How can we as muslims use Islam to ward off the negative trends of Globalization? What are some of the postive aspects of globalization that we should take in?
Answer
Salam, thanks for the question. The first step is to develop what you have already realized, which is that globalization has multiple "effects" and potentials. Globalization is only a process of globalizing something, spreading it around the globe. While it begins with transnational corporations expanding their markets, it also includes spaces for transnational activism. The key relationship to understand is that between the local and the global, which are in many ways interconnected. So one thing Muslims can do is to deepen their understanding of globalization, what are its effects, detriments and potentials. One negative effect, which is becoming apparent in places like Argentina, is the way transnational capital can ravage a local economy to benefit foreign investors and leave the local economy in ruins. This can happen anywhere that the national economy is open to global investors. One way to guard against this type of exploitation is for Muslim governments to form transnational coalitions that will look out for the best interests of the member nations. While some organizations exist like this, they are not well developed and tend to be manipulated from the outside. Another way Muslims can get involved is to support transnational movements of different sorts, whether they be labor or environmental, to get involved in the global scene. Take for example what is happening in Palestine, there are Italian, French and other activists involved on the ground: that is globalization at work. Ironically, one of the first movements to benefit under globalization of communications networks was the Zapatista movement, who took the world by surprise by using the internet and other forms of global communications to organize and announce their resistance to Mexican government polices that were set to dispossess them. Muslims should study such success stories and learn to apply them to their own situations.
Name
Mira
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Student
Question
Salaam, I would like to ask about Globalization, and how it relates to re-nationalization. Also, I'm interested in knowing what you think about the recent protests that took place in Barcelona and Mexico. We were told that the protestors were people who are anti-Globalization, but it is unclear to us what their reasons are. Why do you think someone would be against Globalization? It seems like the disadvantages are even greater than its advantages, if there were any? Thank you.
Answer
Salam, thanks. Good question. The form of globalization being protested in Barcelona and Monterrey recently, and in Seattle, Washington, Prague and other places in recent years, is linked to an economic system called "neoliberalism." This system is supported by the major global economic entities, like the World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund. Basically, a neo-liberal economic policy seeks to "de-nationalize" a local economy, open it up to foreign investment, unrestricted by local laws. The local laws are labeled "trade barriers" by the WTO and IMF, but to the local people these laws are there to protect them from labor exploitation, environmental degradation, and other ills of the global economy. When we speak of "re-nationalization" it means to gain back some more local power to resist or at least limit the power that the transnationals exert on the local economy. The people in the streets have very specific demands and concerns, which if you watch the corporate media, you will not know them, since the corporate media support neo-liberalism and therefore paint the protestors as somehow irrantional or without a cause. But in reality, if you read the alternative press you will find very clearly articulated concerns about the globalization of neo-liberal economic polices, including concerns of third world debt, environmental degradation, political representation, human rights, to name just a few. Now, the people that are protesting the globalization of neo-liberalism are also using the tools of global communications to organize themselves and challenge the transnationals. Those forms of organization are also related to the phenomenon we are calling globalization, which suggests that it is a process that has some positive and negative attributes and possibilities.
Name
majid
-
Profession
Question
In the atttempt to globalize everything, there is talk on how to globalize religion(or how to make religion fit into the current globalizing imperative). In this light should, should we view Islam as something that needs to be globalized or does Islam have its own globalizing agenda that needs to be putforth in contradistinction to the contemporary globalizing imperative.
Answer
Islam is already a global religion, having attained that status long before we had a word for it. Globalization generally means "going global" with something, but in contemporary usage it means taking advantage of several features of late-modernity, such as communications networks (internet, satellite TV, mobile phones, etc.) and the resulting awareness of people in far flung places of each other's concerns and causes. So this website, for example, is taking advantage of this aspect of globalization, the ability to communicate with people in different places in real time. Of course, globalization means other things, more specific things, but they generally pertain to economics. But as far as globalizing religion, it is already happening, since globalization in this sense is a process. And that is what is important to remember, that it is a process, not an end result. So where will this process lead us? Who are the visionaries that are trying to look forward to the potential of such forms of globalization? What are the possibilities for using globalization of religion for some end result? By focusing on globalization as a process, we can begin to ask such questions.
Name
mohammed
- United States
Profession
engineer
Question
Assalamualaiku, I would like to thank you, and pray Allah rewards you for your effort. 1. My question is is it necessary for muslims to do dawah?, and if so, what is the best way to do it.
