Corporate Social Responsibility in Islamic Banking: Theory and Practice

Democratization of the society and the strengthening of civic awareness in many countries have brought the corporate social responsibility into the focus of attention of the scientific, investment and general public, as well as regulatory bodies. This has created a significant pressure on the corporate sector to adapt its business to the interests of numerous stakeholders. The issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is of particular importance to Islamic banking, as the fastest growing sector of the global financial market. Social responsibility is an integral element of the doctrine of Islamic banking and economics. The Islamic model of social responsibility is as old as Islam itself, so it is for centuries present in Sharia-compliant business. The institutionalization of Islamic banking, which began far later, raised the question of the role of social responsibility in the Islamic banks' business practice. The strong pressure from the competition, the business model insufficiently adapted to the modern market environment and the desire to achieve business success and strengthen the market position, have forced Islamic banks to face numerous challenges and partly deviate from some of their stated goals. In this article, we analyze the theoretical model of Islamic banking and the model of man adapted to its principles - homo islamicus, as the carrier of that system, the business practice of Islamic banks, the gap between expectations and realities in the relationship of Islamic banks towards CSR, and potential solutions for removing this gap. The aim is to examine the potential of Islamic banking as socially responsible and ethical alternative to, often criticized and, according to many, morally problematic conventional banking.