Title: On commercialisation of Ramadan: some preliminary evidence from the USA

Authors: Paul Sergius Koku; Osman Jusoh

Addresses: College of Business, Florida Atlantic University, Fleming Hall Room 208, 777 Glades Road, 33431 Boca Raton, FL, USA ' Faculty of Business and Economics, University Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia

Abstract: Several studies (Keenan and Yeni, 2003; Sandikci and Omeraki, 2007) have investigated commercialisation of Ramadan in Turkey and Egypt, but no study has to date examined the phenomenon in the west (Europe and the USA). With the growing population of Muslims in the west, a study on the extent to which Ramadan has been commercialised will be useful to religious leaders and merchants. This study fills this knowledge gap by examining commercialisation of Ramadan in the USA. The study used qualitative research techniques to study two Islamic associations for a period of three months - a month before Ramadan, the month of Ramadan and the month after Ramadan. It also analysed inventory records of two brick and mortar stores that cater to Muslim immigrants for unusual volume of commercial activity during the same three-month periods. The results showed no evidence of significant level of commercial activities during the periods studied, thus we are unable to support the hypothesis that there is a higher level of commercial activity amongst Muslims in the USA during the month of Ramadan.

Keywords: commercialisation; Ramadan; USA; United States; preliminary evidence; Muslims; commercial activities; Islam.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMB.2016.081314

International Journal of Islamic Marketing and Branding, 2016 Vol.1 No.4, pp.356 - 365

Received: 04 Mar 2016
Accepted: 09 May 2016
Published online: 04 Jan 2017 *

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