Facebook adds Islamic Hijri Calendar for Birthday feature in Saudi Arabia

- Roll out to other countries planned soon –
- Launch affirms Facebook's commitment to the region -
 
Dubai, UAE, July 14, 2013 – Coinciding with the start of the Holy month of Ramadan, Facebook announced today the launch of a new feature for birthdays, aimed at people who wish to use the Islamic Hijri calendar. The new feature is an addition to the Gregorian calendar and will be rolled-out first to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with other markets added soon.

People who use Facebook in Saudi Arabia will be notified about the Hijri calendar option by means of a ‘Megaphone', giving more information about the feature and offering the option to add their birthday to the ‘About Me' section.   The information can be hidden or made visible in accordance with personal preference.

Commenting on the launch of the new feature, Jonathan Labin, Head of Middle East and Africa, said, “As part of our commitment to the region and realizing that the Hijri calendar is widely used in Saudi Arabia, Facebook team worked on this project to better provide our users in this market with the tool to better facilitate their social communications with friend and family.

“We believe this feature will gain great momentum in the weeks and months ahead, and as we test the response in Saudi Arabia, we are confident that rolling out in other countries across the Islamic world will become eminent”, Jonathan Labin added. 

With over 1.1 billion global users, Facebook, which had launched its regional Middle East and Africa operation in Dubai, UAE, a year ago, continually works to better enhance its users' experience across the region and throughout the world.