Below is Hubb’Allah Knowledge Systems and Art Managment Co.’s social responsibility statement:
In this varied world, it impossible to stand for all things at once, so one, in my opinion, one stands for the core principles of being human, and then for generic and diffused local involvement in common communal issues (as defined by some sort of committee), and then for specific issues of one’s inclination and choice. For me, for instance, the issues of JUSTICE and FOOD SECURITY have been of prime importance–the former over the long arc of my life, and the latter, since I got involved in environmental work circa 2005, with particular focus on food security since 2007.
I have also a penchant for resisting the Empire, and also, what we call Taghut in Arabic. Taghut is that which refuses to comply with the Order (of Nature, of Being). It is an obstinacy, a coding malignancy, a deviant mini-program that resists the Program of Life. Empire on the other hand is a grid that seeks to control the self-perpetuating, lively, self-sustaining Program called “Life”–to me, Empire is code in fixation. Or rather, sadly, it is Code against its own Rendering, if we know what I mean. Empire is fixation; Rendering is Life. When humans become enamored with the code and forgo the living and enactment of it, the atoms that generate the eventual rigid molecule that is Empire is born, and it corrupts life by disabling it.
OUR VALUES ARE OUR WORK
At Hubb’Allah, our concerns are our business–this is because the founder, Ramala, chose to get to the heart of the matter. We don’t (merely) sponsor concerns or give charity to them–our very business is to address, codify, embody, implement, transmit and help perpetuate the concerns that we enlist.
In addition to that, the values of a business need to be recursively and iteratively applied to that business and its founders, owners, and, to the extent legitimate and possible, to its supplier network and particularly to employees. The latter requires careful recruitment, and the former requires integrity and accountability. In this way, we create a virtuous network and cellular structure within the socio-economy that we aim will perpetuate itself by compelling compliance and inspiring emulation.
HOW DO WE BRING OUR VALUES TO LIFE?
The most appropriate and humane way to bring a value to life is to break it doing into actions, and implement those actions. Ramala Hubb’Allah enacted her values in several ways:
Fighting Taghut:
Ramala walked away from a corporate job and a normative urban life to find her own path, rejected following consumerist trends and began buying from small sellers, local makers and artisans a very long time ago, particularly after 2005, a watershed year in her transformation and development.She also created groups and projects to help food growers and artisans. She wrote, spoke, taught, connected, communicated and argued.
Justice:
The form of justice Ramala has focused on the most is economic; she tends to buy from multiple and diverse vendors in a market, distributes work, and pays them immediately, helping their cash cycles. She also forgives small errors, and shares knowledge to help boost partner/ vendor/ artisan confidence.Caring for Employees and Partners:
Some business only reward investors and owners; some fawn over clients. Ramala’s view is that we create structures that benefits ALL participants and stakeholders, even the silent and invisible ones who are not at the table to argue for themselves, such as ‘the society at large’. She also asserts that caring for employees is godly and an act of service, and vital to the health of a business or operation. She pays fairly and well, and soon.Civic Participation:
In many ways, especially through her writing, teaching and advocacy, Ramala is an active, engaged and responsible citizen. She has however been largely disabled and dependent since adverse health events affected her beginning 2012, and sometimes even prior. Invisible illness may give some the perception that she is not participating, however she is active in dimensions unseen by many.Businesses That Cares:
She has created businesses that, by their very nature, solve intense problems and care. Her herbalism business BetterBonds solved health challenges. Her food-growing project worked on nutritional and economic freedom. Many of her blogs inform and prepare people for events to come and affect humanity. With her every product and project, she has altered the world and cared.Products That Solve Critical Problems:
Ramala has personally developed many information, play and organic products that solve challenges. She is also educating her child to solve problems such as that of waste management and sustainability. For instance, the child has been taught to make papier mâché products that utilize paper waste. This needs to be scaled to solve a problem with paper waste. Ramala is now developing a suite of projects and products that focus on ecological, sustainable, and artisanal approaches.
The world of Ramala Hubb’Allah is complex, intensive and perpetuating. Please check our website often for insights and developments. A newsletter will soon be integrated to help you keep in touch, and be updated on the latest developments. Insha’Allah.