With around 5 million followers on Twitter, she is one of the most – if not the most – followed female preacher in the world.
Loved by millions across the Arab World, Nawal bint Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Eid is known for her interest in and support of women’s rights. A member of the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue Center and winner of the prestigious Prince Nayef Award, she is part of a new breed of tech-savvy female Islamic preachers.
Saudi Social Media Scene
Saudi Arabia has a huge penetration of social media especially among the youth, and it is to reach this audience that many Saudi preachers have developed a strong presence on various social media platforms. Saudi preachers have some of the most followed accounts in the country. In fact, the top 4 most followed Saudi accounts on Twitter are of Islamic scholars.
A vast majority of these scholars, however, are males. The exception is Al Eid, who is among the most followed Islamic scholars on the globe. And it’s not only on Twitter that she has a sizeable following, she also has followers running in the hundreds of thousands on other social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat combined.
This takes us to our next question…
So Who Is She?
Born in a small town called Shagra some 190 kilometers from Riyadh, Al Eid did her schooling in her hometown. She then moved to Riyadh for higher studies where she completed her undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctorate studies at the College of Education for girls in various fields of Islamic Sciences.
After being appointed as a professor in the college, she lectured on various topics of Islamic Theology. She also wrote many articles for local publications on the same topic. Her rise to fame, however, was hosting a popular radio show on women’s rights. Accompanied by a series of strong posts on social media, Twitter was abuzz with her posts.
What To Expect In Her Posts?
Al Eid never posts a photo of herself. Her posts are either motivational, or something that inspires her readers to do good or discuss women’s rights. Her posts also consist of links to recitations of the Quran, Islamic lectures and even details of where she is holding her next public lecture.
Facebook: د.نوال العيد
Instagram: nawalal3eed
Twitter: Nawal_Al3eed
Snapchat: Nawalal3eed
Masjid Al Haram Makkah 