Masha’Allah Sister Minnie, the Meowing Influencer

by Sana Bun

Masha’Allah Sister Minnie, the Meowing Influencer

9 Apr 2024

Pet influencers are not a new thing at all, but as the scene continues to thrive, the horizons get broadened, making the furry part of social media more diverse. So, no wonder that at a certain point, animals highlighting Middle Eastern culture and modest behaviour, have emerged. Meet one of them — a Scottish-fold cat known around the Internet as Sister Minnie.

Instagram: @zainah.mb

Sister Minnie’s gateway to fame started in 2022, when her human, Palestinian-American entrepreneur Zainah Meqdadi shared a TikTok video, complaining that every time she settled for the prayer, the cat wanted to play and attacked her for attention. After struggling with calming Sister Minnie down, Zainah switched to a stereotypical accent, joked about the cat having prejudices, and gave her a lecture on modest behavior.

The comic clip kicked up a storm: viewers were kidding around and sharing their own stories as many of them had had similar experiences. By now this debut reached over 9M views and 9K comments.

After the howling success, Zaihah continued filming the daily life of her fluffy friend, making hilarious voice-overs. Her ‘Masha’Allah Sister Minnie’, opening many videos, became iconic and has always been followed by storylines, featuring Arabic traditions and knowledge of the Islamic faith, which she was kiddingly introducing to the cat and, therefore, the audience.

In the sketches, Sister Minnie gets possessed by Iblis (how else can her misbehavior be explained?), occupies Zainah’s praying mat during sujud (apparently, to stop doing this she just needed her own), learns to wear hijab, gets marriage proposals (with tuna mahr, of course) and gradually becomes a halal cat.

The reach Zainah’s and Sister Minnie’s content achieved impresses: today their adventures are being followed by 2.8M subscribers on TikTok, 727K on Instagram, and 651K on YouTube, and the reason for these people’s interests, we believe, goes beyond the need of animal cuteness.

By incorporating Islamic context into humorous videos, Zainah connects the audience through shared cultural background and values: the depicted situations resonate with viewers’ own routine and experiences, portraying faith concepts and Arabic traditions, fostering a sense of community and understanding.

The lighthearted approach to introducing these elements not only entertains but also educates, creating a space where people can laugh together while appreciating their heritage. As Sister Minnie's character evolves and embraces aspects of the Islamic lifestyle, she becomes not just another pet influencer, but a symbol of cultural representation and unity in the digital world.

by Sana Bun