Embrace social business to uplift Muslim communities: CA to Islamic NGOs

Published : Sunday, 6 July, 2025 at 8:00 PM Count : 944

NGO leaders from different Muslim countries pose for a photo with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna in Dhaka on 6 July 2025. Photo: CA Press Wing

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday urged Islamic NGOs to expand their efforts through social business initiatives as a sustainable way to uplift Muslim communities worldwide.

Speaking at a meeting with NGO leaders from various Muslim countries at the state guest house Jamuna, Professor Yunus emphasized that social business offers a practical tool to address poverty and health challenges.

“In our world, we focus on women and healthcare. If you are poor, you inevitably face health care problems. We have approached healthcare as a means to support the poor,” he said. Yunus added that encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs through social business is essential to tackling these issues in a transformative way.

The international NGO leaders present at the meeting acknowledged that Yunus’s pioneering campaign for social business had inspired similar initiatives in their own countries.

Among the visiting delegates were Eyüp Akbal, Secretary General of The Union of NGOs of The Islamic World (UNIW) from Turkey; Muhammed Hüseyin Akta, representative of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA); Fauwaz Bin Hasbullah of Malaysia’s WADAH and Deputy Secretary General of UNIW; Muhammad Abdus Shakoor, President of Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan and Deputy Secretary General of UNIW; and Dr. Salamun Bashri, Auditing Board Member of UNIW from Indonesia.

Prominent Bangladeshi participants included Prof. Mahbub Ahmed, Retired Professor of Dhaka University and President of BIIT; S M Rasheduzzman, Chairman of SAWAB and Member of the High Advisory Board of UNIW; Dr. Ali Afzal, Council Member of UNIW and Managing Director of Krishibid Group; and Dr. M. Abdul Aziz, Director General of BIIT and Country Representative of IIIT.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to promote social business ventures as a pathway to foster self-reliance and social development across the Muslim world.