Study abroad in different countries

 Muslims living overseas practise cultural and religious traditions during the holy month of Ramadan more devotedly than their counterparts at home, a newly released study said.Specifically, Muslims living and working overseas said that their actions during Ramadan changed after arriving in their host countries, with half of respondents (50 per cent) saying they fasted more and two in five (41 per cent) practised sharing and giving more.The Western Union-sponsored 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 the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the United States and Western Europe.

The study found that 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 Quran during Ramadan.The study covered around 550 Muslims emigrants originally from the Middle East and North African countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia and the Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.A majority of Muslims (94 per cent) shared their wealth during the month of Ramadan, by giving away money, known as zakat while five per cent of them shared by giving away food and clothing.Two out of five surveyed said love of family and friends, along with dedication to work, were the key factors motivating them to fast, pray and share their wealth.

The respondents were residing 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 Austria,France in Europe; and the United States.The study said zakat obligation was 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 was true for non-Arabs