Quran Sura 89 verses 6-8

{Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of ʿAd, people of pillars,
the like of which was not seen in the land? }
Sura Al-Fajr 89:6-8

Eight Points About The Economic System of Islam

“Islam is an entire way of life, and Allah's Guidance extends into all areas of our lives. Islam has given detailed regulations for our economic life, which is balanced and fair. Muslims are to recognize that wealth, earnings, and material goods are the property of God, and that we are merely His trustees. The principles of Islam aim at establishing a just society wherein everyone will behave responsibly and honestly. The fundamental principles of the Islamic economic system are as follows:” for example no interest, no fraud, deceit, theft, or other falsehoods, no gambling, or hoarding, no waste; but alms & charity, for details see our text on Islamic Economy:

link-green18↵ Islamic Economy
link-green18↵ .......

Note:
- On The Wars Of The US []
- Trade is not on an equal terms (http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/fair-trade-tough-be-ethical-consumer/)



About The Negative Aspects of Globalization

Globalization Is Principally

Westernization

What Muslims Demand From Globalization To Be A Positive Force

Introduction

Islam fosters trade and international relations on equal footing, fair dealings - beneficial for both sides, which means justice and the upholding of p e a c e. This is the way of the Prophet Muhammad ( sallAllahu `aleihi wa sallam ), who was himself a very successful tradesman. All this has been codified by the Shariya, the law of Islam. The main principles, which have to be implemented are quoted above.

Too many are the examples of countries and their governments which judge by other than the divine message of Islam and therefore perform less than well when it comes to developing their economies. This is not the fault of globalization per-se. There other reasons for it...

To propose an answer right at the beginning, we would state that without the implementation of core principles there will be no economic development. These are the principles of compassion for the poor and downtrodden and justice for everyone, which should inform the various elements of government and the society at large, to strive to please God - Allah.

Justice includes correct and sincere conduct by the decision makers, whose main function is to serve the people, in a system with checks and balances. How would a country develop with rampant corruption - especially in state & government? Is there a worse obstacle for development?

Concerning The Uncontrolled Exploitation Of The Resources Of The Developing Countries

This exploitation is not done by 'the man in the street,' but by those very large multinational corporations!

But there is no free lunch. Our standard of living depends on the exploitation and theft of resources from the poor countries of the East and South.

In the US in 2007:
80% of the US population owned 15% of wealth,
whereas just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85% of it, and
the top 1% owned 35% of total net worth and 43% of financial wealth.
A study from 2010 reveals that Americans have no idea
that the wealth distribution is as concentrated as it is.
[http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html]

Globalization is Westernization

Here we define globalization as the international economic system as it has been shaped during the second part of the 20th century, ie it being essentially different from the international trade-, cultural- relations during the "Middle Ages" or during the Islamic Caliphate, or earlier.

What is this difference and why do we say "Globalization is principally Westernization?" If it appears that countries like China[fnChina1], Russia, India and Brasil follow their own policy and if their approach is any different from the West - then this has to be proven.
An important aspect which has to be reviewed is the role of the multi-national corporations.

Defining Westernization

By Westernization we mean the reduction of all human, including economic, cultural activity down to a materialistic, one-dimensional level, breraking with the to Heaven, stripping the links to divine tradition, which - in our conviction - should embrace all human activity. The Western mentality and ruling ideology (Liberalism, Colonialism, Imperialism, now Neo~ ...) grew out of the hybris of the West: turning their back on the divine tradition, when they invented positivism, individualism, etc. until the moral decadence of today with hedonism, nihilism, and the worship of the ego.

Many are those who want to prove that globalization is nothing new, that it has been around for centuries. So for example Nobel Prize Winner in Economics Amartya Sen argues against our point of view:

"The agents of globalization are neither European nor exclusively Western, nor are they necessarily linked to Western dominance."[fnAS]

Alright the professor has a Nobel Prize in Economics, but this does not enable? him to differentiate between today's globalization and the one from yesterday. Yes there has been "over thousands of years, [some kind of] globalization [which] has contributed to world progress through travel, trade, migration, cultural exchange, science and technology," and he cites the example of the Muslim mathematician Mohammad Ibn Musa-al-Khwarizmi, whose works on algebra through a chain of intellectual relations influenced the European Renaissance and, later, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.[fnAS] But globalization today is very different from that, (and we'll show why, inshah Allah.)

