From Commons to Capital: The Power Struggles Behind Europe’s Shift in Property Rights

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Asad Zaman

Introduction

In one of the most dramatic upheavals in European history, the enclosure of common lands in England was a violent turning point in the concept of property. Once a shared resource for all, these lands were suddenly transformed into private domains, enriching a few at the cost of impoverishing the many. As R.H. Tawney famously described it, the Enclosure Movement was nothing short of a “revolution of the rich against the poor,” a ruthless exercise in power that forever changed the relationship between people and land.

But how and why did this revolution take place? In this post, we’ll explore the political forces that enabled the Enclosures, examine the human cost of this shift, and contrast it with the ethical, communal land systems of Islamic law.

1. The Pre-Enclosure Balance of Power

Before the Enclosures, the idea of land as a communal resource was woven into the very fabric of rural life. The king, typically, acted as a balancing force between the wealthy aristocracy and the peasantry, often siding with the common people to preserve his own power. As Tawney noted, the idea that the powerful might trample over the weak was not new, but the large-scale privatization of the commons created unprecedented levels of displacement and suffering.

For centuries, common land was a lifeline for rural communities—people grazed their livestock, gathered firewood, and grew food on these shared lands. But all this changed in the 16th and 17th centuries when wealthy landowners began enclosing these commons, fencing them off for private use. This wasn’t just about reorganizing land; it was a complete upending of social structures that had existed for generations.

2. The Aristocratic Push for Enclosures: The Glorious Revolution and Beyond

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 marked a key turning point in this power struggle. The aristocracy, having supported the return of the monarchy after years of civil war and political chaos, demanded concessions from the king in return for their loyalty. What they wanted—and what they got—was control over vast tracts of land, with the right to privatize these common resources.

In Tawney’s evocative description, this was a victory for the aristocracy, who had long been pushing for greater control over land and wealth, but it came at a steep cost to the peasants, who were left landless and desperate. The political shift of the Glorious Revolution had weakened the monarchy’s ability to resist these demands, and the aristocrats exploited this weakness to the fullest.

3. The Human Cost: A Revolution Against the Poor

The consequences of the Enclosures were immediate and devastating. As common lands were fenced off and transformed into private property, countless peasants were thrown off the land. They were, in Tawney’s words, “cast adrift,” forced to seek their fortunes in rapidly growing urban centers or to eke out a living as wage laborers on what had once been their own land.

Deprived of their rights to access common lands, the poor had little choice but to sell their labor to survive. In the dark and smoky factories of the Industrial Revolution, they toiled in what William Blake called “Satanic Mills,” places of grinding exploitation where human lives were sacrificed for the profits of the wealthy. Enclosures didn’t just change land ownership; they transformed the very lives of the poor, forcing them into wage slavery and stripping them of their dignity.

4. The Absurdity of Modern Property Notions

Modern Western property law, with its emphasis on individual ownership, often stretches into absurdity. As Kogl (2005) points out, the notion that merely landing on an island makes one the owner of that land is a deeply flawed idea. This mindset echoes through history, even in the naming of the American continents after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Despite the fact that these lands were home to vast indigenous populations with their own civilizations, the act of “discovery” by a European was enough to claim ownership and impose a foreign name.

This idea—that someone can simply arrive and declare ownership—demonstrates the arrogance embedded in modern property concepts. The indigenous peoples, who had lived on these lands for thousands of years, were dispossessed without any recognition of their rights. This echoes the Enclosure Movement, where the rich fenced off lands that had long belonged to rural communities. In both cases, the original inhabitants were rendered invisible, and their rights dismissed.

5. Islamic Property Law: Ethical Ownership for Public Good

In contrast to the Western shift toward privatization, Islamic law views property as a trust from God (Amana), and ownership is based on the ability to benefit the community. In Islam, land is not simply a commodity to be hoarded or exploited; it must serve a higher purpose.

One of the most illustrative principles of Islamic law is the concept of reviving dead land. If someone can make barren land productive, they are entitled to own it—not because they simply claim it, but because they bring it back to life for the public good. Ownership in Islam is deeply tied to the idea of stewardship, and it is granted not for personal gain but for the benefit of society.

The waqf system, where land is endowed for public projects such as schools, hospitals, or infrastructure, further highlights the communal responsibility of landowners. The use of land is always oriented toward serving the needs of the community, and wealth is redistributed through zakat to ensure that those in need are not left behind.

6. Conclusion: A More Just Approach to Property

The transformation of property rights in Europe was not just an economic change; it was a profound injustice. The Enclosures robbed the poor of their livelihoods, forcing them into lives of labor and misery in the new industrial age. The absurdity of modern property notions—where land can be claimed simply by arriving—further highlights the flaws in this system.

By contrast, Islamic law offers a more ethical approach, where ownership is granted based on responsibility and the ability to benefit society. In a world where inequality and exploitation continue to plague our economic systems, perhaps it’s time to revisit these more just and humane approaches to property.

Islamic Principles for Local Empowerment and Environmental Stewardship

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Asad Zaman

At the 2nd International Collaboration Conference on Islamic Economics 2024, I had the opportunity to explore how Islamic principles can guide us toward sustainable development and empower local communities. Slides for the talk can be downloaded from Slideshare (bit.ly/APSEII24) In this post, I’ll summarize the key points from that talk, focusing on how our intentions and actions, when aligned with the teachings of Islam, can drive meaningful change in addressing global challenges, particularly the climate crisis. ADDENDUM: See later post on: From Mosques to Markets: Grassroots Path to An Islamic Economy (bit.ly/Mosk2Mark}

The Role of Intentions and Useful Knowledge

Everything we do starts with our intentions. In Islam, the worth of our actions is directly tied to the intentions behind them. Seeking knowledge is one of the highest forms of worship, but for it to be truly beneficial, we must intend to use this knowledge for the good of mankind. There is a clear distinction in Islam between useful and useless knowledge. Useful knowledge is knowledge that enters our hearts and leads to action. If knowledge remains theoretical and doesn’t transform into action, it is ultimately a burden rather than a benefit.

The Root of the Climate Crisis

One of the key topics I discussed was the root cause of the environmental crisis we are facing today. The climate crisis is not just a physical problem; it’s a moral and spiritual one. It stems from human actions—particularly greed, overconsumption, and the exploitation of natural resources—that are driven by corrupt desires. The Industrial Revolution set in motion a cycle of overproduction and excess consumption, creating a system that depletes the planet’s resources at an unsustainable rate. For a deeper analysis, see Enlightenment Epistemology and the Climate Crisis.

Islam, however, teaches us to live simply and to avoid extravagance (Israf) and wastefulness (Tabzeer). If we purify our hearts, our desires will align with what is right, and we will act in accordance with the principles of sustainability, balance, and justice that are central to our faith.

The Power of Individual and Collective Action

There are three levels of action that we can take to bring about positive change:

Individual Action: The first step toward meaningful change is self-purification (Tazkiya). By purifying our hearts, we can realign our desires and take actions that are good, just, and sustainable. One of the practical ways to start this process is by reducing our attachment to worldly possessions. While the highest level of this is to spend the things we love most dearly, we can begin by making small sacrifices that are within our capacity. Small steps, if taken with sincerity, lead to greater transformation.

Community Action: Islam places great emphasis on community. The masjid is not just a place of worship but the center of community life. By reviving the concept of the masjid as a hub for community service, we can begin to address the local needs of our neighborhoods, whether it’s through organizing recycling programs, promoting simple lifestyles, or building stronger social ties. Self-help and self-reliance are key principles here—when we take collective action within our communities, we foster both social and environmental stewardship.

Ummah Action: On a larger scale, the Muslim Ummah has the potential to act as a global community for good. While nation-states often divide us, the Ummah unites us across borders, giving us a framework for collective action that can address global challenges. By linking communities—rural and urban, local and global—we can create systems of mutual support and sustainability, trading resources, knowledge, and skills to uplift one another.

Islamic Economics and Sustainable Development

I also discussed the limitations of how “sustainable development” is commonly understood. The prevailing view often focuses on slowing down production and consumption to extend the life of the planet’s resources. However, Islam encourages us to go beyond this and rethink our relationship with material wealth altogether. The goal isn’t just to sustain current systems but to completely realign our lives with the principles of simplicity, justice, and balance.

Islamic economics, when properly understood, provides an alternative to the greed and individualism that underpin capitalist economies. It emphasizes social responsibility, cooperation, and generosity. Islamic financial institutions, like Islamic banks, should not just aim to maximize profits but should serve the communities they are part of. By focusing on public service rather than private gain, these institutions can help build sustainable local economies and support environmental conservation.

