Munawar Iqbal

Dear Colleagues: Assalamu Alaikum wrt wbt

I agree with Dr. Asad Zaman 500%. Any attempt that may unintentionally result in divisions should be avoided. I do not suspect the good intentions of people like Prof. Hamdani, but since the term"Islamic economics" is widely accepted, let us not through up new terms. That will only confuse people.

Sure enough there are differences among different schools of thought but the points of agreement are FAR more. Differences are there even 'within' the Sunni and Shia schools of thought, and on many many issues the agreement goes beyond this 'bifurcation'. The OIC Fiqh Academy, has representation of all schools of thought. Closer to our discipline, Islamic Economics, the involvement of Shia school of fiqh did not end with Imam Baqir Sadr's Iqtisaduna, which I know for a fact that it was used as one of the text books in courses at the King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. I, myself, having been the Secretary-General of five out of eight International Conferences organized by the International Association of Islamic Economics, had the pleasure of close cooperation and involvement of eminent scholars like Nawab Haider Naqvi, Abbas Mirakhor, Iraj Totounchian, Kazim Sadr, Ali Yasseri to name just a few.

As Chief of Research at IRTI, IDB, when I started "Distance Learning Program", three universities were given grant by IDB to establish the infrastructure for DLC. Imam Sadiq University, Iran was one of them. Each program was finalized by mutual consultation and lectures were given to and from all participating universities. Dr. Abbas Mirakhor, whom I consider to be one of my teachers in the sense that I have learnt a lot from his writings, was given IDB Prize in Islamic Economics. This is history known to me personally. I am sure, many others have been involved in keeping the discipline of Islamic economics neutral among various schools of thought.

We claim that "Islamic economics is NOT value-neutral", i.e., not a positive science the way conventional economics 'poses' to be. In the backdrop of the so-called 'Divine Economics', let me add another claim: "Islamic Economics IS mazhab-neutral."

Wassalam

Dr. Munawar Iqbal

A.O.A.

Dear all

"Divine Economics is a science which studies human behavior directly or indirectly to achieve an optimal degree of Falaah from God given resources",is not of Shia's economics, Divine economics is more comprehensive than Islamic economics this provide more methodologies theoretical as well as empirical and more analytical. This can be used all the sects of Islam as well as all divine religions of the world. It can be used as alternate name of Islamic economics. This is not a new one an alternate name of Islamic economics was also suggested as "Ethinomics" by Dr. Munawar Iqbal in the 2nd International Conference of Islamic Economics held in Islamabad during March 1983.

Muhammad Tashfeen

tashfeen.ma@gmail.com

Dear All:

As I mentioned in my previous mail, the term "Islamic economics" has universal acceptance. To say that Dr. Munawar Iqbal used a term "Ethinomics" in 1983 is trying to beat about the bush. I also said in my previous mail that Islamic economics IS value (ethics) based.

Let us not create confusion by using different terms for a discipline that has settled on a common name.

Best regards

Dr. Munawar Iqbal