Eco-Islam

Post 36--:    
                               
We’re not done with Islamic banking, but events keep getting in the way of completing the series. In my estimation it’s better to flow with current events than to stick dogmatically to a series. You can’t just ignore the end of Ramadan in a blog like this one. I will, of course, get back to the banking issue, probably in the next blog or so, if no other events intervene again.  I can already see that current renewed violence in my former home town, Jos, Nigeria, needs attention. 

Todd on Ramadan Greening
  
Some of these posts address both Muslims and Christians; some, either one but not primarily both, though both are of course always welcome to sit in.  This one is especially to inform Christian readers of developments within the Muslim community, while my Muslims friends should feel free to read and participate in the discussion.  In fact, at the end of this post they are invited to join Christians in joint ecological efforts.
One new emphasis in Ramadan observance this year is increasing awareness of the need to apply eco-friendly measures to the entire month.  Muslims are not immune to changes taking place around them.  They face the same eco problems the rest of us face.  Douglas Todd of the Vancouver Sun wrote an article entitled “The Greening of Ramadan, the Reducing of Waste” (August 29, 2011),  in which he wrote the following:  “During an era in which humans are growing more concerned about over-using the planet’s resources, more and more Muslims are reframing Ramadan as a time of eco-responsibility, guided by the Muslim principles of moderation and ethical treatment of animals.” Again, “Environmentalism is becoming big in many Muslim circles.”   

The Christian Record

Muslims are undergoing the same eco-transformation that started stirring Christians some decades ago.  Though the Christian Bible contains much that should have led them to environmental concerns much, much earlier, like so many religionists, their vision was shaped more by the culture of which they were a part than by the Bible.  But when the destructive forces the culture unleashed became too severe to ignore any longer, Christians, along with their fellow citizens, became aware of what was/is happening. At that time, their spiritual eyes also opened to the eco messages embedded in Scripture, messages they should have recognized much earlier, and they began to participate in the eco movement, sometimes together with others, sometimes within the church context.  They began to preach and teach eco issues; they published books and magazine articles; they conducted classes in their churches and developed environmental departments in their colleges and universities.  One of my own pastors got her undergraduate degree in ecology.  In short, Christians jumped on the eco bandwagon, eventually with considerable vigour.  So, along with everyone else, they participated in the destruction and now, along with everyone else, they participate in eco-saving movements. It would be interesting to explore why they were so blind before.  Those who know me well from my books or from my other blogs, can probably already guess where I would go with this (see post 44 in my blog < Worldly Christianity.blogspot.com >), but that’s for another post. 

Muslim Eco Developments
 

Canadian Muslims participate in Canadian life and are influenced by it.  Perhaps more than some people would expect. They, too, are worried about the environment and are beginning to recognize and apply Qur’anic passages that, like Christians, they should have recognized long ago, but were too embedded in their culture to notice. But they’re now coming aboard and applying them to Ramadan observances.  They are beginning to object to “the mountains of styrofoam food containers” that are produced by their “giant communal potluck feasts” at Ramadan celebrations.  Todd gives various examples of how Muslims and their institutions are starting to pay attention and making arrangements for reduced wasteful consumption as well as for reduced mountains of Styrofoam.  They are now creating websites dealing with the issues, many of them, according to Todd. There is < Khalafa: A Sacred Trust > run by Muaz Nazir, a conservation officer with the city of Toronto, and < BeyondHalal > that teaches greater compassion for animals and reduced eating of meat.

Congratulations and Invitation
 
Now that Muslims have completed another Ramadan celebration, it is fitting for their Christian neighbours to congratulate them for this strenuous achievement and to invite them aboard in joint ecological efforts so that we can all respond together to God’s call for responsible living and stop the spiral of destruction we have together unleashed. 

 Todd, thank you.  Muslims, God bless.

Islamic Banking: Campaign Of A CBN Governor Or Kano Prince

Post 31

The previous post featured an article on Islamic Banking in Nigeria by my friend Dr. Aliyu Tilde, a Nigerian Muslim journalist.  Today I feature an article with quite a different perspective by Ifeanyi Izeze, also a Nigerian.  The next post will be written by yours truly. I will give my perspective on the subject.   At this very point, this is a hot issue in Nigeria right now.  A Nigerian correspondent friend of mine is currently forwarding numerous articles on the subject to me.  However, it is also causing debate in the West, where it is a growing institution.

So, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome:

Ifeanyi Izeze

Honestly, the controversy the said commencement of Islamic banking in Nigeria has generated was not only unnecessary but caused because the man in charge could not decipher that the disposition and carriage of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should be entirely different from that of a Kano prince who sees himself as an emir in waiting.

Sanusi Mischief? 

Most Nigerians think the Islamic finance concept was ‘crazy’ simply because of the way the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has gone about it with pronouncements and attitudes that painted a hidden sectional agenda. The timing and spirit behind Sanusi’s disposition obviously paints a picture of mischief. Initially, I belonged to this group until I studied the principles of the banking model.