Practical Steps for Change

To make this vision actionable, I offered several practical steps:

Start Small: Begin by replacing one action driven by personal desire with one done for the sake of Allah. It’s important to choose steps that are manageable but meaningful, so that progress can be sustained over time.

Build Community-Based Initiatives: Use the masjid as a center for community service. Organize small groups to address local issues like waste management, community welfare, and environmental conservation.

Develop Local Economic Systems: Communities can create their own local currencies, credit unions, or cooperatives that encourage sustainable trade and mutual support within the neighborhood.

It’s important not to wait for government intervention, especially since governments, particularly in many Muslim-majority countries, often follow secular models that do not align with Islamic principles. Grassroots initiatives, built on Islamic values of self-reliance and responsibility, can have a powerful impact, even without governmental support.

A Call to Action

The core message I want to leave you with is this: start from where you are, do what you can, with whatever resources are available. Whether it’s on an individual, community, or global level, every one of us has a role to play in creating a more just and sustainable world. The key is to align our actions with the teachings of Islam and to focus on what we can do today with the resources and opportunities we have at hand.

Success in Islam isn’t measured by outcomes; it’s measured by our effort and intention. If we strive to obey Allah and serve His creation with sincerity, we are already successful, regardless of the results we may or may not see in this life.

By taking these steps, rooted in Islamic teachings, we can not only contribute to solving the environmental crisis but also foster a deeper sense of justice, community, and spiritual well-being. Together, we can work toward a more sustainable and harmonious world.

LINKS TO RELATED MATERIALS:

Breaking Free from U.S. Financial Imperialism: A Path Forward for the Global South

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Asad Zaman

In the podcast below, Micheal Hudson explains the strategy used by USA for global financial domination, and discusses how the global south can escape the multiple traps used to keep it dependent and powerless. Hudson’s book Super Imperialism: The Economic Strategy of the American Empire provides a detailed analysis. The video podcast provides a summary of this analysis:

Introduction: Michael Hudson, an esteemed economist and professor, provides a critical analysis of the economic strategies underpinning U.S. global dominance. Hudson’s insights, derived from his extensive experience on Wall Street and in academia, are particularly relevant to the Global South, which has been significantly affected by policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. This blog post explores how these institutions have perpetuated economic dependency and offers potential pathways for the Global South to achieve economic independence and sustainable development.

Understanding the Role of the IMF and World Bank

The IMF and World Bank were established with the stated goal of fostering global economic stability and development. However, Hudson argues that these institutions have often served as instruments of U.S. economic imperialism. By providing loans with stringent conditions, the IMF and World Bank have imposed policies that prioritize Western economic interests over the developmental needs of recipient countries.

Structural Adjustment and Austerity: One of the primary tools used by the IMF and World Bank is structural adjustment programs (SAPs). These programs require countries to implement austerity measures, privatize state-owned enterprises, and liberalize trade and investment policies as conditions for receiving loans. While these measures are presented as necessary for economic stability and growth, they often lead to severe social and economic disruptions.

For example, Hudson points out that SAPs have historically led to reduced social spending, which undermines public services such as healthcare, education, and social security. By prioritizing debt repayment and fiscal austerity, these programs exacerbate poverty and inequality, particularly affecting the most vulnerable populations.

Debt Dependency and Economic Traps

Hudson highlights how the policies enforced by the IMF and World Bank create a cycle of debt dependency. Developing countries, unable to achieve self-sufficiency due to these constraints, find themselves continually borrowing to service existing debts. This cycle ensures that these countries remain economically subordinate to their creditors.

The Case of Agrarian Reform: Agrarian reform is a critical area where the impact of IMF and World Bank policies is evident. Hudson explains that these institutions have historically suppressed agrarian reform efforts in developing countries, insisting on the production of export-oriented crops over food for domestic consumption. This strategy ensures that countries remain reliant on imports for their basic food needs, keeping them trapped in a cycle of dependency.

For instance, in India, post-1991 economic reforms guided by the IMF and World Bank favored urbanization and industrialization at the expense of rural and agrarian development. Large-scale hydroelectric projects funded by the World Bank displaced indigenous populations and prioritized electricity for export sectors rather than local needs. This shift not only caused significant social disruption but also weakened the agrarian sector, leading to increased rural distress and migration to urban areas.

Recognizing the Traps: A Critical Step Forward

For countries in the Global South, recognizing the traps created by IMF and World Bank policies is crucial for developing strategies to overcome them. Here are some of the key traps to be aware of:

The Debt Trap: The cycle of debt dependency is one of the most significant traps. Countries need to be cautious about taking on new loans from institutions that impose stringent conditions. Instead, they should explore alternative sources of funding that do not compromise their economic sovereignty.

The Export-Oriented Growth Trap: Prioritizing exports over domestic needs can lead to economic vulnerability. Countries should focus on building self-sufficient economies that can meet the basic needs of their populations. This includes investing in local industries and promoting food security through agrarian reform.

The Austerity Trap: Austerity measures often lead to social and economic instability. Countries should resist policies that undermine public services and social infrastructure. Instead, they should invest in education, healthcare, and social security to create a more equitable and resilient society.

Future Prospects: Pathways to Economic Independence

Despite the challenges posed by U.S. financial imperialism, Hudson suggests that there are ways for countries in the Global South to break free from this cycle and achieve economic independence. Here are some potential pathways:

Regional Alliances and Cooperation: Forming regional alliances and promoting cooperation among developing countries can help reduce dependency on Western financial institutions. By trading in their own currencies and establishing regional development banks, countries can create alternative financial systems that support mutual growth and development.

An example of this is the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) establishing the New Development Bank (NDB) as an alternative to the World Bank and IMF. Such initiatives can provide necessary financial support for development projects without the exploitative conditions typically imposed by Western institutions.

Promoting Self-Sufficiency: Hudson emphasizes the importance of prioritizing self-sufficiency and equitable development. Countries should focus on developing their agricultural sectors, promoting local industries, and investing in social infrastructure. By reducing reliance on exports and focusing on meeting domestic needs, countries can build more resilient economies.

Agrarian reform and support for small-scale farmers are crucial components of this strategy. Ensuring that local populations have access to land, resources, and markets can help reduce poverty and improve food security. Additionally, investing in education, healthcare, and social services can create a more equitable and inclusive society.

Debt Relief and Restructuring: Addressing the issue of debt is critical for achieving economic independence. Hudson suggests that developing countries should push for debt relief and restructuring. By renegotiating the terms of their debts and seeking write-offs for illegitimate loans, countries can free up resources for development.

In recent years, there have been growing calls for debt relief, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. International initiatives, such as the G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI), have provided temporary relief to some of the world’s poorest countries. However, more comprehensive and long-term solutions are needed to address the underlying structural issues.

Creating Alternative Financial Institutions: Developing countries should work towards creating alternative financial institutions that can provide the necessary funding for development projects without the exploitative conditions imposed by the IMF and World Bank. These institutions can focus on sustainable development, social equity, and environmental protection.

The establishment of regional development banks, sovereign wealth funds, and public banks can provide the necessary financial support for infrastructure projects, social programs, and economic diversification. By pooling resources and expertise, countries can create financial institutions that align with their development priorities and values.

Conclusion

Michael Hudson’s analysis of U.S. financial imperialism provides valuable insights into the complex and often detrimental impact of Western economic policies on the Global South. However, his insights also point to potential pathways for these countries to achieve economic independence and sustainable development. By forming regional alliances, promoting self-sufficiency, seeking debt relief, and creating alternative financial institutions, developing nations can break free from the cycle of debt and dependency imposed by global financial institutions.

The journey towards economic independence is undoubtedly challenging, but with strategic planning and cooperation, it is possible for countries in the Global South to build more resilient and equitable economies. As we look to the future, it is essential for developing nations to learn from past mistakes and prioritize policies that promote social justice, economic stability, and environmental sustainability.

Research Ethics and Integrity: An Islamic Perspective

Posted on June 28, 2024 by Asad Zaman

{bit.ly/AZWrei} Summary of talk on above topic at NUML on 6/27/2024. Slides for the talk: bit.ly/SSethics

Good afternoon everyone. Today, I want to discuss the crucial topic of research ethics and integrity. As in all pursuits, it is essential to clarify the purpose behind our actions, particularly in the realm of Ph.D. supervision. Often, our intentions are driven by job requirements or departmental assignments. However, from an Islamic perspective, the pursuit of knowledge is highly prized. We must aim to transform our supervision into a passion for lifelong learning and discovery, both for ourselves and our students.

