Getting corporate America to recognise the purchasing power of Muslims, rather than running scared because of stereotypes, was difficult but not impossible, said Michael Hastings-Black, the co-founder of the Desedo Advertising Agency, which specialises in minority markets.

Addressing more than 200 delegates at the American Muslim Consumer Conference recently, he recounted a tale illustrating the high passions generated by a television advert last year by Dunkin’ Donuts, which did not even specifically address Muslims.

These events always remind me of cooking. You put selected ingredients together, and although you have some idea of how it is going to taste, you really don’t know until the meal is served. And of course the audience brings an unpredictable array of additional flavors and spices that mix and simmer throughout the day.

The Muslim market, or Halal market (because it has huge areas of overlap) is an emerging global market force. Many of the world’s largest corporations and many of the world’s governments have recognised the economic and political significance of this new commercial paradigm.

I just returned from the American Muslim Conference in New Jersey. It’s the first one and so I must commend them on an excellent job. Like many market segments such as African Americans, gay/lesbians or Hispanic marketing they started out small and fragmented but grew strong and profitable. The American Muslim community is beginning that process. First they must define who they are.

Did you know that Hispanics are the fastest growing part of American Muslim population? It is so diverse from an ethnic point of view and yet we think of Muslims as being from Middle Eastern countries.

The first-ever American Muslim Consumer Conference will be held Oct. 31 at Rutgers University. The goal of the event is to dispel negative stereotypes of Muslims by highlighting their contributions to America's society and economy.

Faisal Masood, of North Brunswick, is the founder of MuslimLink.org, a social media platform that connects Muslim professionals, businesses and organizations. He decided to hold a conference after reading a 2007 New York Times article which mentioned that Muslims spend $170 billion in America, showing that the American Muslim market is highly educated and fast growing.