Globalization: A Concern for Muslims?
Come on sisters lets stop whining about looks and “I’m not pretty” ramble and brothers about "I cna't get married, no education, no job bla bla.." Just look around and you’ll see how we are buried deep with more important issues of life.
Think about the real life, the eternal life, the life after death. How much have we prepared from the prescribed course to enter Jannah? Are we ready to take the final exam? Ramadan is here and it’s about time we shake ourselves awake from trivial worldly problems and concentrate on the akhirah. It’s time to increase our good deeds plenty a fold.
But of course Islam is a way of life as we keep hearing. Qur’an is a manual of how to live our life in this world so our eternal life can be peaceful, Inshallah. Qur’an teaches us politics and economics but did we ever ponder upon how our lives are so engulfed in acquiring or running after the needs/wants created by the media that we have forgotten what Allah taught us about fair trade? Just about every day we hear something about globalization.
I know Monazzah’s first question will be “what exactly is globalism?” Well in the most general sense, globalism refers to the process in which products and services move freely within and among nations. The mass media gives us the impression that the forces of the "free market" are unifying people of the world. We are led to believe that things will steadily get better if we can just keep governments from interfering with the economy that lead to more growth and efficiency.
Yet we also know that jobs are being lost to global competition. We know that the global environment is being threatened (global warming, wear and tear of the ozone layer, extinction of species, poisoning of the world's water supply etc). We see refugees and immigrants by the millions roaming the planet, in search of jobs and protection from conflict and wars, specially Muslims. We also know that inequality is getting worse: just a hand full of large corporations own most of the world's productive resources while millions of people are unable to sustain their families. Many of us have a gut feeling that the global economy has gone wrong. We would do well to trust our feelings.
The world economy is in a state of what is commonly viewed as extraordinary growth. But with this growth has come dangerous and destructive economic disparity.
Many people, particularly those in the East, do not have enough food to eat, resulting in malnutrition and disease. Their governments, which used to subsidize some of their trivial needs, are urged to stop subsidies for food and adopt a more market-oriented economics. Many workers in these economies are trapped in poor working conditions with low pay. Women are often expected to do back-breaking farm and domestic work, with few rights or benefits. In the North America as well, people often find themselves being left farther and farther behind. Even as North America reports budget surpluses, we seem unable or unwilling to provide housing for the growing number of working-class and homeless families, to repair the physical structure of schools, or to provide social services or medical attention for those most in need.
Hadith Qudsi (# 17) “O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another…”
“Be on your guard against committing oppression, for oppression is a darkness on the Day of Resurrection...” ( Reported by Muslim)
As Muslims should we not rise against this globalism? Is it not a form of oppression? Are we not part of this oppression by consuming the global goods and services?
I wonder if we will be questioned about this on the day of Judgment?
Think about the real life, the eternal life, the life after death. How much have we prepared from the prescribed course to enter Jannah? Are we ready to take the final exam? Ramadan is here and it’s about time we shake ourselves awake from trivial worldly problems and concentrate on the akhirah. It’s time to increase our good deeds plenty a fold.
But of course Islam is a way of life as we keep hearing. Qur’an is a manual of how to live our life in this world so our eternal life can be peaceful, Inshallah. Qur’an teaches us politics and economics but did we ever ponder upon how our lives are so engulfed in acquiring or running after the needs/wants created by the media that we have forgotten what Allah taught us about fair trade? Just about every day we hear something about globalization.
I know Monazzah’s first question will be “what exactly is globalism?” Well in the most general sense, globalism refers to the process in which products and services move freely within and among nations. The mass media gives us the impression that the forces of the "free market" are unifying people of the world. We are led to believe that things will steadily get better if we can just keep governments from interfering with the economy that lead to more growth and efficiency.
