Muslim Tech Fest, a quickly rising expertise occasion, kicked off on Saturday in London to spotlight Muslim excellence in expertise and encourage moral, values-driven innovation.
Founded in 2023 by Arfah Farooq and Zahid Mahmood, the pageant brings collectively entrepreneurs, builders, and buyers from everywhere in the world to community, share concepts, and problem trade norms.
This yr’s Muslim Tech Fest, with Anadolu as its world media associate, opened its doorways to over 1,500 worldwide contributors from 27 nations, together with the UK, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the US, and Canada.
“This isn’t about diversity optics,” the organizers stated. “It’s about real access.”
– ‘We want to return to ideas as Muslims’
Zahid Mahmood, co-founder of MTF, stated the intention is to return to first ideas in how expertise is constructed.
“Faith and innovation aren’t opposites; they’ve always gone hand in hand. What we need to do is go back to first principles as Muslims and see how it is that we build enterprise, technology, and innovation in a way that serves Allah,” he stated.
“It’s not contradictory to what major tech companies are doing today—it’s about putting the right philosophy and principles in place.”
Mahmood additionally spoke concerning the significance of constructing expertise that works for everybody, together with individuals with disabilities or these utilizing tech for the primary time.
He stated Islamic values encourage builders to consider who their work serves and impacts.
The occasion additionally featured troublesome conversations, together with discussions concerning the battle in Gaza.
“We spend a lot of time and effort inviting those from conflict zones,” Mahmood stated.
“We have Gaza Sky Geeks’ presence here today to share their stories… these are real human beings living a very difficult truth.”
Last yr, MTF hosted a Gaza Expo, and this yr, regardless of challenges, Palestinian tech founders had been nonetheless current by way of talks and startup showcases, he stated.
“Technology alone is not going to save the world,” Mahmood stated. “But if this event can inspire someone to make a change, support a cause, or spread a message, then it’s been a success.”
Source: www.anews.com.tr