The Islamic Reporting Initiative (IRI) attended a presentation on Social Justice in the Quran organized by the University of Cambridge Islamic Society on April 26, 2016.
Given by Dr Ramon Harvey from the Cambridge Muslim College, the talk focused on the universal principles and values expressed in the Quran and the trust given to Muslims to establish social justice in all the areas of life, including business. Dr Harvey, who has studied the Islamic scriptural sources with a focus on Quranic interpretation and the Sharia disclosed the conclusions of his book, to be published by Edinburgh University Press in 2017. He suggests that the coherence of the Quranic focus on stewardship with its wider religious message signals a vital contribution to the discourse of justice throughout the ages.
Islamic principles and values serve to imbue individuals and organizations with a moral responsibility to care for society. As such, it is widely recognised that companies operating according to Islamic principles tend to embrace an organizational culture that is premised on notions of trust, morality, and accountability.
This serves to ground Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), defined as “the continuing commitment by business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the work force and their families as well as of the community and society at large”, as a moral initiative.
The Islamic Reporting Initiative is the first mainstream CSR reporting framework based on Islamic principles and values. By recognizing and embracing the characteristics of Islamic business practices, the IRI enables organizations to report more effectively on their CSR and philanthropic efforts, thereby accelerating the achievements of social justice and sustainable and universal value and growth.
Dr Harvey received his MA and PhD in Islamic Studies from SOAS, University of London, completing a thesis on societal justice in the Qur’an. Alongside his academic training, he has spent a number of years studying with traditionally trained Islamic scholars in the UK and has attended an intensive programme at Al-Azhar in Cairo. Dr Harvey is currently continuing his research in Qur’anic studies, early Islamic legal theory and Māturīdī theology
For more information please visit his website and twitter.