Yet we also know that jobs are being lost to global competition. We know that the global environment is being threatened (global warming, wear and tear of the ozone layer, extinction of species, poisoning of the world's water supply etc). We see refugees and immigrants by the millions roaming the planet, in search of jobs and protection from conflict and wars, specially Muslims. We also know that inequality is getting worse: just a hand full of large corporations own most of the world's productive resources while millions of people are unable to sustain their families. Many of us have a gut feeling that the global economy has gone wrong. We would do well to trust our feelings.
The world economy is in a state of what is commonly viewed as extraordinary growth. But with this growth has come dangerous and destructive economic disparity.
Many people, particularly those in the East, do not have enough food to eat, resulting in malnutrition and disease. Their governments, which used to subsidize some of their trivial needs, are urged to stop subsidies for food and adopt a more market-oriented economics. Many workers in these economies are trapped in poor working conditions with low pay. Women are often expected to do back-breaking farm and domestic work, with few rights or benefits. In the North America as well, people often find themselves being left farther and farther behind. Even as North America reports budget surpluses, we seem unable or unwilling to provide housing for the growing number of working-class and homeless families, to repair the physical structure of schools, or to provide social services or medical attention for those most in need.
Hadith Qudsi (# 17) “O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another…”
“Be on your guard against committing oppression, for oppression is a darkness on the Day of Resurrection...” ( Reported by Muslim)
As Muslims should we not rise against this globalism? Is it not a form of oppression? Are we not part of this oppression by consuming the global goods and services?
I wonder if we will be questioned about this on the day of Judgment?
posted by Desert Rose at 4:15 PM
10 Comments:
I'm concerned at the disproportionate amount of time that Muslim sisters spend these days learning about such intellectual-oriented things while avoiding their true responsibilities and obligations.
*insert random bit here about Adam's rib and all that*
Excuse me? you might want to enlighten us on what our true responsibilities are?
A wise auntie once told me "it's Ramadan. Stop wasting time on blogs"
;)
lol
ya that wise aunty doesn't act on her own advice
Funny how the people who aren't concerned with trivial worldly problems are the ones who can afford not to have them.
anonymous: I really don't think anyone in the world does not have trivial problems and there is no one who can afford not to have them...
We are humans and we will get deeper and deeper into the Duniya if we don't think about the akhirah.... No matter who we are, all of us need a good shake at some point or another to wake up to greater problems and concerns..
For once the one making the sharp, cutting remark isn't me lol but I think I see what anonymous is talking about.
Yes Saman, we all have our own trivial worldly matters to worry about no matter what status we're born into.
However, at the same time, I think we should reflect on how blessed we are considering the nature of our "trivial worries". I honestly honestly think that the education curriculum should include some type of program where each student, before graduation, has to spend at least one day shadowing the down-and-out in society. Sort of like "Take Your Kids to Work" except more like "Let a Middle-Class Student Follow You Around for a Day" type of thing.
I could write a full length essay explaining all this and my guesses as to what anonymous meant but I have exams today. Duas plz@ :P
Oooh, template change.
Very "madarn"
Me likey :)
These "trivial" problems are incumbent upon everyone who lives. As Saman said, we're human and will get deeper into this world. Why not do this while preparing for the akhirah at the same time? We cannot separate ourselves from the world, and we should not. What we should do is tackle these "worldly problems" as a true muslim, one who truly submits to Allah, should do. Solve these problems, while increasing your good deeds at the same time. How you do it, is up to you. But it HAS to be do-able, because, you see, I have no way of avoiding these trivial problems. There HAS to be a way of achieving 2 goals with one action (2 birds with one stone? maybe a little violent).
As for globalization, that's it... I'm not buying ANYTHING anymore.
Excuse me, while I justify losing sleep over super-cramming pharmacology material for today's exam, which I will never ever remember (since the final's not cumulative), never mind benefit humanity by it.
^ well-articulated :).
Well put.
The march goes on, we have to do continue doing whatever it is we were put on here to do.
Post a Comment
<< Home