Press Releases
Azzad renews appeal to apparel makers to protect worker rights
FALLS CHURCH, VA, April 25, 2016 — Azzad Asset Management, a faith-based socially responsible investment firm and investment advisor to the Azzad Funds, reiterated today its call for ongoing reforms in the Bangladesh garment sector, three years after an eight-story factory collapsed in the capital of Dhaka killing more than 1,100 workers and injuring 2,500. The firm said in a statement: “In the wake of the largest garment factory accident in history, we have made only marginal progress toward a culture of safety and respect for worker rights in Bangladesh. The reforms that have been achieved, though admirable, have been
Azzad joins call to investigate ExxonMobil over climate change
FALLS CHURCH, VA, April 6, 2016 — Azzad Asset Management, investment advisor to the Azzad Funds, announced today that it has added its voice to a growing campaign to investigate whether Exxon Mobil Corp. intentionally misled the public and its shareholders about the risks of climate change. In April, a group of socially responsible investment managers, including Azzad, sent a letter to the United States Department of Justice calling for an investigation. It read in part: “Recent reports have shown that Exxon knew about the threat of climate change decades ago. Yet over the course of nearly forty years, the
Azzad calls for DOL to reinforce shareholder rights for pension plans
FALLS CHURCH, Va., March 22, 2016 — Azzad Asset Management, investment advisor to the Azzad Funds, announced today that it has joined a coalition of socially responsible financial firms in calling for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to rescind a bulletin that undermines the exercise of shareholder rights by fiduciaries. Organized by the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF), of which Azzad is a member, the campaign is intended to persuade the DOL to explicitly permit retirement plan sponsors to address sustainability concerns by engaging directly with publicly traded companies in which they invest. The group argues that
Azzad Wise Capital Fund increases social impact with trade finance investments
(FALLS CHURCH, Va., February 23, 2016) – Azzad Asset Management today announced that it has further magnified the social impact of its flagship mutual fund by adding investments in ethical trade finance deals. These investments may provide returns for investors while helping underserved populations in Asia and Africa obtain reasonable financing to grow businesses and cooperatives. The Azzad Wise Capital Fund (WISEX) is the first halal fixed-income fund in the United States. By investing primarily in sukuk and community development banks, it can provide an alternative fixed-income investment option that contributes to social development without dealing in interest-based transactions. Through
