Is development accumulation of wealth? Islamic Views

One theme of this paper is that development refers to improvement in HUMANITY, and by this standard, moral decline of west proves that they have not been progressing as they have accumulated wealth. One excerpt from the paper deals with the widely believed myth of Objective History, according to which there is an accessbile objective version of history, which should be preferred to biased renderings.

Original Title: Development: Myths and Truths (attached as DevMythTruths at BOTTOM of page). Title was changed to Heading on page at referees suggestion. Also references and citations were added and some minor modifications were made -- the final PRE-PRINT version is available as AZ_Dev2 (doc and pdf) at bottom of page. The publlished version can be downloaded from the JOURNAL webpage: Afro Eurasian Studies,

Click on Title to download final published version of the article: (or download from bottom of this webpage)

“Is Development Accumulation of Wealth? Islamic Views,” Afro Eurasian Studies, Volume 2, Issues 1 & 2, Aug. 2013.

SSRN Version

Post on Islamic WorldView Blog, with links to 11 related posts/talks on alternative views of Development - shortlink: bit.do/azdmt

NOTES: Published Version: “Is Development Accumulation of Wealth? Islamic Views,” Afro Eurasian Studies, Volume 2, Issues 1 & 2, Aug. 2013. Alternative: SSRN Version. A more detailed post about Section 1 below explains the difficulties of “Shifting Paradigms”. A Video Lecture about the first three myths is available from post on: Development Myths: Materialism vs. Idealism. The second set three myths is covered in “Central Myths of Eurocentric History”.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS of the article:

For the majority of readers, this article will present ideas directly in conflict with their core beliefs. This is because core beliefs of the dominant Western civilization have spread far and wide via educational systems as well as ever expanding nets of media. Many of these western core beliefs are in direct conflict with Islamic ideas, but the conflicts are not apparent to most Muslims. A collection of core beliefs, or a paradigm, is the framework we use to understand the world we live in. This means that core beliefs are not really open to discussion or even visible – they are buried within the foundations of our thought processes about the real world. Standard methods of logic and argumentation, compiling of evidence, etc. are not effective in changing core beliefs. This is because core beliefs are a coherent collection of inter-related ideas which are fundamental to the way we look at the world around. When we encounter data or evidence against a core belief, then a large variety of “insulating” strategies are used to prevent us from having to change the core belief. Occasionally, a huge amount of compelling evidence can force a change in a core belief. This creates a “revolution” because we cannot simply change a core belief – we have to re-adjust the entire collection of core beliefs and change the framework we use for understanding the world. In a sense to be explained further below, the world we live in changes when our core beliefs change.

It is our contention that Islam brought about a revolution in knowledge that changed the course of human lives forever. The first lines of the Quran revealed to the Prophet Mohammad S.A.W. are powerfully infused with the importance of knowledge:

96:1 Read: In the name of thy Lord who createth,

96:2 Createth man from a clot.

96:3 Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous,

96:4 Who teacheth by the pen

96:5 Teacheth man that which be knew not.

The very first command of the Lord of Creation is to READ, and the very first bounty mentioned is to teach man that which he knows not. It is this knowledge that transformed the lives of those who absorbed the message of Islam, and created a revolution in the world. Today that knowledge has been lost, even by the Muslims – it was prophesied that Islam came as a stranger, and will become a stranger. To understand this claim, one must differentiate between theoretical knowledge and applied knowledge. This is the difference between reading a book on surgery, and actually performing surgery or driving. The theoretical knowledge of Islam is perfectly preserved, as was promised to us by Allah. The practical knowledge is promised to us conditional on our struggle to realize these teachings in our lives and in the world around us (just as surgery is learnt by experience). Today the Muslims are struggling for diverse ends, but few are engaged in the struggle to spread the good and to prohibit the evil that surrounds us. One of the obstacles is that the goals and methodology of this struggle for justice have become obscured by the spread of a large number of false ideas, which have become deeply rooted.

Contents

1. Paradigm Shifts: 1

2. Idealism Versus Materialism 3

Myth #1: Materialistic Determinism 3

Truth #1: Visions and Ideas are Powerful 4

Lesson #1: De-colonizing the Mind 4

Myth #2: The World is built of Stones, Mountains and Rivers 5

Truth #2: The World is Shaped by Human Choices 6

Lesson #2: Choosing the Good 7

Myth #3: Objective History is Possible 8

Truth #3: We Choose Our Past, which Shapes Our Future 8

Lesson #3: History as a Tool and Weapon 9

3. European Conquest of the Globe 10

Myth #4: The Enlightenment 10

Truth #4: All Humans Participated in Creation of History 11

4.1: Global Systems 11

4.2: Islam sparks the Re-naissance 11

Myth #5: The White Man’s Burden 12

Truth #5: Loot and Pillage of the World 12

Lesson #5:The Ethics of Imperialists 14

Myth #6: Secrets of European Conquest. 15

Truth #6: A Comparative Advantage in Violence 16

6.1 Glorification of War 16

6.2 Insularity, Intolerance, and Racism 17

6.3 All is Fair in Love and War 17

Lesson #6: Finding Other Pathways 18

4. Decline and Fall of the East 19

Myth #7: Superiority of the White Races 19

Truth #7: Brotherhood 20

Lesson #7: The Courage to Make a Difference 20

Myth #8 Oriental Despotism 20

Truth #8: Destruction of Well Functioning Societies. 21

Lesson #8: Rebuilding from Ruins 23

Myth #9: Blaming the Victim. 24

Truth #9: Opposite Sides of the Same Coin 25

Lesson #9: Power and Knowledge 26

5. Defining Progress and Development. 26

Myth #10: Wealth and Freedom are Measures of Development 27

Truth #10: Dual Nature of Freedom and Wealth. 30

Myth 11: Wisdom of the West 32

Truth 11: Ignorance Masquerading as Knowledge 34

Myth 12: The Progress of the West 35

Truth 12: The Moral Decline of the West. 37

6. Conclusions 40

6.1 Islam asks us to be fair, even to enemies: 40

6.2 Islam has extremely high standards of justice: 40

6.3 Islam has extremely high standards for generosity: 41

6.4 Islam has extremely high standards for Compassion: 41

6.5 Methodological Differences between Islam and Social Science 41

6.6 Final Words 42