Trending this week: Ramadan greetings, Lahore blast
On social media, these are the topics that were most discussed this week.
In the UAE, and across the world, #Ramadan2019 was a big topic of discussion. A special gift to a Pakistani woman by UAE’s ambassador to Pakistan marking the Year of Tolerance went viral and India’s general elections continued to dominate online conversation.
1. Ramadan
With people across the world marking the start of Ramadan, good wishes and Ramadan messages were shared widely and #Ramadan2019 was one of the top worldwide trends. A greeting shared by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council also went viral.
2. Celebrating tolerance in Pakistan
A fruit seller in Pakistan went viral once again when UAE’s ambassador to Pakistan gifted her a fully furnished home. Last year, the same fruit seller’s plight as a widow, working to support her four children, had gained public attention when the ambassador tweeted about his meeting with her.
3. Lahore blasts
A blast at one of Pakistan’s oldest and most popular Sufi shrines - the 11th century Data Darbar shrine – on the second day of Ramadan shocked social media users, with #LahoreBlast and #DataDarbar becoming top trends.
4. Modi’s comments receive backlash
During the ongoing Indian general elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made comments regarding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who is the father of Congress party president Rahul Gandhi, saying the former prime minister ended his life as “bhrashtachari (a corrupt person) number one”. Rahul Gandhi’s response on Twitter offering a hug and talking about Karma went viral.
5. Met Gala
The 2019 Met Gala, which is an annual fund-raising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, once again became a hot topic on social media. The attendees’ costumes, on the theme ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ were the subject of many memes.