We have stated elsewere,[] this the era of neocolonialism, today is paraded as "globalization." Such a globalization, which is first of all the uncontrolled exploitation of the resources of the poorer world, including and not the least human resources, ie. human lives. Anyone ignoring this essential differnce is only painting a rosy pictures possibly for grandmother. It would be a wrong to maintain that globalization benefits equally the involved parties, the reality is that economic globalization in its current form risks exacerbating poverty and increasing violence if not checked.[2.2]

Secondly there is the "cultural" or psycological aspect of globalization. Let us make it clear that this modern expansion/ onslaught has indeed had many harmful effects on Muslim lands (and other countries). It appears even that in some areas, Muslim mentality has been affected toward a Western, i.e. materialistic point of view. This then evokes the idea of globalization really being a cover for Westernization.

We are often told about the achievements and advantages of globalization, but we rarely hear about the negative effects of it. In a paper by NN, we understand(?) how globalization ..."small scale societies are being systematically westernized, thus virtually erasing their culture, depleting their populations, and integrating them into the modern world."[fn small scale societies1]

After reporting the fate of three tribes on three continents, the author poses the question: "In the grand scheme of things, is westernization a shining beacon of hope to primitive people, or an alternate term for genocide in the name of the almighty dollar?"[fn small scale societies2=1] (She sees there are ... positive effects.)

Greedy Globalization For The Promotion Of The Neo-Colonialistic Interests Of The West

Another analyst, Kolawole A. Owolabi, argues that "globalization, as it is currently being orchestrated by America, is essentially aimed at the promotion of the imperialistic interests of Western society."

He defines globalization as "the homogenization of ideas, images and institutions, making the global community appear so united as ... a global village," which is evoking the fairy tale image again. The author, who views globalization basically as Americanization - because of the "the dominance of the ideology of liberalism", stresses that the process of globalization includes within itself a tension or divide "between a cohesive, prosperous and peaceful bloc of liberal [Western] states and the instability and chaos of the rest of the world."[fn GAW] This is a most important point, because far from promoting "freedom and democracy," the West (including Russia and China), has (have) always been careless about justice and human rights of the populace, ... (when it comes to paying back)?)

Rather than an economic concept, globalization should be seen as a cultural process meaning, as he writes, a "process of cultural interpenetration, in which "culture" designates ... the totality of ideas that sustains a group."[fn GAW]

Globalization: Favouring Western Values

Why is it an "enterprise that favours Western values?"
SHORTEN: Because "the integration going on is a lopsided one favourable to the ethos and values of Western culture. This may be due to simple historical reasons as West has had many centuries in which to assert dominance over other societies. But critics go further: they regard the present situation as a result of a centuries-old mission of Western society to bring other societies closer in order to dominate and exploit them (Hall 1998:20). Itis for this reason that certain scholars regard globalization as an imperialist project. For them the universalization of the values of liberal capitalism in the name of globalization is the consolidation of Western imperialism (Sivandan 1999:5). Globalization is purely and simply another form of the coercive socialization of non-Western societies into the Western cultural system for the sake ofthe hegemony of the latter."[fn GAW]

notes:
fnChina1: There is a strong tendency in China today in face of Western modernity, "to rehabilitate and re-legitimize traditional Chinese culture." From Westernization to Globalization. A Brief History (...) www.world-governance.org/spip.php?article456
fnAS Does Globalization Equal Westernization? by Amartya Sen, 2002; http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=2353
fnAl-Andalus1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_and_cultural_exchange_in_Al-Andalus
fn small scale societies1: fn GAW: Globalization, Americanization and Western imperialism, Kolawole A. Owolabi, Nigeria http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/African%20Journals/pdfs/social%20development/vol16no2/jsda016002005.pdf
(1.) The Islamic Perspective For Globalization

Trade and cultural exchange, especially the exchange of knowledge has always been a hallmark of the Islamic civilization. Bait Al-Hikma in Baghdad, where foreign scientific and philosophical textbooks were translated and absorbed is just one example in case.
Another are those many Muslim travellers through the lands of the known world, not for material gain, but for the quest of knowledge. (Ibn Al-Battuta)

What happened to the Islamic World to have lost this characteristic - to some degree - not all of it, thank God - Al-Hamdu-li LLahi !

