Islam, business, and the
precautionary principle

8 February 2006: A global crisis has erupted over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that recently appeared in a Danish newspaper. Islam forbids the depiction of the Prophet. The ensuing furor has generated unexpected protest and even violence, leading to tragic deaths. Both the newspaper and the Danish government were bewildered by the reaction. I continue to be so.

A few months ago I was talking with a woman from Bosnia who moved to the United States during the civil wars that erupted in the Balkans after the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Bosnia, a predominantly Muslim nation, benefited greatly from U.S. intervention - saving many lives - in the conflict. In discussing relations with the Islamic world, I asked why there was so much animosity toward the United States, even in places that had received so much help from it. She responded that although, in the case of Bosnia, people were very grateful for U.S. assistance, they did not want a McDonald’s on every street corner. This comment led to a discussion about the impact of U.S. business on local cultures throughout the world.

I found her comment troubling at a number of levels. Perhaps the greatest value for which the United States stands is liberty. Should not consumers be “free” to choose to purchase whatever or wherever they please? After all, no one is forced to buy a Big Mac.

Unfortunately, local citizens seem to believe that the influence of U.S. culture is insidious because of its cinematic and advertising prowess. Adolescents are viewed as especially susceptible to the global youth culture that seems to have its origins in the consumption-oriented U.S. and Western Europe. In order to transmit their messages, advertisers often have taken a turn toward more powerful and direct messages so as to lift a particular product above the noise created by so many products in the marketplace. U.S. cinema is filled with sex and violence, which can be particularly offensive to traditional segments of Islamic societies.

Scholars who defend these industries appeal to the idea of the autonomous self. Movies and advertising may affect what we want, but they do not affect what we “want to want”. As long as the self is autonomous and able to choose for itself what it wants to want, cultural products cannot be said to take away from that autonomy. Others have argued that cultural products do, in fact, affect what we believe and thus what we want to want.

One of the problems with the discussion about the autonomous self is that the very concept of the autonomous self is a product of Western civilization - part of the ideology of individualism that has triumphed there. In collectivist cultures, more common in Asia and Africa, the self is not an autonomous “I”, but part of an inter-dependent “We”

The concept of the self refers to the way in which an individual understands herself or himself in relationship to others. In an individualist culture, the person tends to perceive him or herself as an independent individual who pursues his or her own interests and projects; while in collectivist cultures, the person tends to perceive the self in an inter-dependent relationship with others.

The concept of the self partly determines the priority of personal and group goals. In individualist cultures, personal goals tend to take priority over group goals; while in collectivist cultures, group goals are more likely to have priority. Similarly, the importance of personal beliefs and attitudes with respect to group norms and duties differs. In collectivist cultures, group norms and duties tend to be more important in making decisions than are personal beliefs and rights; the opposite priority exists in individualist cultures. Finally, in individualist cultures, people tend to place greater importance on achieving tasks than on maintaining harmonious relationships. In collectivist cultures, people are more likely to sacrifice task achievement for the sake of good relationships with others..

Returning to the world of McDonald’s, in the West, a movie or ad is just another product in the cultural marketplace from which the autonomous self may choose. However, in collectivist cultures, such influences can be seen as a threat to the inter-dependent selves that make up the community..

This situation poses a difficult question for Western companies. How can they present cultural products or publicity in collectivist cultures in ways that will not offend an inter-dependent self? Even more problematic is the issue of who can speak authoritatively on behalf of this inter-dependent self. .

There are no easy answers. From an ethical perspective, managers may need to adopt the precautionary principle, which has been used widely to deal with potential ecological problems. The basic idea is that if the consequences of an action are unknown and there is a chance of creating great harm, then it is wise to avoid such action. .

Although the Danish cartoons probably represent the most obvious of cases, clearly Western firms desiring to directly target Islamic consumers need to treat them with great care. If uncertain about the propriety or impact of a given message or cultural product, then the precautionary principle urges waiting and carefully evaluating the consequences first - before acting.

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