and academics to outline a prescription to confront this threat and to reveal its dimensions to the new generations, influenced by the wave of Americanization under the slogans of modernity, globalization, renewal, and progressiveness—hollow slogans based on stripping away will and erasing identity.

Dr. Iqbal Al-Samalooti, a professor of sociology, states that the fall of socialist societies provided a golden opportunity for the advocates of globalization, not only in the economy but also in culture and its related customs and traditions, where the Western model was presented as an ideal to follow and a symbol of progress and civilization, even if it was socially and culturally unacceptable in our conservative societies.

She told Al-Mujtama'a that Western media and its followers in our Arab and Islamic world played a role in embellishing Western customs and traditions, persistently working to absorb the initial wave of rejection, and gradually turning rejection into acceptance, even addiction, after replacing Western customs in clothing, food, drink, family life, and social life with our own traditions.

Al-Samalooti believes that multinational corporations played a significant role in accelerating the globalization of our customs and traditions through trends in both men's and women's fashion, introducing revealing clothing, Western cosmetics, ripped jeans, fast food, and globally branded restaurants. She also points to satanic hairstyles adopted by celebrities and tattoos, which are religiously forbidden and traditionally rejected. With the promotion of this culture, these customs and appearances have become symbols of modernity and civilization!

Susceptibility to Colonialism

Dr. Mukhtar Ghubashi, Deputy Director of the Arab Center for Political Studies, explained to Al-Mujtama'a that the project of globalizing customs and traditions has been framed within global theories promoted by people like Francis Fukuyama, the Japanese-born, American political scientist who proposed the “End of History” theory. This theory asserts the inevitability of the triumph of Western civilization, values, and morals and the spread of its customs, claiming that Western liberal democracy and capitalism represent the pinnacle of human intellectual achievement, signaling the end of other ideologies, whether Islamic or Eastern.

Ghubashi describes the current situation as a form of cultural, social, and economic invasion, positioning us as prey fallen victim to globalization, dependence, and blind imitation of the West, in line with what Algerian thinker Malik Bennabi called the "susceptibility to colonialism."

Dr. Jamal Shafeeq, Head of the Psychological Studies Center at Ain Shams University, shares this view, warning against the increasing objectification of women, who have become tools for promoting products from needles to rockets. The situation has worsened with the "trend cancer" that has infected social media, making the younger generation a victim of "TikTok" clips and others in pursuit of fame and money.

Shafeeq highlights another aspect of this globalization: the emergence of the term "cohabitation," promoting adultery and immorality while continuing to undermine legitimate marriage by promoting illicit relationships under deceptive names like "friendship" and "blood marriage," seeking acceptance from public opinion.

Urgent Confrontation

As for confrontation strategies, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Sawy, former Vice Dean of the Colleges of Da'wah and Media at Al-Azhar University, recommends exposing these terms and refuting these falsehoods. He also calls for prohibiting Western holidays that have invaded our societies and become an occasion for more immorality and ethical breakdown, such as "Valentine's Day." This aligns with the warning in our religion against being followers without discernment, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them.” We said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?"

Al-Sawy advocates for safeguarding children and youth through knowledge and education, strengthening their religious upbringing, and promoting Islamic awareness and pride in Arab culture and identity within a comprehensive strategy. This strategy should involve Arab and Islamic organizations, families, schools, universities, and other institutions of education, culture, and media.

Al-Sawy also calls for Islamizing social media, curbing the offenses of "bloggers" and "YouTubers," banning the publication of intimate details on video sites, establishing laws to prevent these platforms from promoting scandals and explicit clips, and tracking down those seeking financial gain through illegitimate means. He also emphasizes regulating media and artistic content to stand against the flood of globalization and protect our youth from anything that harms their identity and religion.

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