NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — At an upscale hotel a short train ride from New York, advertisers, food industry executives, and market researchers mingled — the men in dark suits, the women in headscarves and Western dress. Chocolates made according to Islamic dietary laws were at each table.
The setting was the American Muslim Consumer Conference, meant to promote Muslims as a new market segment for US companies. Corporations have long catered to Muslim communities in Europe, but businesses have only tentatively started to follow suit in the United States — and they are doing so at a time of intensified anti-Muslim feeling.
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 and management consultant. “But we want them to understand what our values are.’’
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