Islam as a brand

# Religions sell redemption, security that our lives and after-lives are being looked after by a higher order.
# Religions sell to us. We, followers of religions are its customers. We subscribe to a religion, it means we believe in the product and we have faith that the product will be delivered to us.
# The currency of religion is faith. Customers believe in a religion, in return they expect to receive what the religion promises.
# Customers do business with a religion because they seek the products on offer. Its an irony that while humans want to be free, we still require the imposition of order, ethics and discipline upon us. Religion tells us that murder is a sin. That is a rule. We follow the rules, therefore we adhere to the discipline and order a religion advocates.
# Repeat customers - we continue to subscribe to a particular religion because we feel the religion is delivering on its promises. When we pray, we expect to feel enlightened and calmed. Yes, when we pray faithfully and sincerely, we feel enlightened and calmed.
# Customers are driven away when they feel no affinity to a religion, or when they feel that the religion no longer delivers its promises, or when they do not agree with the promises the religion offers. Think of it this way: Why do you use Shell and not PETRONAS? Because you believe that Shell is an exclusive brand that promises your car power and performance. You believe PETRONAS is a "local" fuel that can't possibly deliver the same promises Shell does.
# Lastly, a religion's "brand" :

I'm a Muslim, and it pains me to admit that Islam has a terrible "brand". Islam is associated to violent terrorism. Islam is associated to extreme practices. Islam is associated to the restrictions of human rights, especially on women. Islam is associated as an inflexible religion that discriminates against non-Muslims.

None of the above are necessarily true. But even if there isn't an iota of truth in those associations, that's not what branding is about. Branding is about public perception and belief - PETRONAS is associated as a "Bumiputera" company and all the negative connotations related to that belief; it is this branding that has hurt the company over the years, especially among the Chinese market. Yet, this branding is completely unjustified: PETRONAS is the most progressive energy organization in Malaysia - in all fields except consumer retail, PETRONAS is #1 in the market. So you see, what your brand is, isn't necessarily reflective of the truth. The same goes with religion.

But the questions we have to ask ourselves as Muslims is whether or not we have ourselves contributed to this negative brand.

Whenever something like "Murtads from Malaysia" happens, we quickly point the blame on those Christian missionaries, those bloody Jews and the influence of "brain washing" American free-thinking. The more radical among us will think of burning down churches, or revoking religious licenses, or telling all non-Muslim missionaries to leave the country. The more extreme among us will insist that apostates should be put to death, as a punishment for their betrayal and lest their apostasy spread to other Muslims.

Its always easy to blame others and punish others, yet not so easy to look within.

Tell me:

* Don't the imams preach, in all mosques, on friday afternoon sermons, all over the Muslim world the same thing over and over again: "Do this (Islamic deed inserted here) or else you will suffer the consequences." - The "do this or else" approach creates fear and obedience through that fear. In so many verses in the Quran, we are told to be so-and-so otherwise we will be an Unbeliever, and for Unbelievers await the fires of Hell.
* Fathers and mothers all over the world tell their children this: "You should perform your prayers, otherwise Allah will get mad at you and send you to Hell."

Its messages like this, messages based on fear, messages meant to get action from the invocation of fear in us, that is giving the religion a negative brand. Its not the Western media, its not the Jews, Christians or Buddhist or anyone else. The marketing of our religion has destroyed our brand.

Every business needs to market itself to attract new customers and retain old ones. Christianity's marketing is based around how much Jesus loves you and welcomes you. Buddhism's marketing is based around how we should be good so we can achieve perfection. Islam's marketing, sadly, has been centered around "do this or else".

If Islam were REALLY a business, with marketing like that, and such a poor brand image, it would have folded a long time ago. Its time we change this, its time we took responsibility to improve our religion's image.

Next time you ask your son to pray, tell him this: "Son, Allah loves you. He thinks about you all the time. Why don't you pray your Maghrib prayers to tell him you love him too?"

Next time you attend Friday prayers, pay close attention to what the imam says. Count the number of times he goes on the "do this or else" marketing pitch. Imams, clerics and learned Muslims have been entrusted to not only be the "technicians" and "developers" of our company, but they also happen to be the company's salesmen. Does Nokia tell its engineers to go out and sell its products. Of course they don't because Nokia knows that its engineers (technical people) are good at their jobs and marketing should be left to the marketers. Unfortunately, the business of Islam, we don't really have a choice. Our technicians also happen to be our marketing officers. Someone needs to tell them that they are doing a sucky job.

Next time you meet someone, in fact the moment after you finish reading this, assuming you've read on long enough to read this, remember that you aren't just a customer of this company, you also represent this company. Be bold in your positive representations of the company, and be discreet of your indiscretions.

Remember: ISLAM IS A BRAND. Right now, on the brand index of religions, Islam is scraping the bottom of the graph. Look to yourself and blame not others in your efforts to pull it back up.