Unfortunately, our current academic culture does not foster ethics and integrity. The environment is hostile, driven by a “publish or perish” mindset and the survival of the fittest. These pressures leave little room for genuine ethical behavior. This predicament has historical roots, tracing back to Europe’s centuries-long religious conflicts, which led to the exclusion of religion from public life. European intellectuals, like Thomas Hobbes, argued for external norms enforced by a powerful state to maintain order, a concept encapsulated in his work “Leviathan.” This focus on external regulation over internal moral guidance has had lasting impacts, including in academia, where quantity often trumps quality in research publications.

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Debt as a Political Tool: Hudson’s Experience

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Asad Zaman

In “House of Debt,” Amir Mian and Atif Sufi unveil the hidden yet pivotal role private debt plays in triggering macroeconomic crises. Surprisingly, most macroeconomics textbooks overlook this crucial relationship, leaving a gap in understanding. Michael Hudson, a renowned economist and historian, has a career defined by key experiences that offer profound insights into the political economy of debt. In a recent webinar, Hudson shared three transformative episodes from his life that reshaped his perspective on global finance. These moments reveal the intricate interplay between politics, economics, and international relations, showcasing how debt has been wielded as a tool of power and control. Hudson’s journey underscores an understanding of debt that transcends the conventional teachings found in economic literature, suggesting that there are indeed more complexities in the realm of finance than are dreamt of in academic discourse. These experiences are discussed by Hudson in the introduction to this webinar on: a 4000-year perspective on economy, money and debt. Link to transcript for the webinar.

Episode 1: The Chase Manhattan Experience

Hudson’s first major job on Wall Street was as the balance of payments economist for Chase Manhattan in 1964. His task was to assess the balance of payments of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile to determine how much they could afford to borrow. The prevailing idea among New York banks was that all economic surplus from these countries should be directed towards debt service.

However, Hudson’s analysis revealed that these countries were not generating enough surplus to repay their debts. His findings were unpopular within the bank, earning him the nickname “Doctor Doom.” The bank officers, whose bonuses depended on the volume of loans made, were not pleased with his pessimistic assessments. Hudson recounted a revealing meeting with the Federal Reserve, where it was evident that the U.S. government would lend money to friendly governments to keep them solvent, essentially supporting dictatorships and client oligarchies.

This experience exposed Hudson to the political nature of international finance, where loans were used not just for economic reasons but as a means to control countries politically. The idea was clear: countries that did not align with U.S. interests would face economic strangulation. This realization was Hudson’s introduction to the political dynamics of debt and the manipulation of economies for geopolitical purposes.

Episode 2: The Gold Standard and U.S. Military Spending

Hudson’s second defining moment came during his tenure at Chase Manhattan, where he developed a comprehensive balance of payments accounting format. His work revealed that the U.S. balance of payments deficit was entirely due to military spending, particularly for the Vietnam War and the maintenance of 800 military bases worldwide. This discovery was pivotal, as it contradicted the common belief that monetary theory was primarily about money being spent on goods and services.

Hudson’s predictions about the U.S. going off the gold standard due to its military expenditures proved accurate. He faced resistance and was eventually fired after pressure from Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, who threatened to cut off government contracts to his employer, Arthur Andersen. This incident underscored the influence of military spending on economic policy and the lengths to which powerful interests would go to suppress inconvenient truths.

Hudson’s subsequent work at New York University and his publication of his findings solidified his reputation as a leading critic of U.S. economic policies. His book, “Super Imperialism,” detailed how the abandonment of the gold standard actually enhanced American economic dominance, contrary to the fears of his contemporaries. This period of his career highlighted the interconnectedness of military power, economic policy, and international finance.

Episode 3: Advising the Canadian Government and UNITAR

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Hudson was appointed by the Canadian government to advise on how to navigate the new monetary order following the collapse of the gold standard. He advocated for Canada to create its own money rather than borrowing from foreign banks, arguing that this would be more economical and beneficial for the country’s development.

Hudson’s proposals were met with resistance from commercial banks, which profited from arranging foreign loans. This experience revealed the entrenched power of financial institutions and their influence over national policy. Despite the opposition, Hudson’s report, “Canada in the New Monetary Order,” was published, emphasizing the importance of national monetary sovereignty.

Hudson’s involvement with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) further expanded his understanding of global debt issues. He predicted the Latin American debt crisis of the 1980s and advocated for debt cancellation, arguing that debts that could not be paid should be written off as bad loans. His foresight was confirmed when Mexico defaulted in 1982, leading to a widespread debt crisis in Latin America.

This episode reinforced Hudson’s belief in the need for a fundamental rethinking of international finance and the role of debt. It also illustrated the importance of historical perspective in understanding contemporary economic issues, a theme that would continue to shape his work.

Conclusion

Michael Hudson’s career has been marked by a deep engagement with the political economy of debt. His experiences at Chase Manhattan, his work on the gold standard and military spending, and his advisory roles in Canada and UNITAR have all contributed to his unique perspective. Hudson’s insights reveal the often-hidden political dimensions of international finance and the ways in which debt has been used as a tool of power and control. His work continues to challenge conventional economic thinking and advocate for a more equitable global financial system.

Nurturing Prosperity: What Development Economists Can Learn from Mothers

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Asad Zaman

{bit.ly/AZmother} Introduction: Expanding on the “infant industry” metaphor, this article explores the lessons that development economists could learn from the way mothers nurture and encourage the growth of their children. While traditional views focus on penalties and corrections, this motherhood approach emphasizes encouragement and building on inherent strengths. This simple yet powerful metaphor sets the stage for a discussion on how shifting our focus from weaknesses to strengths could profoundly influence Pakistan’s policy-making and societal morale.

The Motherhood Theory vs. Traditional Approaches: As an illustration of the radical differences between motherhood versus current approaches, consider the current efforts to improve governance by eliminating corruption. Traditionally, efforts to mitigate corruption in Pakistan have focused on punitive measures—establishing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), enhancing transparency through audits, and setting up hotlines to report bribes. These mechanisms primarily catch and punish the corrupt, embodying a reactive stance towards corruption.

The motherhood theory introduces a radical shift by applying principles akin to a mother’s encouragement of her child’s first steps. It suggests that we should identify and reward honest behaviors, even if they are rare. Recognizing a single act of honesty amidst widespread dishonesty could set a powerful example, inspiring others to follow suit. Research across various fields supports this proactive approach, showing that positive reinforcement is often more effective than punitive measures. While naming and shaming may temporarily suppress undesirable behaviors, it also fosters resistance and more cunning forms of corruption.

By shifting our focus from punishing the bad to rewarding the good, we not only promote a positive environment but also encourage a culture of integrity that could be far more sustainable in fostering change.

The Power of Positive Focus: Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool in shaping behavior, a fact supported by extensive research in psychology, education, and even organizational behavior. By focusing on what is working well, we can enhance individuals’ willingness to continue those behaviors and even improve them. The motherhood theory suggests that this approach can be applied broadly, from governance to everyday interactions, transforming societal attitudes.

In the context of economic development, emphasizing the strengths of Pakistan—such as resilience, hospitality, and generosity—can inspire more sustainable and inclusive growth strategies. For instance, after the devastating floods in 2010 and the earthquake in 2005, Pakistan witnessed an overwhelming surge of community support. Citizens across the country mobilized quickly, gathering essential supplies and organizing truck convoys to deliver aid to affected areas. This demonstrated a remarkable capacity for collective action and mutual aid in times of crisis.

Highlighting these successful community responses can encourage a more unified and proactive societal response in future challenges. Such positive focus could reshape how Pakistanis view their country and their role within it, moving from a narrative of criticism to one of potential and progress.

The Impact of Negative Media Focus: The focus of the Pakistani media on terrorism, violence, hatred, and atrocities can be profoundly counterproductive. It’s often said that bad news sells, but the consequences of this adage are severe, particularly in a context where public perception can significantly influence national morale and international reputation. The constant highlighting of negative incidents not only feeds a cycle of fear but also provides unintended aid to the objectives of terrorists, who thrive on the attention and the consequent terror they instill.

Proposing an alternative, such as implementing strategic news blackouts during critical events, could disrupt this cycle. While challenging to enforce, this approach has the potential to deprive extremist activities of the oxygen of publicity they seek to survive. By reducing the amplification of negative events, we can minimize the psychological impact on the populace and encourage a focus on recovery and resilience instead.

This strategic shift in media focus could lead to a greater emphasis on constructive and uplifting stories, showcasing the resilience and unity of Pakistani society. Such coverage would not only improve national morale but could also change how the world sees Pakistan, highlighting the country’s strengths rather than its struggles.