2. What is the position of beard in islam, in view of the large number of people not keeping it, is it ok, if one shaves it, owing to parental pressure, is it necessary to keep a beard while one is in USA?
Answer
These questions seem a bit off topic. Perhaps they are better for the fatwa section. But let me make a few general comments about da'wah, calling people to Islam. The condition known as post modernity is characterized by broad-based and large scale disaffection with the norms of the modern world. This disaffection, if left to itself, can breed all sorts of pathologies, the beginnings of which we are seeing in rising crime rates, genocide and other horrors of the modern world. If you think of the Shahada of Islam as beginning with the world "no" then you have an opening to take advantage of this large scale disaffection on a global scale. If people are saying no to various features of the modernity, then they may be open to the second half of the Shahada. Therefore, one strategy of for people inclined toward da'wah is to work on the disaffection toward modernity -- emphasize the no or find the people saying no -- while affirming something in its place, which in the case of Islam is Tawhid.
Name
Malik
- Senegal
Profession
Question
What are the roots of Globalization?
Answer
Nice question, it's always important to look at origins. Globalization as we know it today begins in the boardrooms of large American corporations that decided to "go global" in search of more profits, lower wages, cheaper resources, open markets, etc., realizing that they were limiting themselves by selling products on a national basis only. Soon, legal mechanisms begin to appear that support this vision of globalization, through the WTO, MAI, World Bank and other transnational economic entities. Once the lawyers got a hold it, globalization started to become a concern for national governments, since many realized that by opening their doors to "free trade" without restraint, they were losing national sovereignty. Local people began to realize that they may lose jobs or be paid lower wages, or that foreign cultural practices may get introduce by the global businesses (take a look at how gaseous sugary soft drinks have replaced local drinks and juices for one example), so what we now see as "anti-globalization" movements arise to protest against economic globalization, and by doing so they, too, are "going global" with their protests. So, what begins as a corporate buzzword to increase private profits ends up becoming a global phenomenon involving people from many walks of life.
Name
Salma
-
Profession
Question
From what I understand, Postmodernism is a reaction to the ills of modernity. But from what i could see of postmodern movements, they tend to be highly skeptical of everything. How should one react to modernity and at the same time not be a sophist?
Answer
Nice way to put it. You are correct, postmodernism is largely about disaffection from the norms of modernity, and it is certainly a Western phenomenon. But it also provides a window of opportunity to loosen the grip of modernity on people's minds. In other words, postmodern thought is good for explaining the problems of modernity, illustrating the disaffections from the norms of Western civilization, but it does not really offer anything in its place, except, perhaps as you say, skepticism. But if postmodern thought is used in conjunction with something else to put in its place, it becomes a tool for disaffecting people from the colonizing West and (hopefully) paving the way to rediscover or create something better in its place. This is what could be called the activist definition of postmodernism, although academics loathe this type of discussion since for them it is largely an intellectual fad upon which to build careers. Once you get out of that cycle, criticism for its own, and step back into another epistemology -- Islam leaps to mind here -- then postmodernism is interesting and useful in the context of disaffection, and it need not be linked to solutions. The concerns raised by postmodernist thinkers should not be ignored, in other words, just because they are too skeptical or sophistic or because they have no solutions. Some of them have identified real problems that concern everyone; how we respond to those problems is another story, and for that it may be more satisfying to look elsewhere.
Name
cana
- Albania
Profession
Question
1. It is often considered that the only winners of globalization are the corporations, while people in general - the loosers. What can you say on that?
2. The economical dimension of globalization is always at the center of public debate, creating the impression that all this thing - globalization - is for purely economic reasons.
Where does the politics stand and to what extend people are aware of the consenquences?
Answer
Nice questions. As I understand globalization, it is a process of "going global" with something, that is if we can rescue the term from the corporations and put it to other uses. Globalization opens new doors for transnational political activism, for instance, since the nation state has been weakened by various global economic schemes, and in that context there have been some real tragic cases of what you call "losers." But once we find ways to open up transnational spaces for political activism, globalization might end up re-invigorating the nation state, which in many cases has become ossified and even repressive. Many believe it is too late to go back to the "container" theory of politics and society, that globalization has poked too many holes the containers of national sovereignty to the point that they might not be fixable. However, there are opportunities to redefine the nation state -- not to benefit global capital, but to benefit local people. This is why the WTO and other transnational entities are working so hard and fast to solidify their global regime, since they want to try and preempt any other forms of global action. If that happens, then states will become sort of like prisons with very little power to legislate anything in the face of global agreements. This won't happen for a while, but it depends on finding and utilizing those spaces for transnational political action. Many people are aware of this of course, which is evident if you look beyond CNN and BBC and read what the "anti-globalization" protestors are actually saying, and how they are organizing.
