Category: Social Good
Al Ebtikarat: Linking Students to the Real World
(Special Guest Contribution) A hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) stated that: ‘Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.’* Even though what is meant by knowledge here is knowledge of Shariah (Islamic knowledge,) the importance of knowledge and education in Islam has always been the path of the true believers. At Ebtikarat Education, our goal is [...]
Adnan Durrani’s Saffron Road and Ethical Consumerism
Adnan Durrani is building a pioneering corporation in the world of halal-isms. He is a stalwart of the food and beverage sector, boasting a hat-trick of transforming startup companies into multi-million dollar, socially responsible corporations. Despite his impressive track record, he found himself in a quandary post 9-11. Having achieved widespread commercial success in corporate [...]
Mo Ibrahim Foundation for Better Governance – A Model for All
Sudanese-British billionaire, Dr Mohamed “Mo” Ibrahim is a self-made multi-billionaire with deep compassion and belief in the continent of Africa’s potential. This has led him to apply his philanthropic resources to an issue that has been the biggest impediment to Africa’s success – good governance. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation bearing the name of its founder, [...]
Islamic Microfinance Award Highlights Successes
Al Amal Microfinance Bank of Yemen (AMB) clinched the Islamic Microfinance Award 2010 (held in February 2011), walking away with a grant worth USD104,000 for its idea to launch an Islamic leasing facility, something new in the micro financing sector. Micro financing serves to meet the needs of 2.7 billion people who have no access, [...]
Islamic Development Bank (IDB) – a Financial Institution with Meaningful Impact
The experience of walking the halls of the impressive 21-story Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and its surrounding IDB Group buildings is unlike any in the world. Finance professionals hailing from seemingly every corner of the Muslim markets – from Malaysia, Indonesia to Kazakhstan and Turkey; from Pakistan, Bangladesh to Algeria, [...]
Egypt based SEKEM Group – Proving Profitable Social Development Model
Egypt based SEKEM Group is a unique model of an organization which combines commercial success with social development. This outstanding combination has led to its sustainability and growth over 30 years to be a market leader of organic products and phyto-pharmaceuticals with a growing international presence. In 2005, SEKEM Group’s revenues were estimated at USD [...]
GCC Companies Honored for Good Corporate Citizenship
Corporate Social Responsibility, the buzz word in prominent business circles has garnered a lot of attention in the corporate corridors of the western world. More recently, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the broader Arab region have been riding high on it as well. To discuss some of the pressing social responsibility issues [...]
A Beacon of Corporate Social Responsibility: Abdul Latif Jameel Co.
Usually channelling funds into non-profit alliances or activities goes against profit maximization norms. However, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is fast becoming a necessity in today’s global economy and has proven to have positive effects on the contributing company as well as the local community. Saudi Arabia based, Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Group of companies is [...]
Bringing Morality to Profit Motives
Comparative Learning from Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and Islamic Finance SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) is based on a set of criteria to screen out unwanted activities, similar to what Islamic scholars demand and call “avoidance of Haram.” There are criteria in common, but also differences and these give incentive to improve on either side. Different [...]
