Halal businesses ought to support Muslim artists, says thinktank
Britain’s multibillion halal industry, spanning food, beauty and fintech, should help finance underfunded Muslim cultural initiatives, according to Equi report
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Halal businesses, including beauty and lifestyle brands, should reinvest their profits into underfunded Muslim arts and culture initiatives, recommends a new thinktank in a recent report on the role of British Muslims in arts and culture.
The global halal and Muslim lifestyle market is currently worth £2.9tn, according to the report. While Muslim thinktank Equi estimates that the halal food industry in the UK is worth approximately £2bn, it also points to the growing financial, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle halal sectors.
A “captive audience” of Muslim consumers stands behind the success of Britain’s halal industry, Equi says, and therefore these businesses have a responsibility towards their customers.
“Just as football teams are questioned about how they give back to their communities, the halal industry should also be asked to contribute to the communities it serves,” says the report’s author.
“We are not just talking about local butchers or small food retailers. The halal economy is vast, it extends far beyond food, including fintech, cosmetics and travel,” said Equi’s chief operating officer, Amaan Qureshi. “We are advocating for harnessing some of these profits, to reinvest them across the Muslim market ecosystem, particularly into British Muslim arts and culture, as part of the corporate responsibility that these companies have towards their customers.”
The report characterises the situation of the British creative industries, estimated to contribute around £126bn annually to the UK economy, as “bleak”, due to chronic underinvestment and cuts to funding. According to the Equi report, the situation however is worse for artists from minority backgrounds who have become collateral damage in the ongoing culture wars, in which Muslims are often cast as a danger to British values.
“The arts have also become a battleground in the culture wars, leading to a heightened reluctance to fund projects associated with minoritised communities, out of fear of generating controversial headlines,” the report reads. “As a result, these programmes are often the last to receive funding and the first to face cuts.”
“I think the problem is that society as a whole does not value art,” said writer and actor Aqil Ghani. “In the Muslim community, I think the older generation often view art as something frivolous.”
But prominent Muslim cultural figures in mainstream media are important and can combat the negative narratives that harm Muslim communities, he added. “Take Nadiya Hussain from Bake Off, for example,” he said. “She is not just a Muslim icon, she’s a British icon. I would like to see more people like her in the public space.”
Isra Saker, a photojournalist, art and events photographer, welcomed Equi’s suggestion saying that securing funding for Muslim cultural and community initiatives can be difficult, especially as not all mainstream funding sources are compliant with Muslim values and beliefs.
“I used to be part of a Muslim netball club and we tried to get funding to expand. We got an offer of donation from the National Lottery Community Fund but we did not want to accept money that came from gambling so we ended up with nothing,” Saker said.
Rafi-uddin Shikoh, chief executive of Dinar Standard, a US-based growth strategy research and advisory firm specialising in global Islamic economies, agrees with Equi, adding that partnering with Muslim creatives, artists and cultural figures also makes business sense from the perspective of Muslim companies.
“Businesses can benefit from partnering with Muslims arts and culture icons as part of their strategy,” he said. “Because the customers that the Muslim artists are appealing to are the customers that Muslim businesses want. There’s a cross-marketing opportunity for them.”
Shikoh added that Muslim creatives could also be more proactive in approaching businesses for support.
“Successfully encouraging businesses to support cultural initiatives can’t just be based on an emotional appeal. I think the arts and culture community needs to create a very clear case to show businesses what is in it for them,” he said. “I think there is an opportunity here for cultural networks or associations, or thinktanks like Equi, to develop the case further so that a clear case can be put forward to businesses.”
In a foreword to the report, singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, calls for additional support to boost cultural initiatives. “We must believe that through supportive policies and inclusive practices, policymakers and gatekeepers can ensure that this sector not only survives but thrives, contributing positively to the nation’s cultural, social, and economic prosperity.”
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