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A Qualitative Insight Into Islamic Advertising Ethics
A Qualitative Insight Into Islamic Advertising Ethics
Introduction
Advertising is one of the most integral parts of a business entity.
Organizations all around the world spend billions of dollars every year to
promote their products and advertising is one of the tools to promote their
product globally. As businesses transcend across border, the role and
magnitude of advertising expenditure have expanded thus require a close
examination in terms of its roles and functions. These ethical issues include
women exploitation, subliminal perception, advertising to children,
deceptive advertising, and other issues which can lead to moral deterioration
of the society1. The fact that potentially unethical advertisements are
reaching the marketplace suggested that current methods of evaluating
advertisements may be insufficient for some of todays controversial or
innovative campaigns2. Most of the criticism of advertising comes from
those who focus on advertisings social role while most of the defenses
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
In the monograph, the Vatican laid out the benefit, the harms, some ethical
and moral principles worth considering, and steps to be taken to improve the
current situation regarding advertising ethics17. In discussing the benefits of
advertising, the Council divides these benefits into four different segments;
economic, political, cultural, and moral and religious benefit and the same
four segments are then used again in their explanation on harms of
advertising18.
The monograph does not come without any weaknesses. Murphy argues that
the monograph has several weaknesses that range from being too general in
nature, mixing a lot of different issues throughout, too idealistic or
unrealistic in some places, and avoiding from citing the secular literature19.
Foley also acknowledges that issues such as the use of product placements
in films and television programs, the promotion of products connected with
the programs being shown, and also endorsements of products by famous
persons should be included in the monograph in the first place20. Brenkert
argues that in the monograph, the Council argues from one-sided
perspective that advertisers are morally responsible in the market and rejects
the view in which the consumers have responsibility for their own
decisions21.
2.
Research Objective
The main objective of this paper is to understand the Islamic
approach towards ethics in advertising. Islamic advertising ethics is
relatively new in the advertising body of knowledge. Due to numerous
articles written on unethical advertising, the researcher feels that an in-depth
study on this area is needed to shed light to current problems. An existing
research on this area is only done through the Christianity perspective but it
only touches benefit and harms of advertising in general22. Being a Muslim
country, it is an added advantage to practice Islamic teachings in all aspects
of life including when interacting with people through advertising. The
researcher intends to come up with a model of Islamic advertising ethics.
3.
Interview Protocol
3
2
2
1
1
1
Years of experience
1 5 years
6 10 years
10 15 years
More than 15 years
4
6
0
1
Gender
Male
Female
10
1
City
Putrajaya
Nilai
Malacca
1
3
7
Academic background
Diploma
BA
Masters
PhD
3
4
3
1
Area of Expertise
Quranic studies
Shariah and law
Islamic civilization
3
7
1
5.
Limitations
One of the major concerns regarding analyzing qualitative data is
on the issue of subjectivity in interpreting the data28. Maxwell argued that, a
qualitative research is not principally concerned with getting rid of the
variance between researchers in the values and expectations they bring to
the study, but with understanding how a particular researchers values and
All in all, all the parties such as the government, the public and also the
advertising practitioners should play their own roles and work together
when it comes to overlapping roles to achieve the objective of reducing or
eliminating unethical advertisements. Ethical self control should be strong
among the practitioners in order for them to better understand the boundary
of ethics. They should be grounded on the notion that advertisements are
just the summaries of all the product characteristics to be sold to the
consumers.
D. Foundation of Islamic ethics
The fundamental foundations as agreed by all the religious scholars are
Quran and Sunnah. It rooted from those two sources and then transcended
into the act of performing religious rituals such as prayers and from there it
transcended to the understanding of religious ritual. Thus ethics is the end
product of this process. The scholars also believed that Iman is important
while knowledge can differentiate between good and bad. Daud (1996)also
argues that the system of belief or Iman in Islam is a combination of three
elements which are heart, verbal and action in which a person who have
high level of Iman will believe it in his/hart, vocalizes it through his/her
words, and showing it through his/her actions33. The importance of Iman is
evident in the Quran:
Only those who are believers who have believed in Allah
and His messenger, and have never since doubted, but
have striven with their belongings and their persons in the
cause of Allah: Such are the sincere ones34.
Islam can be defined as purity, peace, tranquility, obedience and surrender
while Iman is the belief in the Oneness of Allah and obedience to His
command and those who believe in this is referred to as a Muslim35.
According to Syed Nawab Haider Naqvi, the axioms of Islamic ethics are
Tawhid, moderation, freewill, and responsibility36. His view is supported by
Rafik in which he argues that the five main axioms of Islamic ethics are
Tawhid, Adl, freewill, responsibility and benevolence, and these five
axioms fall under the Islamic Shariah principles37. Tawhid in Islam can be
defined as the concept of worshipping the one and only God or the concept
of monotheism and it is considered a moral matter38. This is evident in AlQuran:
Say: He is Allah, The One; Allah the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, Nor is He begotten; And there is none
Like unto Him.3940
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Apart from that, even though there are considerable amount of ethical
teachings and examples in the Quran, it is not the sole source of expression
of the ethical ideal of Islam because the Sunnah41 is also important source
that magnifies and extends the key revelation substance from the Quran42.
