A busy week...

This week is extremely busy. On Sunday I gave a short talk in London at an event organised by the Islamic Youth Force, the youth wing of Khilafat Majlis – the second biggest Bangladeshi Islamic movement. Nothing major… just some reflections on working as a da’i. On Monday I was at the Institute of Business Ethics seminar. Excellent discussion themed around “Islam and Business: Global Conflict and Cooperation”. The presentation was by David Logan of Corporate Citizenship Company. In the audience were some very senior executives from major multinationals and organizations. The event was done under Chatham House rule and therefore I will not disclose who said what. But suffice to say that the discussion was amazing! These senior executives were discussing about how best to operate in Muslim countries where there exist some very un-Islamic rules like preventing women from working, limiting women’s access to education, favouritism and cronyism, etc etc. When the customs and practises in a country do not go in line with corporate values, what should the company do? Should they comply with local customs, or should they play an active role and bring change? I came out from the seminar thinking “The attitudes of many capitalists have changed. Many have moved from mere colonialist mindset to a more ethical and socially responsible paradigm. But have the Muslims’ perception towards capitalists changed in anyway? Do we still view them as the enemy, or should we accept them as allies to bring change for the better?” Then on Wednesday, yesterday, I was at the National Liberal Club for a masterclass organised by MHC International. It was on CSR and the media. This too was an excellent event, with speakers like Roger Cowe, Michael Hastings, Adel Darwish and Jenny Dawkins, Ed Milner and Tobias Webb.

Many issues about the social responsibility of the media were raised:

• Was it right for the media to hound Kate Moss when we all know that surely the fashion agencies have things to answer for too?
• Is it ok for the BBC to put to slow death genres like serious documentary and drama when the license fee payers may benefit greatly from them?
• How do journalists, especially the freelance ones, balance the need to ‘sell’ their stories with the need to report responsibly?
• What are the latest CSR trends when it comes to the media?

But one thing for sure, I came out from the masterclass convinced that I was right to not read Daily Mail and to not rely on Sky News. This afternoon will be a trip to Nottingham for an evening programme with David Grayson.