• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Friday, October 6, 2006 1:33 PM

Ramadan, the month-long period when observant Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, sex, and negative thoughts from sunrise until sundown, has gone commercial across the Middle East and Persian Gulf. Like Christmas in the West, it has been transformed into a boon for business and advertising for foods, beverages, cars, hotels, electronics stores and retailers that use Ramadan messages and motifs to hype their products. Ad rates shoot up for certain time spots--such as TV ads right after iftar, when the daily fast is broken with a meal with friends and family. Following the meal, most families gather around the TV for an evening of special Ramadan programming, including soap operas and game shows. "Ramadan is ironically as much about consumption as it is about abstinence," says media analyst Mohsen Zein in Cairo. As criticism has mounted as a result of Ramadan's commercialization, some marketers have adjusted their ad campaigns to incorporate religious messages. In Qatar, telecommunications provider Qtel's Ramadan campaign altered its usual slogan--"Let's Connect"--to urge people to connect with the core values of Ramadan, such as prayers, charity, work and sharing.

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