In Islam the first and foremost important moral and ethical element is
devoting oneself to Allah. Mohd Nasir Omar defines ethics and moral from
Islamic perspective as akhlaq or the state of feelings that shapes human
behavior43. Mohd Asri Abdullah et al. argue that there are two categories of
akhlaq; mahmudah44 and mazmumah4546. Zakaria Stapa argues that akhlaq is
the element that promotes cohesiveness47. The religious scholars
interviewed believed that the mahmudah characteristics can guide the
society in order to promote ethical behaviors which are parallel to the Quran
and Hadith. The scholars also believed that the ethical behaviors can be
promoted through social activities within the community.
E. Roles of advertising in Islam
According to some of the religious scholars, advertising served the same
function and preaching towards the path of godliness. This is because
advertising is the process to disseminate information and the same practice
is being used in religious preaching in which information about religious
deed are being disseminated to the public. The scholars believed that
advertising is a medium of information dissemination to the public, a source
of knowledge, and should portray Islamic values such as getting oneself
nearer to God, promoting good personal and family financial planning
behaviors, and giving time and space for the public to think and evaluate
purchase decisions.
The most important roles of advertising according to the scholars are not to
deceit, not to encourage false claims, not to complicate purchase decision,
and not to withhold facts from the public. If these conditions are fulfilled,
then the incidences of unethical advertising will slowly dissipate. One
interesting discovery from the interview is that one of the scholars suggested
that engagement and wedding ceremonies in Islam are considered to be acts
of advertising. This is because other than connecting two individuals in a
blissful matrimonial event, wedding and engagement ceremonies are also
one of the ways to inform the public that these two individuals are taken and
no longer available in the dating market.
F. Bridging the gaps between current advertising practices and Islam
One of the suggested solutions is through promoting the understanding of
Islam among the advertising practitioners. They have to know and
understand the rules, regulations, principles and guidelines that exist in
Islam. Some of the scholars believe that the advertisements itself has to be
11
12
believes that the area of Islamic advertising ethics is a new area to venture
into and in need of a thorough study.
Haseeb Shabbir and Des Thwaites The Use of Humor to Mask Deceptive
Advertising, Journal of Advertising , 36 (2), 2007, pp. 75-85 ; Patrick E
Murphy. Ethics in Advertising: Review, Analysis and Suggestions,
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing , 17 (2), 1998, pp. 316-319; Jessica
Dawn Blair et. al,. Ethics in Advertising: Sex Sells, but Should It? Journal
of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues , 9 (2), 2006, pp. 109-118.
2
Alan J Bush and Victoria Davies Bush. The Narrative Paradigm as a
Perspective for Improving Ethical Evaluations of Advertisments, Journal of
Advertising , XXIII (3), 1994, 31-41.
3
Geofrey P Lantos, Advertising: Looking Glass or Molder of the Masses
Journal of Public Policy and Marketing , 6, 1987, pp. 104-128.
4
Israel D. Nebenzahl, and Eugene D. Jaffe, Ethical Dimensions of
Advertising Executions, Journal of Business Ethics , 17, 1998, pp.805-815;
Kim Shyan Fam, David S. Waller, and B. Zafer Erdogan, The Influence of
Religion on Attitudes Towards the Advertising of Controversial Products,
European Journal of Marketing , 38 (5/6), 2004, pp. 537-555; David S.
Waller, and Kim Shyan Kam, Cultural Values and Advertising in Malaysia:
Views form the Industry. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics ,
12 (1), 2000, pp. 3-16.
5
Drs. Achmad Zubair,. Kuliah Etika. Jakarta: Rajawali Pers, 1987.
6
Edward H Spence, Bret Van Heekeren, Advertising Ethics. New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc, 2005, p 8.
7
Bodo B. Schlegelmilch, Marketing Ethics: An International Perspective.
London: International THomson Business Press, 1998, pp. 6-7.
8
Dr. Hamzah Ya'qub, Etika Islam: Pembinaan Akhlaqulkarimah (Suatu
Pengantar) (3 ed.). Bandung: CV. DIPONEGORO, 1985, p. 13.
9
Dato Dr Harun Din, Islam: Rujukan Efektif Akhlak Mulia. Kuala Lumpur:
PTS Millennia, 2007.
10
Mohd Asri Abdullah et al.. Prinsip-Prinsip Asas Islam: Syariah, Ibadat
dan Akhlak. Shah Alam: Penerbit Universiti UPENA, 2007a.
11
Che Zuina Ismail, Pengantar Asas-Asas Islam. Shah Alam: Pusat
Penerbitan Universiti (UPENA) Universiti Teknlogi MARA, 2007.
