(RNS) — When Hasan Hammad created a Facebook page for his Baltimore-area mosque in 2011, his goal was to expand the ways community members could learn about its programming — not to one day attract millions of views.
But over the last few years, the Islamic Society of Baltimore, one of the largest Islamic congregations in Maryland, has exploded its reach across social media platforms, boasting almost 300,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 200,000 on TikTok. Online, it’s earned the nickname “TikTok masjid” (the Arabic term for mosque).
Through candid interviews with community members about masjid activities, ISB’s content highlights the everyday aspects of Islam in America. In one video, congregants at Eid prayer show off the beauty and cultural origins of their holiday clothes. In another, interracial Muslim couples explain where they are from. And in a clip taken during the fasting month of Ramadan, the imam challenges the room to a push-up contest.
The latter video garnered over 16 million views on Instagram alone. “Tomorrow will be leg day,” someone wrote in the comments. About 35,000 others gave the joke a like.
“Our videos highlight that everything non-Muslim Americans engage in — whether it’s sports, food, activities, arts and crafts — we all do them too,” Hammad told R …