German manager Marcel Krass (below is the link to his interview) recalls working for a period in the sales department of a major company, which also covered the Middle East region. One day, a client, who regularly imported large quantities of goods from China to his home country, contacted him and proposed a deal. He offered Krass a high bonus for sending specific shipments to Germany, where his company would re-label the products as “Made in Germany” before exporting them to his Arab country.
Krass said he declined the offer, despite how tempting it was. What surprised him most was the client’s reaction. The man calmly acknowledged Krass’s concerns about not receiving the promised bonus and tried to reassure him, saying, “You’re dealing with a Muslim who is honest and keeps his word.” Krass was taken aback, as this declaration came at the very moment the man was proposing a dishonest scheme, seemingly unaware of the ethical contradiction. The client, known for diligently performing his religious duties, appeared not to see the gap between his outward religiosity and his actions. He failed to recognize what it truly means to be a religious person.
Another incident took place at a major trade fair in China, at the booth of a large company I was doing business with. While we were waiting in line, a Gulf merchant was negotiating with the Chinese sales manager to lower the price. Eventually, they reached an agreement. The weight of the merchandise would be slightly reduced, and the price would be lowered by the same percentage, but the printed weight on each package would remain unchanged. That evening, we all gathered for dinner.
The merchant, unaware of who I was, continued the conversation openly, not realizing that I understood everything, since I had been speaking to everyone in English the entire time. I was surprised when the Gulf merchant asked the waiter to prepare his meal vegetarian, explaining that, as a Muslim, he avoids meat not slaughtered according to Islamic law and refuses any food containing pork. He seemed to have completely forgotten that just that same morning, he had deliberately and cold-heartedly planned to deceive his customers. Some of us struggle greatly when it comes to reconciling religious practices with moral obligations and the rights of others . Many don’t think twice about parking their cars irresponsibly, disrupting traffic and daily life, so long as they are heading to perform a religious duty. There are dozens of examples of this.
It came as no surprise when the relevant authorities, in what may be an unprecedented phenomenon in the world, imposed electronic fingerprinting on all government employees. This happened in a country with the highest number of mosques, muezzins, imams, and religious practitioners. The decision reflected the government’s lack of trust in employees’ commitment to work schedules, even when their roles are tied to performing religious duties.
In the capital of a major Arab country, it is common to find taxi drivers blaring Quranic recitations from the radio, but refusing to switch on the taxi meter. We have said it thousands of times, and we will keep saying it. What we need is not more displays of religiosity, as the religion has endured for over 1,400 years. What we truly need are larger doses of ethics and moral lessons.
Krass’s latest link - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGTAtPyCinz/?igs h=MWJzYnl6MWk4MzAyaA%3D% 3D
By Ahmad alsarraf
e-mail: [email protected]
