مولانا افتخار احمد فریدی
دینی حلقوں میں یہ خبر افسوس اور رنج کے ساتھ سنی جائے گی کہ ۲۴؍ اکتوبر ۱۹۹۸ء کو ایک پُرجوش اور سرگرم داعی و مبلغ مولانا افتخار احمد فریدی انتقال فرماگئے، اناﷲ وانا الیہ راجعون۔
مرحوم کا وطن مراد آباد تھا، ایک زمانے میں ان کے ہاتھوں میں وہ پرچم بغاوت تھا جس کو سرفروشان وطن نے برطانوی جبر و استبداد کے خلاف بلند کیا تھا مگر پھر ع پھاڑ کر جیب و آستین کر علم جنوں بلند۔ انہیں حضرت مولانا محمد الیاسؒ کی دینی دعوت سے عشق ہوگیا جس کے لیے وہ ملکوں ملکوں کی خاک چھانتے رہے ، کسی حادثہ میں ان کا ایک پیر کاٹ دیا گیا مگر وہ بیساکھیوں کے سہارے ملک کے و طول و عرض کا دورہ کرتے رہے، سفر حج میں مولانا شاہ معین الدین احمد ندوی کا ساتھ ہوگیا تو ان کی بڑی خدمت کی اور ہر طرح کا آرام پہنچایا۔ ایک دفعہ وہ اپنے ایک تبلیغی دورے میں اعظم گڑھ آئے تو شاہ صاحب نے ان کی بڑی پذیرائی کی۔ جناب سید صباح الدین صاحب سے مخلصانہ تعلق رکھتے تھے اور راقم سے بھی خط و کتابت رہتی تھی۔
کئی برسوں سے تبلیغی دوڑ دھوپ کا سلسلہ موقوف ہوگیا تھا، لیکن اسی جذبے سے اصلاحی و دعوتی رسائل اور مواعظ و ملفوظات کے مجموعے شائع کرتے تھے، وہ غیر مسلموں میں بھی اسلام کی تبلیغ و اشاعت کرتے رہتے تھے۔ اﷲ تعالیٰ ان کی بشری لغزشوں سے درگزر فرمائے اور انہیں جنت نعیم میں جگہ دے۔ آمین! (ضیاء الدین اصلاحی، نومبر ۱۹۹۸ء)
This study explores Western parameters and principles of freedom of expression from an Islamic perspective. Western thought advocates infinite freedom of speech but it also has some regulations, limits and restraints. Every Western human rights instrument and convention guarantee freedom of expression, but in fact, the excess of freedom is bringing the society to a harsh kind of clash and conflict. In simple words, freedom without sufficient legal and moral restrictions cannot be managed. It is also observed that without strict legal and moral boundaries, it cannot become fruitful for the state and society. Even the Western world, which is representative of maximum freedom of speech, also bounds freedom of expression with some parameters and restrictions. However, it is propagated that the Western laws provide outclass freedom of expression and speech. The actual situation is not as good as it is expressed, because on one hand, the international instruments provide freedom of speech and on the other, they limit it through certain laws. It means freedom of expression is not free of boundaries in the West also. In other words, it is only a mythology and controlled propaganda that the Western thought and civilization provides absolute and unlimited freedom of expression and press in their countries. Instead, Islamic teachings categorically agree to provide the right to freedom of expression but on the other hand, it binds them with some social, moral and legal boundaries to save the society from any kind of clash and conflict. It is perceived Western legal instruments limit freedom of expression with some legal boundaries and laws rather than ethics and morals. It is recommended on behalf of this study that the Western world also puts moral and religious boundaries on freedom of expression for its safety. An analytical & critical approach with qualitative research methodology is adopted in the study.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a phenomenon that has received considerable attention not only from academicians & from researchers but also from corporate sector since it has multidimensional effects on their performance. It is imperative to note that companies may use CSR as a tool to manage many types of stakeholders, including stakeholders outside of the organization and outcomes that go beyond financial result. This notion will lead the companies towards new era mostly stated as sustainability, where companies act responsibly towards social, environmental and societal issues at large. The current study seeks to model and empirically test the relationship amongst determinants and outcomes (i.e. psychological and performance) of corporate social responsibility, specifically this study probe into relationship between ethical leadership, corporate social responsibility, trust and performance variables (organizational citizenship behavior, task performance behavior & counterproductive work behavior). Furthermore, this study also examines the role of ethical climate between the relationships of ethical leadership and CSR (ethical climate acts as a moderator). The current study has used mix methods approach i.e. quantitative and qualitative research design. The population of the study is scheduled and listed commercial banks in Pakistan. The study has used both simple random probability sampling technique and purposive sampling technique. Data was collected using mix methods from the sampled individuals for quantitative analysis. 500 responses were received back from the employees of banks from major cities (i.e. Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar) however, only 420 were useable. Fifteen top executives were interviewed out of the thirty-five listed commercial banks for qualitative analysis in respect to sustainable development. Data was analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Furthermore, necessary tests were conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Findings indicate that ethical leadership has positive impact on CSR and significantly contributes towards defining the underlying processes of CSR. Results confirmed that ethical climate acts as a moderator between the relationship of ethical leadership & CSR. The CSR activities are project based and identified through an internal mechanism sometimes based on need and philanthropic prospective. The integrated conceptual framework of the current study will be helpful in decision making as to determine the impact of CSR on performance variables. Similarly, the current study will help corporate sector in devising strategies and policies of sustainability for competitive advantages. The researcher contends that this is one of the few studies in Pakistani context to understand the underlying processes linking ethical leadership with CSR along with the performance outcomes and ethical climate as moderator. This will certainly provide a comprehensive overview of CSR and sustainability prospective in Pakistan.