 
Keeping Religion out of Banking

Lending money to people without interest is also in the Bible so there is nothing Islamic about lending money without interest. It is also biblical. But the question is why not outrightly call it interest- free banking system? Must it be Islamic banking or Christian banking or some other kind of religious banking? We must not bring religion into our political setting or our economic life. This is what we have to guard against as a people with common destiny except we are not. 

Sanusi for himself, government or Islam?

Although the concept of a non- interest banking system might be a very good idea, it’s introduction obviously has proven to be wrongly timed by the CBN governor.  Judging by the displayed disposition of the CBN governor, it would have made a better sense if he had done this advocacy for Islamic banking as a religious leader rather than as a federal government official.  There is need for Sanusi to come out and tell the nation whose errand he is running and for who he speaks; is it for himself, Islam, or government of Nigeria?

Christian Opposition

We all should be concerned that this act coming now is further tearing us apart along ethno-religious lines. The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has already called on government to stop Sanusi “before he throws Nigeria into financial and even religious fire.” The PFN is afraid that the primary interest of the CBN Governor as far as this Islamic banking matter is concerned is nothing other than positioning Islamic religion and pushing sharia agenda to the front doors of most Nigerians. While some Muslims see others’ (Christians) refusal of Islamic banking in today’s Nigeria as a distaste for Islam. This situation would have been avoided if Sanusi had seen himself more as the CBN Governor than a Kano prince and an emir in waiting by his pronouncements and displayed arrogance.

Bad timing

All well meaning Nigerians should strongly condemn the attitude of the Central Bank governor more so at a time like this in Nigeria when we are still battling to douse the tension created by the last ‘political’ crisis with all the evident religious manifestations. This obviously is an insensitive and reckless act of the highest order coming from such a high ranking officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Militants Seize It?
The CBN found no other time to talk about Islamic banking except this time of Boko Haram menace? How do you ensure that extremist organisations shall not hijack the entire concept and capitalize on that to further intimidate Nigerians -Christians and Moslems alike?  If Sanusi is not playing mischief, why name it Islamic banking rather than what it is: merely non-interest banking? The saying that you leave the messenger and take the message cannot apply here at all because the messenger and his disposition is as important as the message itself.

Setting Standards

The draft framework for this banking concept was issued in March 2009 by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The objective of the framework was to provide minimum standards for the operation of non-interest banking in Nigeria while serving as an exposure for comments, suggestions and/or inputs by stakeholders. The suggestions and/or inputs from stakeholders never came. More than two years after, Sanusi the CBN governor released the final guidelines which cover only non-interest banking according to Islamic commercial law and jurisprudence and has been campaigning for it as if he is on a jihad.

Necessary Distinctions

Fair enough, in the revised guidelines, the CBN recognised two types of non-interest banking: non-interest financial products and services based on principles of Islamic commercial jurisprudence, as well as financial products and services based on any other established rules and principles. So why not introduce all forms of the concept together at the same time? Unfortunately, even if the CBN turns today to introduce the other variants of the non-interest banking concept, people on the other side of the divide can never trust the sincerity of such action because they will only see it as a damage control measure.
 

Pro-People Policy

The Central Bank said it was introducing Islamic banking in order to open up the financial space to those who were locked out. “Financial inclusion is a major challenge. Almost 50 percent of adult Nigerians do not have access to capital. What is keeping them out? Many things. But to the extent that non-interest banks can address some of the reasons for their staying out, we should encourage them,” said CBN deputy governor (financial systems stability), Kingsley Moghalu, while assuring Nigerians on the genuine intentions of introducing the Islamic variant of non-interest banking.

 

The CBN seems to be elusive of the fact that while there is a need to redefine the function of capital, it is equally necessary to ensure that such redefinition is not seen to favour one religion over another because it’s not only in the Islamic faith that we have Nigerians who have been excluded from the conventional banking system. Go to Okija shrine, you will find people (pagans) who have been denied access to capital for whatever reasons. You see what I mean?

Islamic Banking in the West

It is irresponsible of the CBN governor to allege that those opposed to the introduction of Islamic banking in Nigeria are not conversant with current happenings in the world as the system is being practised in the United Kingdom and other countries of the world dominated by Christians. He should have told us how that model of banking is doing in those countries. He deliberately dodged that.

What is the point of this banking concept in a developing country which is struggling with mere social amenities? Who will support it and with what resources. The problem with us Nigerians is that we always like to cite countries that are well ahead of us. The government will soon remove subsidy from petroleum products and it tends to hike tariffs on non-available electricity, where will the money come to subsidise for Islamic banking or are we going to get the monies from outside and under what conditions?

Some advanced European and Asian countries may have Islamic banks, but such banks are never the prime movers of those nations’ economies. At best, such non-interest banks are heavily subsidised either by the host state or some oil-rich Middle East countries that want to promote the initiative.

Threat of Corruption and Failure

In a developing capitalist economy like Nigeria, those who may “donate” their heard-earned monies for Islamic banking may never be those who earned their money through honest means. If dishonest people “donate” start-up funds for Islamic banks, we may eventually have situations where depositors’ monies evaporate like during the early and mid 90s’ banks in Nigeria. And above all, taking monies from dubious sources defeats the entire concept of Islamic banking which stipulates that all monies used for transactions must come from honest earnings.