Unexplored Strengths and Opportunities: Pakistan is a country rich with untapped potential and numerous inherent strengths that can be leveraged for significant economic and social development. Recognizing and capitalizing on these strengths can dramatically shift the nation’s developmental trajectory.

One notable strength is the hospitality and warmth that Pakistanis extend to visitors, often surprising them with the depth of generosity and kindness. This cultural trait could be harnessed to boost the tourism industry, which has the potential to generate substantial revenue and create numerous jobs.

Additionally, Pakistan’s high level of charity as a percentage of income reflects a deeply ingrained spirit of generosity. This could be channeled into structured community development projects that not only provide immediate relief but also empower communities to sustain their growth.

Moreover, the resilience shown by Pakistanis during numerous economic crises, supported by strong social networks, highlights a robust informal support system. Formalizing these networks through policies that support social entrepreneurship could foster a more resilient economy.

Exploring agricultural strengths, such as Pakistan’s capability in milk production, presents another avenue. By introducing technology and expertise in dairy processing, Pakistan could expand into producing high-value products like cheese and yogurts for both local consumption and export.

Finally, leveraging international relationships, such as the unique friendship with Turkey, could be beneficial. Turkey’s advanced olive oil industry provides a model that Pakistan could emulate to revamp its own nascent olive oil sector, enhancing quality and expanding market reach.

These examples illustrate just a few ways that recognizing and building on local strengths could open new paths for development that align with Pakistan’s unique capabilities and needs.

New Directions and Initiatives: Pakistan stands at a pivotal moment where leveraging established industries and introducing forward-thinking educational reforms could dramatically alter its developmental trajectory. Here are some key initiatives to consider:

1. Support for Established Industries: Cities like Faisalabad, known for their export-quality industries such as surgical goods, footballs, and electronics, can benefit from a supportive framework that fosters technological innovation and market diversification. This approach, inspired by the Korean model, would involve providing these industries with incentives to diversify and enhance their international competitiveness.

2. Enhancing Agricultural Value Chains: There is significant potential in agricultural sectors like dates, mangoes, and dairy products. Improving processing techniques, packaging, and marketing strategies can help position these products more competitively in international markets. Such initiatives would build on existing agricultural strengths and extend their economic impact.

3. Revolutionizing Education: Transforming the educational system by shifting from English to students’ mother tongues could yield significant improvements in educational outcomes. This approach builds on the linguistic strengths of the population, making education more accessible and engaging, thereby preparing a more capable and empowered future workforce.

4. Inter-faith Harmony Campaigns: Promoting national harmony through well-designed inter-faith campaigns is crucial for enhancing social cohesion. These efforts can also improve Pakistan’s international image, showcasing a commitment to unity and diversity.

5. Modern Fishing Industry: Currently our primitive fishermen are suffering obsolence of techniques and equipment and having difficulty facing challenges created by Gwadar and other developments. Instead of allowing them to collapse, we should encourage them to modernize, to capture the enormous amount of untapped potential of fishing in our large coastal areas

Each initiative outlined here represents a strategic shift towards capitalizing on Pakistan’s inherent strengths and capabilities. This approach not only aims to address current needs but also establishes a foundation for sustainable, long-term prosperity.

Community-Driven Development: Community-driven development (CDD) has emerged as a pivotal strategy in fostering sustainable growth around the globe. This approach empowers local communities to take charge of their own developmental projects, making decisions that best suit their unique needs and circumstances. By investing in and trusting the local population, we can unleash a myriad of grassroots initiatives that function as engines of growth.

In Pakistan, numerous organizations have successfully adopted this model, demonstrating its effectiveness. For instance, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), and the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) have played significant roles in empowering communities, improving education, and enhancing local governance. These organizations facilitate projects that range from building infrastructure to improving water supply and educational facilities, directly involving community members in the planning and execution phases.

The success of CDD hinges on the utilization of local knowledge and resources, ensuring that projects are not only sustainable but also culturally and economically relevant. For example, community-led educational programs that incorporate local languages and cultural practices have shown higher engagement and success rates than those imposed from the top-down.

Moving forward, expanding the scope of CDD initiatives can further accelerate community empowerment and development. By providing communities with more autonomy and resources, and integrating their feedback into national policies, Pakistan can build a more inclusive and resilient future. This shift towards community-driven governance will not only enhance developmental outcomes but also strengthen the democratic fabric of the nation.

Conclusion: The motherhood theory of economic development, inspired by the nurturing approach a mother takes with her child, offers a transformative lens through which we can view and shape Pakistan’s future. By focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, and by fostering an environment of encouragement and support, we can unlock the vast potential that lies within our nation.

This approach not only calls for a shift in policy but also a cultural shift towards positivity and empowerment. The initiatives outlined—from revitalizing established industries to revolutionizing education systems, and from enhancing agricultural value chains to strengthening community-driven development—demonstrate the broad applicability and potential impact of this nurturing paradigm.

As we move forward, it is essential that we embrace these principles, not just in our economic strategies but in every facet of our national discourse. By doing so, we can foster a society that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and mutual respect—a society that builds on its strengths to create a prosperous and resilient Pakistan.

More Articles on Pakistan Economy: Economic Crisis in Pakistan: Analysis and Solutions

Israr Ahmad on Revival of Islam

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Asad Zaman

Islamic Renaissance seeks to rejuvenate Islamic ideals, practices, and societal structures. Dr. Israr Ahmad’s monograph, “Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead,” delves into why many Islamic revival movements have fallen short and how to correct these missteps for a true renaissance. In particular, Dr Israr Ahmad argues that the real task facing the Islamic Civilization is to meet the intellectual challenge created by Western academic achievements over the past few centuries. For a copy of the original book in Urdu, together with its English translation, see: Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead“

1. Global Domination of Western Thought

The Western philosophical dominance has shaped global views, promoting concrete facts and physical phenomena while sidelining spiritual and transcendental concepts. This shift has impacted political, social, and cultural realms worldwide, influencing not just Western societies but also Islamic ones.

2. Western Onslaught on the Islamic World

The Western invasion of the Islamic world was not merely political but also ideological and cultural. The influence of Western ideologies led to the adoption of secularization and materialism within the Islamic world. Early attempts to resist this onslaught ranged from defensive postures to outright compromise.

3. Western Thought’s Influence on Islamic Revival

One of the key issues with contemporary Islamic revival movements is their assimilation of Western ideologies. These movements tend to focus on external aspects of Islam, such as political and social systems, adopting a Western-influenced framework while neglecting the spiritual essence at the heart of Islam. This misunderstanding leads to a superficial interpretation of Islamic principles, often reducing Islam to a set of social and political systems without the necessary spiritual foundation.

4. The Error in Interpretation of Islam

Dr. Ahmad asserts that many revivalist movements have fallen into the trap of secularization and materialism, emphasizing political and societal structures at the expense of spiritual depth. These movements often fail to stress the inner spiritual life that is central to Islamic belief. As a result, the essence of Islam is compromised, with revivalist efforts becoming more about social and political activism than about cultivating a deep, inward connection with God.

5. Revitalization of Faith: The Necessary Precondition

For an Islamic renaissance to be genuine, there must be a revitalization of faith (Iman). This requires moving beyond superficial affirmations of belief to a profound, existential faith. The focus must shift from a materialistic interpretation of Islam to a spiritual one, emphasizing the inner journey and communion with God.

6. A Blueprint for Action

Dr. Ahmad proposes a blueprint for achieving an authentic Islamic renaissance. The first step is establishing an organization dedicated to reviving faith and spreading the Qur’anic message. This step aims to correct the materialistic focus of previous revival movements. The second step involves creating a Qur’anic research academy to foster rigorous academic study while encouraging a deeper spiritual understanding of Islam.

7. Conclusion

Dr. Ahmad’s vision for an Islamic renaissance acknowledges that many revival movements have been compromised by Western thought. To correct this, he advocates for a return to the spiritual core of Islam, emphasizing faith, devotion, and a closer relationship with God. By addressing the shortcomings of previous movements and focusing on spiritual revitalization, a true Islamic renaissance can be realized.

This summary explains how Western thought has influenced Islamic revival movements, leading to a misunderstanding of what is required for a genuine Islamic renaissance. It emphasizes the need for a deeper spiritual connection to correct this misunderstanding and achieve a true revival. For a deeper and detailed discussion, please see the original monograph in urdu (with English translations) at: Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead.

Decolonization of Education: An Islamic Perspective

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Asad Zaman

{tinyurl.com/AZdeco} A talk on above topic was delivered at Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad, on 23rd Feb 2024. The ZOOM video of original talk, in urdu, is given here: Decolonization of Education. The slides were re-recorded in English, and this video is linked below. It is followed by a writeup which is loosely based on the talk, but goes beyond it, and also provides links and references to additional materials relevant to the themes pursued in the talk. This writeup was done by researchers from IPS with feedback from me, and is available on the IPS website also.

