Essay on "International Development"

Essay 6 pages (1993 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

International Development

Being very much in the public eye as a result of the War in Iraq, the concept of Islam in the Western world is generally associated with war, atrocity, and hardship. Mostly unknown is the fact that one of the basic principles of Islam is in fact the well-being and harmony of all creatures on earth. Indeed, the Qur'an is not used only for reasons to cause war and destruction, but also to alleviate suffering and poverty throughout the world. As such, there are many institutions and structures connected to Islam, which do just that. While many of these are religion-specific, such as religious gatherings or groups, others take a more global aspect, offering services across cultural and religious borders. Thirdly, there is also an application of the poverty reduction system, as mandated by the Qur'an, to politics.

Islam and Poverty

Poverty is a phenomenon that appears worldwide, from the most prosperous urban environments to the most destitute rural towns. Alhabishi (1) takes this a step further by explicating poverty as not only an economic phenomenon. Indeed, the author goes as far as stating that poverty is no longer seen as a one-dimensional phenomenon. It is now recognized as impacted by a variety of social and political problems, along with the economy.

This is significant in terms of the perspective of Islam in terms of poverty. In order to understand the issue of poverty and its alleviation as addressed by Islam, Alhabishi (3) begins by considering Islam's perspective on basic human needs.

There are five basic human needs, according to Islam. These include religion, the physical self, intellect and knowledge, offspring, and wealth. A basic goal of Islam is to provide both society and individuals with the opportunity to meet all their basic needs. Those who do not have access to all the basic needs mentioned above, are considered poor. According to Alhabishi (5), all five needs must be fulfilled for a person not to be considered poor at some level.

Alhabishi (6) further notes that a distinction is made between two types of poverty in order to ensure that the most needy are reached in good time. This distinction is between the poor and the destitute. The latter group is subject to more extreme poverty than the former, and is in greater need of help than the former. This distinction is important in terms of the form of poverty alleviation that Islam dictates.

A further aspect of poverty alleviation, according to Ahmed (21), extreme inequality in terms of either income or poverty is discouraged by Islam. Although individuals are encouraged to make every economic effort to meet their needs, it is also recognized that some simply to not have access to the means to do this.

The Islamic economic system, at least in theory, is concerned with creating "the eradication of poverty, socio-economic justice and equitable distribution of income" (Ahmed 22). Ahmed refers to this as an "unyielding" feature of the Islamic economic system.

Islam: Zakah and Awqaf

Alhabishi (6) notes that the concept of nisab is central to the Islamic drive towards poverty alleviation and elimination. Nisab means that a minimum of any good or wealth can be possessed, after which it is subject to zakah. Zakah in turn is a type of taxation system according to which money is collected for the purpose of alleviating various forms of poverty.

The author summarizes several Islamic systems that provide funding for the poor. Zakah, as already mentioned, is obligatory for every Muslim. It is a permanent source of revenue to alleviate poverty within the Muslim community. Charitable trusts are also known as Al awqaf, which means that a collective social trust is created to benefit the poor in society. This is not obligatory. Other systems include gifts; Al fay' (wealth from the enemy); Spoils of war, Treasure (buried wealth found on ownerless land); Obligatory maintenance by relatives; and a Minimum level of living for each citizen, as guaranteed by the public treasury.

Habib Ahmed (15) identifies zakah and awqaf as the most practical and necessary systems within Islam to alleviate poverty. As mentioned, Islam considers the former as obligatory and the latter as non-obligatory. Interestingly, however, neither system is systematically or legally enforced within Islamic countries and communities. This is central to the challenge of alleviating poverty in these countries.

African Islam: The Tariqa

Similar to the institutions of zakah and awqaf is the religious association tariqa, which originated from African Islam. According to Ian Linden (2004: 2), it is currently found throughout the world. In addition to functioning as a social system for meeting with the faithful, the tariqa also serves as a form of poverty alleviation. The tariqa is based upon a past paradigm, where pupils of a religious expert or holy man would gather in groups in order to pursue the pious life, knowledge of the Qur'an, and mysticism. Each group had a distinctive feature in terms of special prayers and practices. In the typical West African town, this concept developed into the da'ira or zawiya, the local lodge, where tariqa members could gather and practice their faith. Often this included collecting money to help the poor.

Collecting money in this way is based upon the Muslim conviction that the faith community is to serve its members through various forms of support; including financial aid where necessary. In this way, the tariqa functions in much the same way as the above-mentioned structures, the zakah and awqaf, although it is closer to the latter, in that financial aid is not an obligatory function.

The money collected is then used, often across countries, for economic and religious transactions, including the relief of poverty. According to Linden (2004:2), many Muslims in Africa for example belong to centuries-old groups such as Qadariyya or Tijanniya, which oversee a network for the modernization of schools.

A Global Perspective: Islamic Relief

Islam also manifests itself globally in its attempt to provide relief for poverty. An organization that concerns itself in this way is Islamic Relief (2008). Its work is mainly focused upon areas where poverty is prevalent. Its policy focuses only on poverty-related criteria, while other factors, such as organizational expertise, Islamic Relief networks, existing NGO activities, the government's participation in poverty relief and funding opportunities are not addressed. This policy applies to the decision-making process. The factors mentioned are however incorporated in practical strategies to alleviate poverty in the chosen region.

In order to simplify the decision-making process, Islamic Relief supplements its policy with a geographical focus (Islamic Relief, 2008: 14). Geographic concentrations of poverty vary greatly in terms of severity as well as in terms of the intervention types required. Priority regions can be determine by means of aggregate indicators such as infant mortality. Such information is relatively easy to access, and costs are low. That national bureau of statistics is generally used to determine areas of relative deprivation, where Islamic Relief offices are most needed.

After identifying the various intervention areas, the next step is to determine programmatic priorities. This is done by means of consultation with various relief agencies and by analyzing useful data and indicators, such as the public commitment to education, health, and basic needs supply.

Islamic Relief takes a participatory approach to poverty reduction, and work with local citizens and the government to achieve its aims (Islamic Relief, 15). Such methods provide citizens with a sense of ownership and empowerment to improve their situation, rather than having to rely on others for their well-being.

In order to determine their programmatic priorities, Islamic Relief commonly follow a number of participatory methods, including stakeholder analysis, participatory rural appraisal, and beneficiary assessment. These participatory methods include both officials involved in administering poverty relief methods and citizens who will benefit from these.

It is the main aim of Islamic Relief (2008:17) to provide relief to as large a sector of the targeted population as possible. The organization provides public goods such as education, water and health care as a basic principle of Islam. According to the religion, these facilities should be publicly available. Care is exercised to not provide assistance in a disproportionate way, but rather to provide help equally where it is necessary.

Conclusion

Four main structures for poverty relief in Islam have been addressed: zakah, awqaf, tariqa, and Islamic Relief. The first two are particularly important, as they are part of a centuries-old Islamic tradition to care for the poor and the destitute. Indeed, of al the structures discussed, these two are closes in principle to the wholesale poverty relief of Islamic citizens. The tragedy is, however, that poverty remains are a social and political crisis throughout Islamic countries. The main reason for this, according to Ahmed, is a basic lack of formal structure in terms of contemporary political and social institutions, and how these relate to Islamic structures of poverty relief.

Ahmed (17) for example suggests that, while many developing countries have implemented poverty reduction strategies, these are mainly the responsibility of a minority group… READ MORE

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