A report last June by the New York-based Wall Street Journal warned that “Islamic banking has not necessarily produced great returns. Regulators must do a thorough job before approving any application for Islamic banking.” Quoting Junaid Bhatti, part of the team that set up Islamic Bank of Britain (IBB), the report said “the first Sharia-compliant bank approved by the Financial Services Authority has been a big disappointment. Sharia-compliant banking products have been a flop in Britain.”

Impractical

Those who are well-informed on the matter would agree that there is no market for Islamic Banking in Nigeria yet or anywhere in Africa and this is the truth. The current gimmick is merely political. The banking system is too sophisticated and given the human mindset, very difficult to practice. It’s like communism, very nice ideas, but a failure in practice. Only in countries in which Islamic Banking is heavily subsidised by the state, has it been practicable.

For whatever reasons Sanusi is just deceiving Nigerians and seeking to divided them on such a very emotive issue.

IFEANYI IZEZE IS AN ABUJA-BASED CONSULTANT ON STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION (iizeze@yahoo.com)

Women in Islam: Standard and Practice

Post 23--:

I continue the series that originally started in Post 19. Please check out the context of this material there.

The questions I was to answer were:
(a) How does the Qur’an say women should be treated?
(b) How does the above conform to or contradict what is practiced in many
Muslim countries or cultures?

Here is my response to those questions:

I interpret the questions as intended to evoke a discussion about Muslim suppression of women, since that is such a major Christian concern.

If you ask the same question about the Bible, you will get a wide variety of (contradictory) answers. There are OT texts about women from which pretty well all Christians distantiate themselves. For one thing, they are written from a male point of view—what the male should do for, with or to women. They were subject to men and valued mainly as wives and mothers. A father could sell his daughter into slavery. A father could annul his daughter’s vows or pledge, as could a husband his wife’s. Adultery could lead to stoning, but for both partners. The husband had various unilateral rights over his wife. A woman was worth half a man. Women could be taken as booty after victorious battles. They could become ceremonially unclean. Etc., etc. In the NT, women were restricted in their leadership roles. Christians have long rejected all or most of these ideas for sound Biblical and theological reasons, somewhat parallel to the Islamic doctrine of abrogation.

You find similar situations in the Qur’an and in the Muslim community. There is a wide range of interpretations from the literal to contextual-historical. Just as Christians have largely rejected the OT perspectives on women, especially those they see as oppressive, so do many educated Muslims argue their way out of similar Qur’anic texts. Most Muslim men tend to agree that women are honourable but fragile creatures that need to be protected from other men. Hence, the elaborate precautions to which some are subjected in terms of movement and dress code, while others dress and move about as they please. Most men regard women as too emotional and therefore insist that they, the men, should do the thinking and make decisions for them. They are seen as powerful when they play their legitimate role as mothers and wives who bring up and teach the next generation. They are allowed to conduct business and own property, but not at the expense of their primary role in the family. There is currently a dynamic at work in many Muslim communities that tends to restrict women more than was the case in the past, especially with respect to dress. One American female Muslim medical doctor practicing in Saudi was absolutely amazed at the restrictions placed on women in Saudi and condemned it outrightly as a retrograde form of Islam.

At the levels of militant fundamentalism and folk Islam, the literal interpretation tends to hold sway. Folk Islam is intimately mixed up with local pre-Islamic cultures. Its adherents often identify these foreign accretions as part of core Islam, with the result that anyone critiquing some cultural tradition may be accused of attacking Islam itself. In Saudi, public amputations constitute public entertainment after Friday prayers, but many educated Muslims are horrified.

The reality is that there is hardly any consistent pattern around the Muslim world. In many Muslim communities, women play a much larger role than the above would lead us to expect, while in most countries stoning and amputation form only a distant memory. And yet there have been several female Muslim heads of state in the largest Muslim countries! If Islam or the Qur’an were really as reprehensible and violent in its core as we witness today in some quarters, then the high civilization and culture they once reached would hardly have been possible.

A major difference between Christianity and Islam is that the former has experienced the philosophical developments from the Renaissance on—initially spurred on by Cordovan Islam—up to the current climate in the West. Before those developments, Christian individuals, religious leaders and nations were cruel and intolerant in ways hard to believe today, even though we already had the Bible. The change towards more civilized relationships is due as much to those philosophical developments as to our reading of the Bible. Most Muslims have not gone through this development.

How should women be treated according to the Qur’an? Your answer will be determined by the approach you prefer, literal or contextual-historical. Does the practice of some countries reflect the Qur’an correctly? To the extent that it is the result of a literal interpretation and mixed up with traditional cultural accretions, in agreement with more liberal Muslims, I would say “No.” But those who practice various forms of suppression of women, will, of course, answer “Yes!” They are the literalists. So, how and on what basis do I, a non-Muslim, answer these questions? Which is the true Islam or the right interpretation of the Qur’an?

I will interrupt my series and continue the subject of the treatment of women in the next post by reproducing an article on the subject by Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, an Indian moderate Muslim scholar.