Diverse Approaches To Islamic Revival

There is a broad consensus that Muslims have been going through a phase of decline, disintegration, and loss of direction. However, there are sharp disagreements and a wide variety of alternative opinions on the causes of this decline. The rise of the West created by global colonization has led to the domination of Eurocentric worldviews, which glorify the West as the most advanced civilization. Muslims influenced by this worldview argue that democracy, secularism, and capitalism constitute the only recipe for a better life. Another faction sees the conflicts between Islamic ideals and Western social institutions, and attributes Western success to their spectacular progress in science and technology. This group argues that Muslims must acquire Western science and technology while retaining Islamic identities and culture to progress.

In contrast to those who see development as following the leadership of the West, a sizeable group of Muslims considers the final revelation of God to mankind to be of central importance for guiding us out of our current darkness into light. Among this group, there are sharp differences when it comes to details. Some people stress that the failure and decline of Muslims can only be overcome by the renewal of faith and showing a stronger commitment to the obligations of Islam. The adherents of this group confine themselves to preaching faith and emphasizing fundamental religious rituals.

Another group of Muslims focuses on the eradication of heretical practices (bid’aat) and associating partners with Allah (shirk) by resorting to and upholding the concept of jihad. Yet another group thinks that the re-establishment of khilafah (caliphate) would entail the unity and revival of the Muslim ummah. Among these aspiring for khilafah, some advocate achieving it through jihad, others prefer non-violent means to revolutionize the system, and still others prefer using the existing political system.

One group that has always remained part of Muslim societies comprises those who remain concerned with their personal spiritual development and emphasize the purification of heart and soul through mystic philosophies and practices (tasawwuf). There are also groups associated with the idea that service to mankind is the highest form of worship. These humanitarian organizations exert significant influence in modern Muslim society.

In this essay, our contention is that the Muslims have not identified the real battlefield. While each group is dealing with genuine problems facing the ummah, none of them is tackling the root of the problem. Because of our collective failure to identify the challenge, we do not have the tools required to fight this battle. The cause of this failure is the colonization of minds, which leads us to frame the idea of progress in terms defined by the colonizers rather than in terms defined by Islam.

Colonization of Thought in the Subcontinent

In many dimensions, the Indian subcontinent was more advanced than the British at the time of colonization.[1] Relative peace in the Islamic world and continuous warfare in Europe had led to a military revolution, which gave Europeans an advantage on the battlefield.[2] However, sustaining colonial rule required controlling the minds of the masses.[3] The recipe of the colonizers for achieving this goal was the total abolition of the native frameworks of education and the introduction of a system of instructions that only created literate slaves.[4] This system of education started producing a class of persons who were Indian in blood and color but English in taste, opinions, morals, and intellect.[5] By opening the doors of opportunities for this colonized class of locals, the British introduced a culture of elitism and divided the society for good.[6] The elite classes in Pakistan continue to respect, admire, and love the colonizers and have contempt and hatred for their own culture, heritage, and religion.[7] This cognitive colonization is a direct consequence of Western education, given that control of colonies acquired by conquest requires creating admiration and awe in the minds of the colonized.[8]

Muslim Legacy of Knowledge and World Development

Western education is designed to project the glories of Western civilization and suppress or minimize all others. Muslims under the influence of these ideas think that the only way to development and progress lies in following the footsteps of the West in every realm of life. They consider the Qur’an and the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) relevant in establishing their private connection with God but do not find them helpful in responding to the complex challenges of modern public life. Modern education glorifies Western intellectual achievements to the exclusion of all others. This created a conflicted worldview among Muslims since our religion gives primacy to the knowledge revealed to mankind by God.[9]

It does not require any emphasis that knowledge lies at the core of Islam; rather, Islam is rooted in knowledge. Islam initiated a transformative revolution in the world by catapulting once-ignorant and backward Bedouins to positions of world leadership. The book ‘Islam and the World: The Rise and Decline of Muslims and its Effect on Mankind’ by Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi is the counter-narrative to the Western stance that the world was in darkness when Western knowledge enlightened it.[10] The book reminds us that Muslim civilization was the beacon of light and knowledge for almost one thousand years.

The reconquest of Al-Andulas provided European barbarians access to millions of books from Islamic libraries. Al-Andulas was so advanced in knowledge and development that signs of its progress continue to amaze. The Toledo translation project translated Arabic books into European languages and marked the start of the European Enlightenment and the end of its Dark Ages.[11] Unfortunately, the Europeans could not absorb the essence of knowledge and did not get to the core of its ideals, but the flood of knowledge instigated rational debates. Since the clergy could not respond to these debates, a clear split took place in Christianity.

The conduct of the church in Europe and its relations with the crown caused several violent battles, instability, and destruction to several generations of the West. The people were already distressed and wary of the arm-twisting by the clergy in the name of religion. The rationality that Muslim books brought and the efforts of the church to crush reason led to a rebellion against religion and the development of secularism. Politics and economics detached themselves from morality.

Because faith in God had led to continuous warfare, Enlightenment scholars rejected their intellectual tradition founded on Christianity and sought to rebuild knowledge from scratch based on solid foundations of facts and logic. The famous aphorism “I think, therefore I am” by Descartes, also known as the father of Western philosophy, illustrates this attitude. Starting from a position of complete ignorance to the extent of doubting one’s own existence, one seeks to rebuild knowledge using reasoning alone. The direct evidence of our senses, our beating heart, and a welter of bodily sensations is rejected as a source of knowledge. This shift in theories of knowledge eventually led to logical positivism, which continues to form the philosophical foundation of modern Western education.[12] Emphasis on objective observations of external reality led to a deep understanding of the world, but rejecting the validity of our subjective life-experiences led to a loss of knowledge about the internal world of human beings – our lived reality.

The Challenge is not Unique

It is not the first time the Muslim mind has been awed by a foreign body of knowledge.[13] Muslims faced a similar challenge in the 8th century when translations of Greek knowledge came to Muslim lands, and some notable Muslim scholars were influenced by Greek philosophy. Greek philosophy dealt with concepts and methodological frameworks that had no connection to Islamic source materials. To make room for these ideas, a sect known as Mu’tazilites or rationalists emerged in Baghdad. They equated Greek philosophy with “reason” and argued that reason must take precedence over revelation since we use reason to understand the revelation. The orthodox Muslim approach vigorously and aggressively condemned this movement and advocated avoiding anything to do with Greek philosophy. However, when the movement became so impactful that it even influenced the Muslim khalifa, and the disturbing interpretation of texts gradually started becoming official verdicts, it became necessary for Muslim scholars to engage with this ideology.

To respond to the challenge, Muslim scholars delved into Greek knowledge and developed a specific discipline for validating Islamic stances and rebutting objections to them. This discipline is called Ilm ul Kalam. Among the leading Muslim scholars of that era, Ghazali stood out as the most effective in countering Greek knowledge through his scholarly critique.[14]

Contemporary Muslim scholars have to enter into a similar battle against Western philosophy. There is a need for a new Ilm ul Kalam.[15] It has to be based on the realization that Western education is not serving the purpose of our societies (or humanity at large). This education convinces a person that wealth maximization is the purpose of life. For a young Muslim, acquiring a lucrative job remains the only objective of education. Islamic knowledge is meant to develop the potential for excellence within human beings and transform our lives. The greatest challenge facing the ummah today is to develop an alternative to Western education that is deeply entrenched in Islamic tradition and meets contemporary needs.[16] In the particular context of the subcontinent, Muslim scholars need to rectify the mistake of deliberately abandoning Western knowledge post-1857 and engage with it just like Ghazali and other Muslim scholars engaged with Greek philosophy and Mu’tazilites.

Decolonization of Education

Rejection of God and reliance on observables alone led to the belief that man emerged accidentally by way of evolution, human lives have no higher objectives for which they should aspire, and society is just a cutthroat competition where survival of the fittest is the only moral principle. A Eurocentric education glorifies Western intellectual achievements as being the pinnacle of human civilization. However, Julie Reuben in ‘The Making of the Modern University’ documents how logical positivism eventually led to the exclusion of character building from the curricula of universities.[17] This has led to a situation where the “brightest and the best” educated graduates engage in mass killings without any compunction, as demonstrated to the world in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.[18] A decolonized education would lead students to the recognition that wealth acquired by plunder and genocide of other world civilizations cannot be considered a market of progress.[19] Islamic education would teach students to understand progress as being about human development, not the acquisition of wealth by any means, fair or foul. Within this paradigm, Islamic teachings provide the means to create excellence in conduct and spiritual progress, ideas that are completely missing from modern Western education.[20]

Many Muslim intellectuals who recognized the bankrupt moral foundations of Western epistemology and the damage this does to the Muslim youth sought to rectify the problem in various ways. The dominant paradigm for achieving this goal has been the “Islamization of knowledge” paradigm, which seeks to cleanse Western knowledge of harmful elements while retaining the useful ones.[21] This project, embodied in the International Islamic University in Islamabad and Kuala Lumpur, has not been very successful because they have failed to recognize the hidden moral foundations upon which apparently objective structures of Western knowledge have been built. The alternative is the Ghazali Project, which will be discussed in the next section.

