Afroza Begum from the Act Global Project talks about why she has become involved in Fair Trade... 

Why as a young Muslim have I become involved in Fair Trade?  After finding out what Fair Trade is about from a training session I attended with the Fair Trade Foundation, I reflected about Islamic teachings and there was a verse from our Holy Book the Quran that came to mind - 'Indeed Allah orders justice and being good to others and helping others and helping relatives and forbids bad deeds of words and actions.'  

I am living a life juggling Eastern, Western and Islamic values, not the perfect of souls, my family can testify that I have shouted at my mum, cursed at my siblings and giggled to gossip! But this quote encourages me to persevere in refining my character, and small steps like being involved with Made in Europe, a charity which has helped to empower me to campaign on issues I feel passionate about like Fair trade, has been a highly rewarding journey.

MADE in Europe is working with the Fair Trade Foundation which is a non faith based organisation yet the principles they uphold of justice and care for the developing world are what Islam teaches us. We are all humans and we can emphasise with hardship and struggle.  We should bear in mind the Prophet’s (pbuh) saying “treat others how you would like to be treated” or when it was narrated that our Prophet (pbuh) said,' business men who do good honest business will be alongside the martyrs and prophets and pious people on the Day of Judgement.'

So picking up sugar or tea or coffee from the shelves isn’t just a simple task that has no meaning. It holds great meaning - can we imagine that at the beginning of the business cycle a woman was picking thousands of tea leaves before she could go home that day, or a man climbed hundreds of trees for those brazil nuts to weigh a kilo and to just get a dollar. The Fair Trade Foundation is doing its part to make sure that farmers receive a continual fair price for their work.  Every little helps to make life taste better in the developing world.