Majority of Muslims Practice Ramadan Traditions Even More When Living Overseas Than at Home, Western Union Study Finds
06 8월 2012 - 9:00PM
Business Wire
The majority of Muslims living and working overseas practice
cultural and religious traditions during the Holy Month of Ramadan
even more devoutly than they did in their home countries, a newly
released Western Union-sponsored study has found.
Specifically, Muslims living and working overseas said that
their actions during Ramadan had changed after arriving in their
new host countries, with half of respondents (50%) saying they
fasted more and two in five (41%) sharing and giving more.
The Western Union study, “Traditions of Ramadan by global
citizens of Muslim faith”, was conducted in July by The Nielsen
Company and covered Muslims of 11 nationalities living in 12
countries in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the United States and
Western Europe.
Overall, fasting (96%), sharing and giving (94%) are the most
widely practiced of all traditions observed during Ramadan. Two out
of five surveyed said that the love of family and friends, along
with dedication to work, were the key factors motivating more
fasting, praying, sharing and giving.
“Living in another country often brings different cultural
influences along with new work and personal pressures. Global
citizens of Muslim faith are upholding Islamic traditions and are
even more devout during the Holy Month of Ramadan,” said Laston
Charriez, senior vice president of marketing, North America,
Western Union.
“Western Union has been moving money for better, for more than
135 years. We know people move away from their home countries for
many reasons, but a common factor is creating a better life for
their families and loved ones through work opportunities,” added
Charriez.
“It is difficult for people of any faith or nationality to be
away from home during traditional cultural and religious events and
holidays. It is not surprising to see that family, loved ones and
friends, along with commitment to work, are even more influential
when people live overseas.”
Key highlights of the survey
- Different traditions are observed
during the Holy Month of Ramadan. Despite being away from family
and loved ones, 96 percent practiced fasting, 89 percent prayed, 78
percent engaged in iftar, or evening meals to break the day’s fast,
and 75 percent read the Qur’an.
- The tradition of zakat, or the act of
giving to others in need, is practiced more during Ramadan, with
nearly nine in 10 Muslims abroad (89%) saying they fulfilled zakat
during the Holy Month.
- Breaking fast is popular with other
people instead of alone, with family (75%) being the most favored
companions, closely followed by friends (65%).
- Accessibility to facilities for
religious purposes (62%) and the influence of family, loved ones
and friends (52%) are the most important influencers in fasting
more during Ramadan.
- A vast majority (94%) uphold sharing
and giving traditions during Ramadan.
- The zakat obligation is most commonly
fulfilled through sharing with people who are known to the giver
locally or overseas (65%). Arab Muslims are more likely to share
with people they know locally (42%) than overseas (29%), while the
reverse is true for non-Arab Muslims (49% local; 56%
overseas).
- Muslims from the Middle East and the
United States are more likely to fulfill zakat through donations to
charity (53% and 54% respectively).
- Overall, the most common gift during
Ramadan was cash (92%), followed by clothes (40%), food (36%) and
other products (21%). Outside the Middle East, clothing was more
popular (53%).
“Cash is very versatile and convenient to give, either locally
or when helping people abroad, which explains its popularity,”
concluded Charriez. “However, the important finding is that the
vast majority of Muslims continue to help meet real needs, both in
their home and adoptive communities, by fulfilling their duty of
zakat.”
The findings of the study were based on a survey of close to 550
Muslims emigrants originally from the Middle Eastern and North
African countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia
and the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
They resided in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East; Malaysia and Singapore
in Asia; the United Kingdom, Germany and France in Europe; and the
United States.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global
payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago
Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment
services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with
fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around
the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of
June 30, 2012, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded
services were offered through a combined network of approximately
510,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2011,
The Western Union Company completed 226 million
consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $81 billion of
principal between consumers, and 425 million business payments. For
more information, visit www.westernunion.com.
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