CHALLENGES FOR UMMAH



Introduction

Today, we find that there is more uncertainty, complexity, and turbulence in the world as we move into the 21st century. We are witnessing the dawn of "Knowledge and Information Revolution". In this era, we need a new vision, new mental blocks, and new approaches.

Current Bleak Scenario

The picture today both at global and regional level looks very challenging. Muslims are a population of 1.3 billion people. The Muslim countries are endowed with important economic resources like oil (50 percent of world's oil export), agriculture, coal, iron, uranium, tin, rubber, copper etc. Unfortunately, the region with world's 22 percent population has only two percent of world's GDP and 1.3 percent of world's trade. No Muslim country figures in the top bracket of Human Development Index. Muslims' share of world income is less than six percent. Likewise, they lag in all other economic indicators like savings rate, capital formation etc.

Economic prosperity and development go hand-in-hand with a certain amount of individual freedom. Unfortunately, in much of the Muslim World, the people generally do not have a voice in the development process that touches their lives. This is true particularly for women.

Main Challenges

1. Economic Decline
2. Lack of education
3. Moral depravity. Absence of Islamic values
4. Distance from religion
5. Lack of Unity in Ummah
6. Prevailing social inequalities
7. Westernization
8. Islamophobia in West
9. Terrorism
10. Attack on Islamic States including Iraq and Afghanistan
11. Lack of human rights in Muslim countries
12. Sectarianism

1. Establishing Knowledge-based Economies

Under the new Knowledge Revolution, knowledge becomes the key to wealth creation and national power. Creating knowledge societies, knowledge economies, knowledge companies, knowledge workers, and knowledge leaders are the new key success factors for any society. This implies that we must look at economic development and meaning of national power with these perspectives.

2. Reforming Education Systems

The main barrier lay in deterioration of education system that taught people a finite set of information rather than how to use their own judgment, exercise their critical faculties and creativity, and experiment. In treating Islamic learning as having attained perfection and the Islamic world as self-sufficient, it gave legitimacy to values, attitudes, and practices that promoted stability and discouraged inquisitiveness. It helped support an educational system that emphasized rote learning and memorization at the expense of problem solving.

(a) Basic education: As part of development finance, the poorest Muslim countries need to build basic educational facilities that will be provided free of charge to its population. This will cover primary and secondary education.
(b) Reach of education: There is a need to extend educational facilities to girls as a large part of the illiteracy in the Ummah is among women as well as to other less privileged sections of society.
(c) Content of education: In addition to the study of the religious texts and values, we need to master science and technology, medicine, English language, economics and finance.
(d) Tertiary education and centers of excellence: In tertiary education, the centers of excellence are currently in the West. We need to take a multi-pronged strategy in this regards as follows: -
(i) Continue to send our best students abroad to these centers. These graduates should be encouraged to live and learn in the West, while keeping close to the tenets of Islam.
(ii) Developing centers of excellence within the Muslim world. For example, the International Islamic University in Malaysia UIA could be the designated center of excellence for the study of Islamic economics, Indonesia for development finance and Saudi Arabia for oil studies.

(iii) Promote close cooperation between and within (i) and (ii) above. Among the mechanisms could be professional networks, research grants, visiting fellowships, specific research and applied research projects.

3. Increase trade among Muslim nations

The total exports of the OIC countries in 2000 was US$50.7 billion of which US$52 billion (10%) was to other OIC countries. The total imports of the OIC countries in 2000 was US$406 billion, of which US$ 56 billion (13%) was from other OIC countries. In terms of total trade, the figures imply that we trade about 8 times more with non-OIC countries than with OIC countries. If we can begin to trade among ourselves, without using the Western countries as intermediaries, we can bring about greater prosperity to the Muslim nations.

4. Gold Dinar Proposal

One effective way of increasing intra-OIC trade is by way of the gold dinar mechanism, that has been proposed by Malaysia. It will not be a physical transfer of gold from one country to another, but a transfer of beneficial ownership in the gold custodian's account.

5. Encourage greater capital flows

According to conservative estimates, there are at least USD 1 trillion of Middle Eastern, mostly Muslim-owned, funds sitting in Western financial centres. These funds should be invested in the Muslim countries for productive purposes. We must develop the Islamic financial system to achieve this objective.

6. Islamic Union to replace OIC

From being a talk-shop the OIC must transform itself into a work-shop. The United Nations, while having supposedly noble intentions, has failed miserably to defend the rights of Muslims.

It is, therefore, a matter of urgency for the Ummah to restructure the OIC and in the process create its own United Nations of Islam as a cohesive union, bound by trade and economics. The broad objectives of the Islamic Union must be to bring about self reliance among the Ummah in various fields, including economics, trade and capital flows, as well as to strengthen the Ummah economically, socially and intellectually.

It must be run as a professional organisation with clear objectives and time-frames. It must have the full support, cooperation and participation of each and every Muslim nation.

