Washington ? Since the Sept. 11 attacks, Muslims have been under intense scrutiny from terrorism fighters, but they’ve also been getting some more welcome attention from American businesses. They’ve become a hot new niche market.

Consider this:

• This year, Hallmark Cards introduced greeting cards celebrating Eid al Fitr, the Muslim holy day of rejoicing that marks the end of Ramadan. The new cards quickly sold out.
• In 2002, the Postal Service printed 35 million Eid stamps as part of its Holiday Celebration series. This year, it expects to sell 44 million of the royal blue stamps, which feature the phrase “Eid Mubarak” (“Blessed be your holiday”) in Arabic.
• Form-hiding gowns for Muslim women and Muslim religious pop music that celebrates pious living also are hot sellers.

One reason for the interest is the market’s growing size. In 1970, about 100,000 self-described Muslims lived in the United States. Today, the Arab American Institute estimates the population at 6.7 million; others put it as high as 10 million.

“It’s the good old logic of the free marketplace,” said Jim Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute in Washington. “If you’ve got a market, products will find their way into it.”

Assorted Playday Razanne dolls are sold at www.noorart. com. From dolls to Islamic greeting cards, products for Muslims are profitable for U.S. businesses.

Barbie alternative

The clincher is Razanne, an alternative to the Barbie doll for American Muslim families. Razanne, who comes in several skin tones and hairstyles, wears long-sleeved dresses and head scarves.

An ad for Playday Razanne boasts: “Dressing modestly doesn’t keep Razanne from having fun. On the playground, Razanne plays in her scarf and a loose-fitting jumper that gives her lots of room to run and jump.”

Creator Ammar Saadeh said: “Razanne lets our girls feel like they’re not strangers. She can grow up in the United States dressed the way she wants. She has a toy that resembles her. She doesn’t have to feel like she’s from a different place.”

Saadeh’s company, NoorArt Inc. of Livonia, Mich., reported it had sold 30,000 Razannes in recent years.

Zogby said he wasn’t surprised by the enthusiasm for Hallmark’s cards or, more generally, what he called “the Americanization of Islam.”

“Now they can buy their products from a big, mainstream company,” he said. “From Hallmark’s perspective, it’s good marketing, but for the Muslim community, there’s a sense of opportunity.”

Hallmark spokeswoman Deidre Parkes said: “It seemed like a smart business decision that we might be missing out on. We’re pleased to be meeting the needs of a community that didn’t have that option before.”

That’s very welcome, said Sharifa Alkhateeb, the president of the American Council for Muslim Women and the Muslim Education Council.

“I remember walking down the card aisle and seeing Judaic cards. It would catch my attention, and make me think, ‘Why don’t we have cards when they do?'” Alkhateeb said. “We deserved some card attention. It was as if they wanted our money, but they didn’t want to honor our holidays.”

Now, Hallmark’s Parkes said, “You just can’t find the cards anywhere. As soon as it caught people’s attention, they just started clamoring for them.”

Religious inclusion

Mahdi Brey, the executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, said the products speak to the growth of Islam in America.

“What was once deemed somewhat strange and foreign is now becoming ingrained into the fabric of American society,” Brey added.