Concerning the splendid Islamic civilization of Al-Andalus, it has been concluded, that "the high culture that was achieved during the golden age of Al-Andalus was the result of the combination and growth the multiple cultures present in the geographic area."[fnAl-Andalus1]

(2.) Islamic Globalization Is Diversity, Coexistence, Mutual Acquaintance

“Islamic universality [this is the term used by the author] is diversity, coexistence, mutual acquaintance, and competition within the framework of human unity and of all that is shared by all mankind. Western globalization on the other hand stands for conflict, division and a so-called 'creative' chaos that unfolds against a backdrop of Western hegemony seeking to cast the entire world in the Western mold only.”

The universality of the Islamic civilization is part and parcel of the “universality of the Islamic message of which the Quran spoke” from Islam's outset:
{ We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.}
(Al Anbia, verse 107), and
{Blessed is He who sent down the criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures.}
(Al Furqan, verse 1). Being derived from the Holy Quran, “the term 'Ummah' was not used to mean closed or exclusive, but to signify the community that is forever open, inclusive and expansive.”

This universality of the Ummah “does not mean the monopoly of the Islamic civilization over the whole world to the exclusion of the 'Civilizational Other'. It means interaction and competition with the other in the full respect of civilizational plurality, cultural diversity and the color, race, custom and creed...” link-green18read more ...

(3.) Justice: To Get What You Deserve

There's a lot to be learned from the recent (2008 / 2011) financial crisis. Islam stands for justice, and justice in this case means that the money (income, savings) that people have earned working their butts off, is their property, and their's alone. It cannot legally be taken away from them, as it happens in every financial crisis that we have seen.

IF there is - at a certain point in time - no functional financial system which would avoid (or at least soften) those capitalist deep failures, and the whole economy is threatened by the mismanagement and malfeasance of bankers, politicians and others, then the state via the tax-payer's money has to step in, yes - but the paying people have to be recompensed afterwards 100%. Otherwise this is pure robbery by the rich class, and class struggle will be a consequence.

The Islamic method is very different. If we take the example of Omar ibn Al-Khattab ( ) (and others), often called the 5th caliph of Islam , he would go out into the town by himself - incognito - and gauge the situation of the people - true information for his governent. He would ask people about their problems and needs. Then he would give alms to whoever deserved it most. Caliph Ali (kAw) is reported to have said:

God has made it obligatory on the rich to meet the economic needs of the poor upto the extent of their absolute necessities. If they are hungry or naked or in financial hardship, it is because the rich are not doing their duty. God will question them about it on the Day of Judgement.

"Globalization" And Muslim Militancy

At the same time is neocolonialism [2.1] today paraded as the so-called "globalization", which is the uncontrolled exploitation of the resources of the poorer world, both human resources, ie. human lives and natural resources. It would be false and ironic to maintain that globalization[2.2] benefits all involved parties, when in reality globalization in its current form risks exacerbating poverty and increasing violence if not checked.[2.3] Let us make it clear that this modern expansion (or often onslaught) has (had) many harmful effects on Muslim (and other) countries. There are signs that in some respects, Muslim mentality has even been affected toward a Western, materialistic point of view. However, it has occurred in different places that large social groups have become alienated, never being able to taking part of the fairytale of globalization, (the reasons of which will be dealt elsewhere - inshah Allah). One consequence of this negative process has been the rise of new sects and political groupings, who have - in some decisive aspects - left the clear path of the Prohetic Way (the Sunnah).[2.4] While paying lip service to the noble teachings of Islam, they have turned in dispair to superficiality, spiritual frigidity, even militancy and extremism. The direct reason is the financial and other support by the US intelligence services for the care Al-Qaeda in the 1980ies, a support which did not stop with the end of theCold War.  [2.1] Wikipedia: Neocolonialism  [2.2]↵ Globalization is principally Westernization  [2.3] Joseph Stiglitz, former World Bank Chief Economist; in: A Primer On Neoliberalism  [2.4] This has been discussed elsewhere here at livingislam.org, [link forthcoming,..]






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