Western Union study finds: Muslims in foreign lands become more religious

09 Aug, 2012

The majority of Muslims living and working overseas practice cultural and religious traditions during the holy month of Ramazan 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 Ramazan had changed after arriving in their new host countries, with half of respondents (50 per cent) saying they fasted more and every two in five (41 per cent) say that they are motivated to share and give more.
The Western Union study, "Traditions of Ramazan 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 per cent), sharing and giving (94 per cent), are the most widely practised of all traditions observed during Ramazan. 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 month of Ramazan," Sob Rahman, Western Union's Regional Vice President for Pakistan, Afghanistan & Gulf said.
"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," Rahman said. "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."
Arab Muslims, regardless of where they had emigrated to also tended to engage in more Ramazan activities other than fasting and praying - such as reading the Qur'an, socialising with family and friends and the ritual of Umrah - compared with non-Arab Muslims.
Key highlights of the study Different traditions are observed during the month of Ramazan. Despite being away from family and loved ones, 96 per cent practised fasting, 89 per cent prayed, 78 per cent engaged in Iftar, or evening meals to break the day's fast, and 75 per cent read the Qur'an.
The tradition of Zakat, or the act of giving to others in need, is practised more during Ramazan, with nearly 9 in 10 Muslims abroad (89 per cent) saying they fulfilled Zakat during the holy month. Breaking fast is popular with other people instead of alone, with family (75 per cent) being the most favoured companions, closely followed by friends (65 per cent).
Accessibility to facilities for religious purposes (62 per cent) and the influence of family, loved ones and friends (52 per cent) are the most important influences in fasting more during Ramazan. A vast majority (94 per cent) uphold sharing and giving traditions during Ramazan.
The Zakat obligation is most commonly fulfilled through sharing with people who are known to the giver locally or overseas (65 per cent). Arab Muslims are more likely to share with people they know locally (42 per cent) than overseas (29 per cent), while the reverse is true for non-Arab Muslims (49 per cent local; 56 per cent overseas).
Muslims from the Middle East and the United States are more likely to fulfil Zakat through donations to charity (53 per cent and 54 per cent respectively). Overall, the most common gift during Ramazan was cash (92 per cent), followed by clothes (40 per cent), food (36 per cent) and other products (21 per cent). Outside the Middle East, clothing was more popular (53 per cent).
"Cash is very versatile and convenient to give, either locally or when helping people abroad, which explains its popularity," Rahman said. "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 Muslim 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.-PR

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