To bridge ideological gaps
American Muslim Consumer Conference that was held in New Jersy, aimed to promote Muslims as a new market segment for U.S. companies. While corporations have long catered to Muslim communities in Europe, businesses have only tentatively started to follow suit in the U.S. – and they are doing so at a time of intensified anti-Muslim feeling that companies worry could hurt them, too.
American Muslims seeking more acknowledgment in the marketplace argue that businesses have more to gain than lose by reaching out to the community.
"We are not saying, ‘Support us,’" said Faisal Masood, a graduate of the University of Illinois, Chicago, and management consultant. "But we want them to understand what our values are."
The worldwide market for Islamically permitted goods, called halal, has grown to more than half a billion dollars annually. Ritually slaughtered meat is a mainstay, but the halal industry is much broader, including foods and seasoning that omit alcohol, pork products and other forbidden ingredients, along with cosmetics, finance and clothing.
In the United States, iconic American companies such as McDonald’s (which already has a popular halal menu overseas) and Wal-Mart have entered the halal arena. In August, the natural grocery giant Whole Foods began selling its first nationally distributed halal food product – frozen Indian entrees called Saffron Road.
Ideological battles
Along with new customers, however, the companies draw critics and can become targets in the ideological battle over Islam and terrorism.
U.S. companies have also faced some resistance, although on a smaller scale.
Last year, Best Buy Inc. was inundated with calls, e-mails and letters complaining that the company was anti-American after acknowledging a Muslim holiday – "Eid al-Adha," or the Feast of the Sacrifice – for the first time in a national advertisement.
Best Buy executives stood by their decision. The company saw the holiday greeting as part of a larger goal of reaching consumers from different cultures. Soon, Muslims started calling to thank Best Buy and set up a Facebook page honoring the company, which continues to acknowledge Muslim holidays.
"It’s a very viable customer segment," said Zainab Ali, senior marketing manager with the money transfer company MoneyGram,
Muslims came to the United States in large numbers for doctorates, engineering and medical degrees, after the federal government eased immigration quotas in the 1960s.
Studies have found that a significant percentage of Muslims are better educated and wealthier than other Americans.
Sign of acceptance
For Muslims, the issue is not just a matter of convenience. Recognition by major companies is an important sign of acceptance as they struggle to establish themselves in the U.S. They are following in the footsteps of American Jews, who struggled for decades for mainstream acceptance of kosher food – and of Judaism.
Despite the sometimes unfriendly climate for Muslims, Evans, of the World Halal Forum, said it is inevitable that a large number of businesses will reach out Muslim consumers, given the wealth and size of the Muslim population – more than a billion people worldwide – and their presence in the West.
"It isn’t a question of whether they’re going to do it," Evans said. "It’s a question of where and when and how."