Rooted Revival: A Three-step Way Forward

The successful decolonization of minds requires understanding that the final message of God to mankind is complete and perfect and far superior to any knowledge produced by mankind.[22] Decolonization of education is a mandatory but challenging task. Without this, all efforts at reform and revival are doomed since the toxic Eurocentric worldviews are being planted in the hearts and minds of the vast majority of the Muslim youth by Western educational institutions around the globe. The foremost task towards this end is to rewrite the history of the last 300 years by decolonizing it. The intrinsic Eurocentric biases in the narration of history have convinced generations of Muslims of the superiority of Western thought, tradition, and culture and of the impotence and incompetence of Muslim rulers, scholars, and masses. Unless this defeatist approach is repaired, even the efforts of decolonization will remain colonized. The first step in this direction has already been taken by Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi’s book ‘What the World Lost Due to Decline of Islamic Civilization’.[23] This needs follow-up by Muslim historians to document the degeneration in humanity that has accompanied the technological progress of the West.

Muslim academia needs to extensively and consistently discuss the purpose of life, differentiate between useful and useless knowledge, and focus their attention and energies on developing the knowledge that is relevant to and commensurate with their purpose of life. For this purpose, the Al-Ghazali approach looks more pragmatic, which emphasizes that in the process of developing knowledge, one should benefit from the already established knowledge and learn from human experiences. In the words of Recep Santurk, there is no need to build knowledge from zero, but we have to make a “rooted revival” as we already have a knowledge heritage of 1,000 years, and Muslim scholars have already laid the foundations of knowledge in different realms.[24]

So, knowledge has to be constructed on the already available foundations but with the realization of the contemporary context. Muslims cannot solely rely on fiqh rulings from previous books as the circumstances have changed, but they can make use of usool ul fiqh (principles of jurisprudence) to approach contemporary issues. The logical arguments of Ilm ul Kalam remain very powerful, but they need a new articulation. Ontological, cosmological, teleological, Big Bang, fine-tuning, and design are some of the major arguments of today’s world that can effectively be responded to through Islamic interpretations.

Imam Ghazali provided an effective counter to the challenge of Greek philosophy in earlier times. We can break up the task into three steps. The first was rebuilding faith in the fundamentals of Islam, using our minds and hearts, as in his book ‘Al Munqidh min al-Dalalah’. The second step was to analyze and debunk Greek philosophy in ‘Tahafat ul Falasafa’. The final step was ‘Ihya Uloom-id-Deen’, or the revival of religious sciences. The Ghazali Project for today requires rebuilding the structure of human knowledge on Islamic epistemological foundations.[25] This is because knowledge was built on toxic moral foundations by the Enlightenment philosophers for the past few centuries. We have to rebuild this knowledge on sound foundations, and rebuild university education around the core of character development, central to Islam. This is the most important challenge currently facing the ummah.[26]

[*] This manuscript is based on a talk by Professor Dr Asad Zaman, professor at Akhuwat University and former vice chancellor of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad. The talk was delivered at the Institute of Policy Studies on February 23, 2024. Dr. Zaman reviewed the paper and graciously added references to other resources where he explained the key themes in his talk.

Prepared by: Moaz Bashir and Muneeba Rasikh

[1] See Ahmad and Zaman (1998): https://ssrn.com/abstract=4580809

[2] The dominant Eurocentric myth is that global conquest by Europeans demonstrates their superiority in strength and intelligence. See http://bit.ly/AZcmeh, ‘Central Myths of Eurocentric History’, which explains that global conquest is a testimonial to the barbarism and cunning of the West, rather than their advanced civilization.

[3] See: The Conquest of Knowledge: http://bit.ly/AZcok

[4] See: Atiyab Sultan, The Mirror and the Lamp: Colonial Educational Reform in 19th Century Punjab – how British educational reforms destroyed an excellent functioning educational system in Punjab: https://bit.ly/4c9S34z

[5] See: https://azprojects.wordpress.com/2018/06/08/the-british-educated-and-civilized-us/

[6] See: Impact of Colonial Heritage on Economic Policy in Pakistan: http://bit.ly/AZimpact

[7] See: A Deep Seated Inferiority Complex: http://bit.ly/AZinfr – in this connection, see also The Illusion of Western Educational Superiority – the firmest frontier of colonization of minds.

[8] See: The Dazzle of Western Knowledge: bit.ly/AZdazzle

[9] See: Islamic Worldview: Central to Islamic Education: bit.ly/iwv4az

[10] See: What the World Lost Due to the Decline of Islamic Civilization: bit.ly/azrdm

[11] See: Theft of History: Western Plagiarists & Islamic Revolutionaries: bit.ly/AZplag

[12] See: The Emergence of Logical Positivism: bit.ly/AZelp

[13] See: The Modern Mu’tazila: bit.ly/AZtmm

[14] See: Kalam & the Hanbalis: Is it Really Relevant Today?: https://bit.ly/4a2BLIM

[15] See: Countering Arguments for Atheism (Urdu): https://bit.ly/49MQlVi

[16] See: The Deep and Difficult Dilemma of Islamic Education: bit.ly/AZddd

[17] See: The Marginalization of Morality in Modern Education: bit.ly/AZmme

[18] See: The Marginalization of Morality: https://bit.ly/3IROLFX

[19] See: Progress Under Western Leadership?: bit.ly/AZcol4

[20] See: Build Character to Build Nations: https://bit.ly/3VbBVcI

[21] See: The Islamization of Knowledge: bit.ly/cie1iok

[22] See: Understanding Colonization and Decolonization: bit.ly/AZcol1

[23] See: What the World Lost Due to Decline of Islamic Civilization: bit.ly/azrdm

[24] Recep Senturk’s Lectures on Decolonizing the Social Sciences: bit.ly/3v9FV32

[25] See: Central Ideas of the Ghazali Project: bit.ly/Ghazali1

[26] See: How to Launch an Islamic Revival?: Bit.ly/azlir

Transformative Teaching: Changing the Lives of Our Students

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Asad Zaman

{bit.ly/AZtran} Our Prophet Mohammed ﷺ was a model for excellence in every dimension. His teachings transformed ignorant and backward Bedouin into world leaders.(see: The Greatest Teacher of All Time). As teachers, can we follow in his footsteps? Can we teach in way that transforms the lives of our students, and gives them the vision to change the world?

The models of education which we have borrowed from the West are not capable of doing so. In fact, these educational methods cause damage to the personality of our students. Today, because of shock and awe of the West, we follow Western models blindly. To understand why these models lead to harm, we need to study the historical roots of Western theories of knowledge. Modern education provides technical skills but teaches us nothing about ideals, visions, or the purpose of life. At the root of this crisis is a transformation in our theories of knowledge, which occurred as a result of the Enlightenment of Europe. As the conception of knowledge changed, so did the methodology and substance of education, which is designed to provide valuable knowledge to the young. In this post we will discuss this transformation in epistemology, and its harmful effects, as well as what can be done to counteract them. This is a continuation of a previous post on Islamic Pedagogy. The video below is in English; for Urdu Version of the talk, see: Transformational Teaching (URDU).

Centuries of battles between Catholics and Protestants on an unprecedented scale of brutality and destruction led to the Great Transformation in European Thought. Enlightenment thinkers rejected the heart and soul as sources of knowledge, as their historical experiences showed that this led to perpetual bloody warfare. They were optimistic that rational thought, combined with objective observations, could arrive at all knowledge worth having. Over the centuries that followed, this epistemological shift had consequences that went far beyond what they could have foreseen. The rejection of God, Life after death, and Judgement Day led to increased focus on this world, making the pursuit of pleasure, power, and profits the goal of life. This provided the intellectual foundations for a shift to a capitalist society, where market relationships came to dominate social relationships. In the realm of education, this was reflected in the transformation of the role of the teacher as a mentor, guide, confidante, and life coach, to an anonymous specialist hired for the provision of subject-specific skills. In modern education, students and teachers have no social relationships outside the classroom. In a previous post on Islamic Pedagogy, I suggested that we need to revive and renew our teaching methods, to achieve better outcomes. In this post, I provide some specific suggestions on initial steps we can take in this direction.

