In Saudi Arabia, the ultraconservative birthplace of Islam, Twitter is the clergy’s favorite new tool to propagate the 14-century-old faith. Saudi cleric Mohammad al-Arifi has the most popular Twitter account based in the Middle East, and one of the top 120 Twitter accounts worldwide. He has more than 7 million followers, with an average of 8,000 more signing up every day — on a par with pop stars such as Jessica Simpson and 50 Cent.

He’s not unique, either. From the “Dear Abby” sheikh to the self-proclaimed “Elvis” televangelist to the more conservative, a wide range of Saudi clerics now have millions of Twitter followers.

Although Twitter is booming in Saudi Arabia, the Sunni kingdom has a complicated relationship with social media. Some 41% of Saudi Internet users were on Twitter by November, according to Business Insider. Even members of the royal family have embraced it. In 2011, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal invested $300 million in Twitter. The office of Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz opened an account in February 2013 that had some 600,000 followers within nine months. And several clerics use Twitter to extol the virtues of the ruling family’s faith.

Yet, top sheikhs, including the kingdom’s highest religious authority, have denounced Twitter. In March, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh called Twitter a “council of clowns” for “unjust, incorrect and wrong” messages. The government reportedly monitors Twitter for language insulting Islam or challenging the monarchy. Culture Minister Abdel Aziz Khoga has admonished Saudi citizens to “take care in what they are writing on Twitter.”