Merjem Lumi, to be a woman theologian in the Islamic call online

Merjem Lumi was born in Korça and grew up in Durrës. At the age of thirteen he chooses to convert to Islam from practicing Orthodoxy and puts on the hijab. Immediately, decided to travel to Damascus, where he has completed secondary and higher studies.

Mariam, is also the founder of the social center Dyrrah Center and as part of her activism is the Islamic call-da'wah online through various social networking platforms such as youtube, instagram, tiktok and facebook where it counts thousands of followers.

For five years he worked in radio, in a socio-cultural show, where he was the first contact with the work in the media and managed to enable public speaking.

In a media world dominated by male lecturers, even the call (invitation) also, at least in our territories, is represented by a majority of male theologians and imams.

Asked about this phenomenon, Mary tells us that there are several reasons why this happens.

"There are many respected theologians who do their job with great dedication and devotion. They strive to contribute to the Islamic call through lectures, various advice and teachings throughout the mosques, associations and forms. So more in narrower environments and with a more limited public. it, as their personal choice because exposure brings great responsibilities. Exposure, not only does it require motivation, dedication but also high self-confidence, literally "exposes" you to a wide audience who will either like it or will judge and attack. And I have encountered and continue to face such attacks who claim that “you are a woman with a headscarf, why are you exposed ”or“ leaving this work to the imams ”etc.. I answer all these prejudices with the fact that ? of the Islamic religion has come from a woman: Aishja r.a., the wife of the Prophet a.s. All those who have such claims, they have them because they have not studied Islam well or misinterpreted it, and most prejudices are known to come from ignorance. ”

How is your relationship with your followers characterized??

"Almost every one of my followers has written to me, whether in private or publicly through comments or live broadcasts. And each of them has a very intimate relationship with me, we are so close and are very open with me, very fair and sincere and frank. Since I have different age groups from my followers, the little ones call me aunt, my “sister” peers while the ages at 50-70 "They call me 'daughter' and it makes me feel like I'm part of their family."

What is your target group in the videos you make and how do you decide on the topics you will address given the type of audience you have?

"My target group from the beginning have been Muslim or non-Muslim girls and women who want to know and learn more about Islam.. My followers are from different age groups starting from the smallest ones around 10-12 year olds up to my peers as well as older ladies around seventies.

I try to harmonize and balance the topics that I think the audience needs, which are fundamental and basic to understanding religion such as Islamic legislation (fiqh) Islamic principles and morals (morality) but also topics related to mood, with the mental health of our community. I try to dedicate a good percentage of the videos to the topics that come to me as concerns and forms of concern from my followers through messages or comments.. Not to mention the short daily motivational tips and messages. ”

What are the most frequently asked questions you get, and how to answer it?

"The most common questions I get have more to do with mood and mental health. Most of them say that they do not feel well, have tightness in the chest, are not comfortable, have a variety of worries and are characterized by feelings of emptiness or anxiety. And normally my advice to these messages is to call on God, because I have experienced the absence of God in my life. The source of most of these concerns is precisely the absence of God's presence in our lives. I try to reply to most messages, and if they are common questions I gather them all and then I try to give the answers through a new video, or by compiling a lecture exactly on the topic that is most sought after through these messages. "With periodic live chats, I also try to give them the opportunity to ask me questions directly and give a concise answer on the spot."

What is the most challenging part of lecturing online and being a lecturer and youtuber at the same time?

"In every video recorded or live, I try to experience what I say. Conveying emotion through the screen / camera, it is not an easy thing. Not everyone has the ability to do this, because some have emotions, some are afraid because they do not feel the right motivation if they do not face some pair of eyes and this makes them feel like they are talking to themselves and as a result they lose motivation and enthusiasm to register themselves. For, based on the feedback I have received from my followers who say that it seems as if I am addressing them personally and I am talking to each of them directly. Because feelings are conveyed through a video, therefore some youtuber can also be called influential "influencer" because their words have really influenced their followers. STILL, It is known that face-to-face meetings have another incomparable effect and impact in terms of offline calling compared to online. "

What advice would you give to girls or women who are in the field of Islamic theology or self-development?, which want to give their contribution to the Islamic call (your invitation) whether online or offline?

"Is for, which is and most importantly, to learn and read as much as possible about the Islamic religion, to know the religion as well as possible, because as I said before: exposure comes responsibly. Just as the Islamic call comes with responsibility, but the responsibility increases even more when the number of followers increases and the exposure is no longer done in a close circle with some participants in a lecture at a gathering, or seminar but you are exposed to hundreds of thousands of characters to follow online.

The second, try to take the example of Aisha r.a and have it as a role model. Aisha r.a was not only knowledgeable in Islamic sciences, but also in other areas such as medicine and diplomacy. So other knowledge in different fields is very important during the process of calling / da'wah. “

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