(ANSAmed) - PARIS, SEPTEMBER 12 - From the halal foie gras, to be enjoyed with a glass of champagne Cham'Halal (without alcohol, of course), to the semolina for couscous, from dried fruits to brick pastry sheets, passing through the proposal, by Nokia, of 'special Ramadan' options, ranging from mobile phone religious hymns melodies to alarms warning about the time of prayers and fast break: Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Islam, has become a veritable business in France, the western country which hosts the largest number of Muslims, some 5 million, and where the consumption of halal food increases by 15% annually. Not only that, now Ramadan is a part and parcel of the Republican calendar and of the politicians' agenda: Iftar, the meal which at sunset breaks the fast, has become a local consecrated ritual for cities like Lille, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Roubaix. On the other hand, in colonial France, the occupying French authorities were the ones shooting the cannon to mark the hour of Iftar. And today the sharing of such an important moment is seen by the sociologists as a way to accelerate the integration of Islam in the modern society. The USA also understood that and on September 15 they will organize an Iftar at their Paris embassy. On the marketing and business level the supermarkets such as Casino and Leclerc opened at the end of August a 'Ramadan' section where you can find all the products consumed during the Muslim holy month and that up till last year were sold under the label of 'Oriental tastes'. But in actual fact, the best strategy to attract clients, who in the month of fasting, despite the fact that it is a period of abstinence, spend much more than usual for Iftar, the family and very often neighbourhood holiday, has not yet been devised. Somebody had the idea to advertise the energy drink X35 as a remedy to avoid pupils falling asleep in class. Even the political scene is affected in this period: Interior Minister Michel Alliot-Marie is expected on September 16 at the Great Mosque of Evry, just outside Paris, built by the Islamic League. A woman, as well as a Minister, who will thus consecrate the growing influence of Moroccan Islam. And on September 13, Paris' Mayor Bertrand Delanoe will organise 'La Nuit du Ramadan', with a big concert at the Palasport of Bercy, with Toure Kunda. (ANSAmed).