Q:-

- What is the Concept of Ummah
- What are the Ummah's Political and Economic problems
- What Measures can be taken for political and economic stability/Suggestions for Solidarity

Concept of Ummah:

The word Ummah etymologically speaking means "to be subordinate to or to follow someone".

Simply it means a tribe, a community or a nation. In Islamic terminology it implies Ummah of Mohammad (PBUH), the apostle of Allah, comprising all men and women who respond to his message which is universal and eternal. The Ummah is therefore a higher unit than nations, communities or states.





"And Verily this Brotherhood of yours is a single Brotherhood, and I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore fear me (and no other)."(Al-Muminun: 52)

"You are the best community that has been raised up for mankind. You enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and ye believe in Allah." (Al-Imran: 110)

Political and economic problems:

There are above 50 Muslim countries in the world. 66% of the world's petroleum resources in Muslim countries, all kinds of natural resources and minerals, natural gas, coal, iron, Uranium, Gypsum. Along with two important strengths:

1- A large geographical expanse, unbroken chain from Pakistan to Morocco consisting of many rivers, forests and economically important coasts.
2- Cheap labor and man power.

Political Problems:
1- Muslims are being victimized in Kashmir, Bosnia, Palestine, Chechnya, and Afghanistan.
2- Sectarian disputes
3- Monarchies
4- Intervention of Military in Parliamentary matters
5- Foreign involvement in Muslim Countries
6- Taking western countries as strategic partners rather than Muslim countries
7- Inculcation of religious fanaticism

Economic Problems:

1- Exorbitant defense expenditures
2- Dependency on Western nations or International financial institutions (Indebtedness)
3- Riba (Interest)
4- Low literacy rate
5- Under-utilization of available resources
6- Technological backwardness

MEASURES FOR ECONOMIC STABILITY:

1- A common Market on the pattern of E.E.C is the utmost need of the time so that foreign economic dependence could be minimized. ASEAN, NAFTA and OAS are other relevant examples.

2- Through these Markets joint efforts should be made to preserve and adequately utilize to their utmost capacity the available natural resources in Muslim countries.

3- Trade between Muslim countries should be carried out on a priority basis.

4- Billions of petro-Dollars of oil rich Gulf States lying in the western banks must be deposited in the Islamic banks for investment in various developmental projects.

5- Some Muslim countries have made great progress in technological fields such as Malaysia, Turkey and Indonesia. Transfer of technology and expertise from one Muslim country to another will help reduce dependence on the West.

6- Many excellent scientists, intellectuals and professional are unfortunately serving in Western countries due to lucrative earning opportunities. They must be called back and offered incentives according to their qualifications so that they may be able to put in their energies for the good of their own people.

7- All Haram (unlawful) businesses should be extirpated from the country including interest (Rib'a) based banking. A committee should be formed which should devise a list of all Haram businesses which are allowed in an Islamic state. Haram businesses bring wretchedness and poverty upon a society.

8- Banking should be based on profit and loss sharing as has been prescribed according to Islamic Financial laws. Through this financial crises in the country can be avoided and many other ills eradicated. The onus of sharing a loss will not simply be on the banks then.

9- Measures should be taken for adequate collection of Zakat and its suitable distribution.

10- Zakat should not merely be used for distribution among the poor but many cottage industries can be setup which give training and employment opportunities to people. As it has been said, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time.'

MEASURES FOR POLITICAL STABILITY:

1- To create unity and solidarity among Muslims nations a United Islamic Nations' Organization (UINO) should be formed.

2- Muslims should create a strong block by sharing Atomic energy with one another. Pakistan being the only Muslim nation which this technology should forward the technology to other Muslim nations. The Quran says:
"Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies"

3- Educational budget should be increased so as to improve the literacy rate.

4- The Muslim countries should establish a common Muslim army, which may be mobilized for the rescue of the Muslim brethren whenever needed.

5- The Ummah should have their own strong media as in this age of communication revolution, the mass media plays and effective role in propagation of desired messages around the world.

6- Stringent measures should be taken to eradicate corruption and promote the principle of accountability in all government offices and institutions.

7- Islam is very much in consonance with democracy. All Islamic countries should have a uniform system of government.

8- There should be checks and curbs on practices of Religious organizations and Madrassahs.

9- All Militia of such religious parties should be banned and the government must impose ban on display of weapons and cancel all weapons licenses issued to civilians and the like.

10- Religion itself prescribes Ijtihad and Ijma as tools to tackle emerging issues that Ummah faces. Dialogues and discussions among our self is a way forward to take advantage from these provisions and remove sectarian differences. Imposing one’s opinion and believes on others through brutal forces is an unacceptable act. Islam explicitly rejects spreading of religion through force and held a human life sacred to above any other thing.

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"MAST TAUKALI ae DUA"