12
Kim Shyan Fam, David S. Waller, and B. Zafer Erdogan, The Influence
of Religion on Attitudes Towards the Advertising of Controversial
Products, European Journal of Marketing , 38 (5/6), 2004, pp. 537-555.
13
Gillian Rice, and Mohammed al-Mossawi, The Implications of Islam for
Advertising Messages: The Middle Eastern Context, Journal of
Euromarketing , 11 (3), 2003, pp. 1-16.
13
14
From here onward, the Pontifical Council for Social Communication will
be referred to as the Council and the report will be referred to as monograph.
15
Pontifical Council for Social Communication, Ethics in Advertising,
1997, Vatican City: Liberia Editrice Vaticana
16
Ibid.
17
John P. Foley, Ethics in Advertising: A Report from the Pontifical
Council for Social Communication, Journal of Consumer Marketing , 16
(3), 1999, pp. 220-221.
18
Jef I Richards, Catholic Church Handbook on Ethics in Advertising,
1997, Retrieved August 1, 2007, from Department of Advertising, The
University of Texas at Austin:
http://advertising.utexas.edu/research/law/catholic.html
19
Patrick E. Murphy, Ethics in Advertising: Review, Analysis and
Suggestions, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing , 17 (2), 1998, pp. 316319.
20
John P. Foley, Ethics in Advertising: A Look at the Report by the
Pontifical Council for Social Communication. Journal of Public Policy and
Marketing , 17 (2), 1998, pp. 313-315.
21
George G. Brenkert, Ethics in Advertising: The Good, the Bad and the
Church, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing , 17 (2), 1998, pp. 325-331.
22
Pontifical Council for Social Communication, Ethics in Advertising,
1997, Vatican City: Liberia Editrice Vaticana
23
Minette E. Drumwright and Patrick E. Murphy, How Advertising
Practitioners View Ethics, Journal of Advertising, Vol 33, No 2, Summer
2004, pp. 7-24.
24
Sabine Mertens Oishi, How to Conduct In-person Interviews for Survey,
2nd Edition, Sage Publication Inc, California, 2003, p. 171.
25
See Table 1 for demographics of the respondents
26
Jeniffer Mason, Qualitative Researching, 2nd Edition, Safe Publication
Ltd., London, 2002, p. 121.
27
Carol A. Bailey, A Guide to Qualitative Field Research, 2nd Edition, Pine
Forge Press, California, 2007, p. 65.
28
Minette E. Drumwright and Patrick E. Murphy, How Advertising
Practitioners View Ethics, Journal of Advertising, Vol 33, No 2, Summer
2004, p. 10.
29
Joseph A. Maxwell, Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive
Approach, 2nd Edition, Vol. 41, Sage Publication Inc, California, 2005, p.
108.
30
Carol A. Bailey, A Guide to Qualitative Field Research, 2nd Edition, Pine
Forge Press, California, 2007, p. 188.
14
31
15
Bibliography
Abdullah, M. A., Yusoff, K., Md Daud, C. K., Temyati, Z., Sidek, A. J.,
Abdul Razak, M. S., et al. (2007a). Prinsip-Prinsip Asas Islam: Syariah,
Ibadat dan Akhlak. Shah Alam: Penerbit Universiti UPENA.
Ahmed, S. (1999). Islam Basic Beliefs. Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Nordeen.
Brenkert, G. G. (1998). Ethics in Advertising: The Good, the Bad and the
Church. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing , 17 (2), 325-331.
Al-Quran.
Bailey, Carol A. (2007). A Guide to Qualitative Field Research. 2nd Edition,
Pine Forge Press, California, pp. 65-188.
Beekun, R. I. (2003). Islamic Business Ethics. New Delhi: The International
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Blair, J. D., Stephenson, J. D., Hill, K. L., & Green, J. S. (2006). Ethics in
Advertising: Sex Sells, but Should It? Journal of Legal, Ethical and
Regulatory Issues , 9 (2), 109-118.
Bush, A. J., & Bush, V. D. (1994). The Narrative Paradigm as a Perspective
for Improving Ethical Evaluations of Advertisments. Journal of Advertising
, XXIII (3), 31-41.
Daud, D. M. (1996). Akidah Mukmin. Kuala Lumpur: Bahagian Hal Ehwal
Islam, Jabatan Perdana Menteri.
Din, D. D. (2007). Islam: Rujukan Efektif Akhlak Mulia. Kuala Lumpur:
PTS Millennia.
Drumwright, M. E., & Murphy, P. E. (2004). How Advertising Practitioners
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Journal of Advertising , 33 (2), 7-24.
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Authors Affiliation
The author is a PhD candidate at the Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah
Alam, Malaysia. He is currently attached as a lecturer at the Islamic Science
University of Malaysia, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. He can be
reached at noorizzuddin@usim.edu.my
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