The mindset of most teachers is that we are paid to “deliver” a specified subject matter to students. We are also responsible for evaluating the students on their grasp of the subject matter. After having delivered the subject matter in the best possible way, the teacher is not responsible for ensuring that the student puts in the work required to master the subject. This is starkly different from the parental guidance mindset of Islamic pedagogy, where we take pride in the achievements of our students, and take their failure as being due to our own failure to inspire and motivate the learning process. A subtle distinction is involved here. Students cannot learn unless they make their own efforts, and struggle to master the subject. In this sense, students’ failure results from their own failure to make the required efforts, and teachers are right to put the blame on the students. However, in a deeper sense, the failure of the teacher lies in failing to motivate the students to put in the required effort.

I would like to discuss some specific steps we can take to change our teaching styles, in the context of two questions raised by teachers at Akhuwat University, where I was explaining these new pedagogical methodologies. One of the teachers asked about what to do if, despite our best efforts, the majority of students fail the midterm. Another teacher was concerned that there was some security breach allowing students to get access to his midterm, and suggested tighter security procedures to prevent this from happening. Both questions reflect the influence of the market methodology for teaching, instead of the parental guidance methodology. Parents take pride in achievements of their children, and feel responsible for their failures, even though they do not teach them at school. A teacher who takes a parental interest in his students would never be taken by surprise by failures in the midterm. This is because he would monitor the progress of his students on a daily basis, and know exactly what they can and cannot do. Similarly, learning that students are getting access to the midterms would not lead to questions about how to improve security. Instead, we would be concerned about how to improve honesty and integrity of the students, and also, how we can provide them with the skills required so that they feel confident in their abilities, instead of feeling the need to cheat.

But can we really monitor the students on a daily basis? And how can we motivate them to study outside of class, to get the skills they need to pass exams? Doing this requires efficient time management techniques, as well as changes in teaching methodology. The conventional teaching methodology creates a hostile and adversarial relationship between students and teachers. The teachers are trying to keep quizzes secret, and make them difficult, to deny students points. The students are trying to overcome obstacles created by teachers’ stinginess, and get points. Instead, we must start by telling the students that we are partners and have the same goal: to create the maximum learning for the students. If they take partnership seriously, the students will immediately demand that we give them 100% marks on all quizzes and assignments. Thus, we must clarify that our goal is to create good learning outcomes. It is the knowledge that will lead to marks. It defeats our purpose to give marks without knowledge, because students will never learn, if they can get scores without learning. From experience, I know that this is a difficult message to convey, and has to be repeated many many times. Throughout their career, students have been concerned with marks, not with knowledge. They make an effort to learn only “if it will be on the exam”. It is hard for them, and for us as teachers, to focus on knowledge instead of marks. Doing so requires more than just talking about it. We must show students that knowledge is valuable.

In fact, love of knowledge is built into the hearts of human beings. However, bad teaching and wrong kinds of subject matter have destroyed this faculty within our students. Our Prophet ﷺ made dua for useful knowledge and also asked for protection from useless knowledge. Useful knowledge enters the heart. Most of what we teach is useless knowledge. The subject matter was developed to analyze and understand Western societies, and is not directly relevant to ours. It cannot enter the hearts of our students because it does not relate to our life experiences, nor to our own history. Thus, as teachers, we have to make special efforts to connect what we teach to relevant real-world issues that would engage our students. These connections do not exist within the textbooks we use, so making them requires creative efforts on part of the teacher. The effect of years of struggling with and attempting to understand fundamentally incomprehensible theories, completely irrelevant to students’ experiences, has led to a defeated mindset. The students have abandoned efforts at learning, and seek only to memorize answers to questions which they expect to be asked. Repairing the damage requires a lot of effort on part of the teacher. If we start to relate the subject matter to the life-experiences of our students, they will start to take an interest in learning. Furthermore, if we ask them to make intentions to use their knowledge for the service of the Ummah, this will provide them with a higher vision for the purpose of education. Of course, we will also have to change our teaching methods to provide them with knowledge that can be used for the service of the Ummah.

It takes time to build connections between the subject matter and real world applications familiar to and relevant to our students. As a first step, we should focus on developing skills within our students, rather than teaching them a body of materials contained in textbooks. If we are charged with teaching students to drive, we can assess our progress by seeing if they have learned to drive or not. In preparing every lecture, we must ask what the students will learn to do as a result of this lecture. Initially, when we have not learned how to make deeper connections, the skills may just be the ability to answer the questions at the end of the textbook chapter. At the end of the lecture, we must learn whether or not the students have acquired the ability to answer the questions. Generally speaking, because we were also taught this way, we use a one-way teaching process. We lecture at the students, and never find out what they understood from our lecture. When we first attempt to get feedback, we will be very surprised at the huge gap between what we thought we clarified, and student understanding.

There is a big technical problem in getting such feedback. At the start of the lecture, the teacher should write down three questions, and say that in this lecture we will learn the answers to these questions. But if we ask students to write down the answers and submit them for corrections, we will drown in the grading task. The solution is to have the students grade themselves. Leave ten to fifteen minutes at the end of class for this feedback. Take only one or two questions and have students write down the answers to them. Tell them that this will not be graded, it is meant to help them understand the materials, so that they are not tempted to cheat. Randomly switch papers so that each student has the paper of someone else. Then ask the student to read the answer, and ask him to comment on whether or not it is a good answer. Get several students to read answers, and discuss them among the students to arrive at an understanding of the correct answer. Then have every student grade the paper in front of them, based on the common understanding of the correct answer which develops during the discussion,

This method would create a good understanding of students’ level of comprehension. If teachers have daily feedback on what kinds of questions the students can answer and what they cannot, they would never be surprised by a mass failure on the midterm. Aligned with the cooperative teaching style is the idea of formative exams. Instead of giving students exams to evaluate where they stand, exams should provide a learning experience. One method is to use open-book exams which ask students to answer questions requiring a level of understanding which goes beyond simple replication of textbook material. Another method is take-home exams. There are many ways to prevent cheating in such cases. One of them is to go over the exam together to test for understanding, and to give a second in-class short exam which is easy for those who understand the answers, but difficult for those who copied them. The essence of all such methods is to engage students in active learning within the class, and to help and encourage them in their struggle to understand the materials. If before the midterm, we have worked through all the expected questions with the students in class, the students will feel confident and capable of being able to answer all the questions. This is exactly the outcome we desire – if we undertake to teach driving skills, we would like all of our students to learn driving, as the outcome of the class.

All this in-class work creates a new problem. Where will we get the time for the lecture? The solution is to use the inverted classroom, where the lecture materials are covered outside of the classroom, and the homework questions are worked out cooperatively within the class. The students should be assigned to cover the lecture materials outside of the classroom. These days, there are an enormous amount of resources available which students can be assigned, which would enable them to cover the substance of the lecture outside of class. But, we all know that it is difficult to get students to read assigned materials outside of class. One method which I have found useful is to give a small quiz at the beginning of class which asks very basic and elementary questions about assigned reading materials. This ensures both on-time arrival of students, and motivates them to do the required study outside of class. Then, class time can be devoted to developing student skills cooperatively, at least in terms of learning how to solve problems and answer questions. Using this method, teachers can easily identify the strong and weak students. The stronger students can be assigned to teach the weaker students outside of class time.

To learn how to change the lives of our students, to motivate and inspire them to change the world for the better, we must transform ourselves, and change both the style and the substance of our teachings, This is a hard task, but has the most rewarding outcomes, because it is aligned with the mission of our Prophet ﷺ, May Allah T’aala fill our hearts with the Noor of His Knowledge, and allow us to transmit this spirit to our students,

Epistemological Roots of the Climate Crisis

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Asad Zaman

{tinyurl.com/AZerocc} This post is based on a talk prepared for a National Conference on SDGs: Catalysts for Economic Transformation in Pakistan on Feb 29-Mar 1, organized by the Economics Department of University of Lahore. The original talk, in the video below, has been revised and updated in the blog post which follows it:

At first glance, industrialization seems the primary culprit of our climate crisis, driving rampant overproduction and overconsumption. However, these are merely the visible outcomes of a deeper, more profound shift in thought ushered in by the European Enlightenment. This pivotal era fundamentally redefined our relationship with the planet, transitioning from a view of Earth as a nurturing entity to a resource for exploitation. This blog post aims to unpack this transformation in thought, and how it paved the way for the environmental challenges we face today. To solve the crisis requires another revolution in thought, and foundations for such a revolution are provided by Islamic epistemology.