Name
Safia
-
Profession
Question
Asslamu Alaykum!
I have question reqarding recent situation of Palestine. I know suicide is Haram in islam, but how can those people who blew themselves justify their killing along with other people? Is it permisible in Islam?what is your openion about this issue?
Jaza Kalah!
Answer
This is a bit off topic, and may be better addressed in another forum. I could make one observation, however, since the very fact that we all know about "suicide bombers" or call them by that name suggests that globalization of media and political discussion is reality. What is happening in Palestine is not new; it is basically a reply of the standard western colonial model and various forms of resistance to it. The Palestinians are using whatever forms of resistance they have, and they are not the first to do this. In Vietnam, Latin American, and other parts of the world where there were colonial powers trying to crush local insurgency, you find the same phenomenon. I think this is best seen in that framework, and not limited to a purely religious framework.
Name
Al Anood
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Question
Assalam Alaikum,
Would Globalization have any impact on world politics?
Answer
Of course it does, since the very notion of globalization is a direct challenge to national sovereignty. It begins with corporates trying to minimize the role of local government to police functions, but it can be seen in many other ways. For example, take the election of Sharon in Israel. If he was left to only govern Israelis, then they get who they voted for. But in this weird world of globalization (which includes globalization of military power and media images) a leader elected in a local scene by a comparatively few people can have horrific impacts on people that did not elect him. Besides what this tells us about democracy in general, we can see that politics are already spilling over outside the nation state and becoming intertwined on a global basis. There are many other examples to find in the news, but the key issue is to think of globalization as challenge and prospect for local political sovereignty.
Name
M
-
Profession
Question
What can we muslims do in our every day lives do not be overcome by global phenomena such as consumerism and western accultration? I mean something that can practically practiced in our daily lives. performed
Answer
Sure, no one forces you to be a consumer. Imagine how strange that would be! Marched at gunpoint to the mall and forced to by greasy, fatty fast food. Ironically, one of the features of globalization, which you have correctly identified as consumerism, also opens doors for transnational political activism. The boycott is a powerful political tool, and even if governments are too timid to call for them, they can and have been organized by transnational activist groups. Even if you don't hook up with such groups, you still practice your right not to buy at home. In fact, consumerism is one growing area where local and ordinary people can have some real power and control over their lives. As governments become more and more irrelevant, or as they change their policies and procedures to suit the demands of transnational capital, people may find that their roles as consumers will become more important their roles as citizens, at least in terms of the kind of political impact they can have.
Name
Al Anood
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Answer
Salam, this one was blank but just let me take the opportunity to thank you all for the stimulating questions. Best wishes.
Name
Samer
- United States
Profession
Question
Does Globalization have any impact on Muslim countries?
Answer
Salam, thanks for the question. Globalization in all its forms has in impact on practically everybody, including Muslims. It partly depends on how we define globalization. If we keep a strict economic definition, then we can see how many Muslims governments have signed various transnational economic agreements, which will begin to have an impact on their local economy and society. You can already see this in some of the poorer Muslim countries, where governments have been forced to lower wages, sell resources at cheaper prices, lift environmental and labor regulations, all in the name of attracting global investments. But the results of these policies are starting to be felt locally, as people find they are working more and making less, have fewer ways to seek protection locally, and are subjected to various austerity measures that make life more difficult. Culturally, globalization is having impacts on Muslim countries, as in for example the availability of satellite TV and the Internet, which is both a challenge and prospect to local concerns. If all the satellite TV were singing and dancing, selling junk food and consumer products, then we can speak of the negative effects on the local culture, but once we look at the role of satellite TV stations such as Manar TV out of Lebanon, the picture changes again. So, globalization and all that it entails is a multifaceted phenomenon that needs close attention be leaders, citizens, consumers, believers and everyone else in the Muslim countries, and it should evaluated both in terms of the challenges it poses and the prospects it puts forth.
