PARIS, October 16 (IslamOnline.net) – During the holy fasting month of Ramadan, French salesmen and shopkeepers seek to lure some six million Muslims with a barrage of eye-catching posters and advertisements that carry an Islamic touch.

Mosque minarets and domes against greenish background are key characteristics of the French ads promoting an array of products for Muslim use on markets.

Communications giant Kertel launched an ad campaign in Paris metro stations, congratulating the French Muslims on their holy occasion and offering big discounts for its pre-paid phone cards.

Many companies, in effect, market their products with appealing Muslim-friendly ads despite the strict secular system in the country.

Art and folklore troupes, basically Moroccan and African, have also distributed and glued their fliers to walls and lampposts in the densely Muslim populated 18th district in Paris.

French media and newspapers have given prominence to Ramadan this year with features and programs on the Muslim traditions during the fasting month.

Analysts believe Muslim contributions to the French economy are as important as their election votes.

Soup for All  

Back to Muslim charity during Ramadan, the Soup for All organization embarked on its annual campaign for the 13th straight year.

The organization provides hot soup for poor Muslims in France to break their dawn-to-dusk fast.

Organization official Radia Al-Eidi told IslamOnline.net that the project also reached out to needy non-Muslims.

"It is a charity for all poor French people, Muslims or non-Muslims," she added.

Last Ramadan, the organization provided some 52,000 bowls of soup for Muslims.

The generosity has taken credit from French politicians, chiefly former prime minister Lionel Jospin and incumbent Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë.

Last year, the Muslim Le Secours Islamique placed money boxes in shops and supermarkets to raise funds for the poor, drawing unprecedented Muslim and non-Muslim contributions