The European Enlightenment was deeply influenced by centuries of religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. It became clear to all that a peaceful society could not be built on theological foundations. Political Science was the first of secular social sciences to emerge. Theology had been universally considered as the foundation for all knowledge. Creating a secular social sience required a revolutionary change in epistemology. Tradition, intuition, emotion, and lived experience had been considered as reliable sources of knowledge. The European Enlightenment discarded everything known until then, and sought to rebuild the entire stock of human knowledge from scratch, trusting only in objective facts and logic.

The Enlightenment brought a significant metaphorical shift in how we perceive Earth, from ‘Mother Earth’ to a ‘dead machine.’ This shift, rooted in the widespread acceptance of Newtonian physics, marked a transition from a symbiotic and nurturing relationship with the planet to one focused on exploitation for power and profits. This change in metaphor is intrinsically linked to the epistemological shift of the Enlightenment, symbolizing a broader transformation in our understanding and interaction with the natural world, from mutual respect and coexistence to control and utilization.

The climate crisis we are grappling with is fundamentally a crisis of knowledge, an epistemological error at its core. To address the environmental challenges we face, it’s imperative to redefine our concept of knowledge. We need to alter our ways of knowing the world and reshape our relationships with all creations. This requires a monumental shift, a reversal of the ‘Great Transformation’ in European thought that has long influenced our understanding of nature and our place within it. For a more detailed summary of ‘The Great Transformation’, see The Great Transformation.

How can we reverse the Great Transformation? This task requires us to undo the epistemological shift brought about by the European Enlightenment. Merely rejecting Enlightenment thought is not sufficient. We must also reconstruct the accumulated human knowledge of recent centuries upon sound epistemological foundations. Islam offers such foundations. The final revelation of God to humanity imparts us with knowledge of unassailable truth. While Enlightenment philosophers rightly discarded Christianity, recognizing its corruption and role in perpetuating conflict, they overlooked the potential for other sources of pure, revealed knowledge.

Islamic epistemology presents a stark contrast to Enlightenment views. All of God’s creation is a family, and those who serve His family are beloved by God. The Quran teaches us that the heart is not merely a physical organ but an instrument of cognition, capable of moral discernment when purified through ‘Tazkiya’, the cleansing of one’s inner self. This purification is key to moral cognition, fostering a profound connection with the universe and instilling a natural abhorrence for harming the environment or any of God’s creations. Environmental degradation arises from the Enlightenment epistemology which ignores the heart and soul as sources of knowledge. This leads to individualism, which creates isolation and loneliness, breaking our connections with the environment and other individuals. Many studies show that these connections are the central sources of human happiness.

To repair the damage done by Enlightenment epistemology, we must have a deeper understanding of the sources of their errors. The most fundamental mistake is the idea that we can arrive at certain knowledge starting from a position of complete ignorance. Logical reasoning requires a starting premise to reach any conclusion. This mistake is clearly illustrated by the most famous line of reasoning “I think, therefore I am” from Descartes, the father of Western Philosophy. Descartes claimed to derive his own existence as completely certain, starting from a position of complete ignorance. But the existence of “I” is already assumed in the premise “I think”, so the conclusion that “I am” follows trivially.

The Enlightenment philosophers were trapped into making the same mistake. Since they claimed to start from zero, and build objective, value-free knowledge, they had to make HIDDEN assumptions. In particular, the hidden moral foundations upon which knowledge was built within the Enlightenment tradition, are toxic. It is this intellectual tradition which dominates university education today, and it makes false claims to objective and value-free knowledge. Post-modernists have been able to see past these claims, but they have made their own mistakes, and have not been influential in changing the Western educational paradigms. For instance, Michel Foucault argues that modern human sciences (biological, psychological, social) purport to offer universal scientific truths about human nature that are, in fact, often mere expressions of ethical and political commitments of a particular society. On deeper analysis, what passes for knowledge, and is stated as a universal scientific truth, is actually a defense of existing power configurations.

In attacking Enlightenment epistemology, our efforts must focus on revealing these concealed assumptions, and exposing their flaws. Since the Enlightenment was launched in response to religious wars in Europe, a critical foundational assumption is rejection of God. This is masked as “rational” by an epistemology which claims to believe only in what can be seen or derived from logic. However, this apparently reasonable stance leads to tortuous complexity when inferences to unobservables are admitted in physics, but rejected in religion. For example, it is permissible to believe in dark matter which is unobservable, because it accounts for the observable motions of the stars. But when we argue that the creation of a universe at a moment in time requires a creator, this inference is rejected as “unscientific”. The Philosophy of Science is the name of centuries of efforts to distinguish between religion and science. Early in the 20^th Century, the logical positivists claimed success in this project. They purported to demonstrate that science leads to truth about external reality, while religion is mere superstition and ignorance. See The Emergence of Logical Positivism for more details. However, later in the 20^th century, philosophers came to see the deep flaws in their arguments. A recent textbook entitled “What is this thing called Science?” documents how confusion reigns supreme. The Philosophy of Science has set itself the impossible task of rejecting inferences to the existence of God, while being certain about inferences which lead to the existence of electromagnetic forces.

One of the settled foundational premises of secular modernity is the rejection of God. This axiom cannot be disputed or discussed, but it has extremely harsh consequences. It is immediate that the universe was created by an accident. Life must have been created by an accident. Man is just another animal like others. Society is governed by the ferocious competition of the laws of the jungle. The only moral principle is the survival of the fittest. By definition, the scope of science is limited to the external universe which surrounds us. It cannot contemplate events prior to existence of the universe, since these are completely outside the possibility of observation. When we take science to be the only valid source of knowledge, questions regarding the existence of God cannot be discussed, ruling out the possibility of contemplating alternatives to this bleak view of meaninglessness of our human lives.

This axiomatic rejection of God has major consequences for how we build human societies. If there is no afterlife and no Judgement Day, then we should seek pleasure and power in this life. Individualism and Hedonism are natural consequences. Competition replaces Cooperation, and Greed is preferred over Generosity. These are ugly principles on which to build society. The consequences of these choices are visible in a world which fits the description of the war of all against all. These acids dissolve family and community, the fabric of society, and lead to loneliness, depression, and suicides, as well as war against nature. For the Islamic alternative, see Lecture 2 on Gratitude, Contentment, and Trust in my online course on A New Approach to Islamic Economics

With all this background, we can come back to original question. How does this epistemological shift to secular modernity create the climate crisis, and what is proposed line of attack to counter this problem?

In the wake of recognizing the limitations of secular modernity and its foundational assumption that discards the divine, we encounter the question: What fills the void left by the absence of God in our understanding of the world and our place in it? The secular narrative has led to a worldview centered on materialism and empirical validation, sidelining the profound questions about existence, purpose, and morality that have occupied human thought for millennia.

The repudiation of a higher purpose and the embrace of materialism have not only shaped our social structures but also our individual pursuits. In the absence of a transcendental goal, the pursuit of personal gain overshadows the collective welfare. The shift from communal to individualistic values fuels a society driven by consumption, where success is often measured by accumulation rather than contribution.

However, the consequences of such a worldview are not restricted to social dynamics alone. They extend to how we engage with our environment. If life’s purpose is bound to material success and personal gratification, then the natural world becomes a mere backdrop for human activity, valued only for what it can provide rather than what it inherently is. This utilitarian approach has facilitated an unprecedented exploitation of natural resources, leading to ecological imbalances and a climate in peril.

In the search for a more holistic understanding of our world, one that integrates the spiritual with the empirical, we turn towards alternative epistemologies. Islamic thought provides such an alternative, offering a framework where knowledge is not divorced from the divine, where the material is interconnected with the spiritual, and where the pursuit of knowledge is not just for worldly gain but for a greater, more profound understanding of our place in the cosmos.

The challenge before us is not merely to adapt to new environmental policies or technologies but to undertake a more ambitious journey—a reevaluation of the very foundations upon which our knowledge and society rest. It calls for a re-engagement with the spiritual, an acknowledgment of the divine, and a reconstitution of our moral compass, informed by the rich heritage of Islamic thought.

As we consider the path forward, we must ask ourselves how we can construct a future that respects the delicate balance of our world, that recognizes the intrinsic value of all life, and that seeks to align our earthly endeavors with a higher purpose. The path is complex and requires not just a change in action but a transformation in thought—a return to an epistemology that sees the world not as a machine to be mastered but as a creation to be cherished.

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An Islamic WorldView

Tools for de-programming required to cleanse our minds, hearts and souls of Eurocentric worldviews created by Western education