Islamicing the Countries of Moslem

A review of Global Economy Journal (2010) written by Shceherazade S. Rehman and Hossein Askari, the George Washington University.

Islamicing the Countries of Moslem

            Islamic as it first emerge in 610 M by the prophet Mohammed’s introduce should be new spirit and life-guide universally accept. During the era of Rasulullah and the era of khilafah islamic value step by step spread widely entire Jazirah Arab. After the collapse of khilafah’s system that based on the two road map of Islam (Al-Qur’an and Hadith), the monarchies system full-filled next periods of islamic political life. Since this factor, islamic value and life-guide raise scrape.

            Close to 1400 years of the present of islamic, how the moslem countries’s life ? Whether they reach wealth life as the prophet’s preached, live in peace and tolerance practice to other, and more.

            Rechman and Askari made a inquiry about the quality of moslem life in Global Journal Economy which the title is “How Islamic are Islamic Countries ?”. This journal draw how islamics’s value meet moslems. Wheter religion affects the life (economics, politics, and social outlook) of the countries or wether these factors affect religiousity. Note that not only moslem countries that are inquire but non-islamic countries also.

            The main principles are gotten by Al-Qur’an and the life, practices and the sayings of the prophet Mohammad. And further inqury are IslamicityIndex (I^2­) = Economic IslamicityIndex (EI­­²) + Legal and Governance IslamicityIndex (LGI²) + Human and Political Rights IslamicityIndex (HPI²) + International Relation IslamicityIndex (IRI²). So, here is the scheme à I² = EI² + LGI² + HPI² + IRI².

            The Economic IslamicityIndex consists of Equal economy opportunity for all members of society & economic freedom, Economic quity, personal property rights and sancity of contracts, job creation for all that can and want to work & equal avaibility of employment, equal avaibility of education, poverty prevention and reduction, taxation to meet the unfulfilled needs of society & to address social issues generally, appropriate management of natural and depletable resources to benefit all members of current and future generations, abolition of corrupt practices, establishment of a supportive financial system, financial practices that includes the abolition of interest, and the effectiveness of the state in achieving the above (general economic prosperity).

            Legal and Governance IslamicityIndex consists of Governance: government governance and Legal Integrity Indicator: legal & judical integrity indicator and military interference indicator.

            Human and Political Rights IslamicityIndex consists of Civil and Political Rights: civil rights indicator and political rights indicator, Women’s Rights: women’s rights, Other Rigths: military service policy indicator, Political Risk: political risk, and Genocide Prevention: Genocide Prevention.

            And the last is International Relations IslamicityIndex that consists of Enviromental Performance Index: enviromental index, Globalization Index: economic globalization indicator, social globalization indicator, and political globalization indicator, Military/Wars: proportion of military spending indicator and Military spending indicator, and Overall Country Risk: country risk.

            The result are below:

Countries (filtered from 208 countries)	Overall Islamicity Index Rank (OIC Countries are highlighted)
New Zealand	1
Luxembourg	2
Ireland	3
Iceland	4
Finland	5
-	-
Malaysia	38
Kuwait	48
Bahrain	64
Brunei	65
United Arab Emirates	66
-	-
Saudi Arabia	131
Indonesia	140
-	-
Mayotte	208

             Based on the data above (fullied data contain in source) we can criticizing the result:

•  There are no Islamic Countries in top five IslamicityIndex.

• The highest point is Malaysia which on 38^th, following by Kuwait, Bahrain, Brunei, and   United Arab Emirates that each of them are at 48^th, 64^th, 65^th, and 66^th.

•  Saudi Arabia as the prophet Mohammad lived and the centre of Moslem activities is on 131^st position.

• Indonesia as the most moslem population is occupied 140^th position.

• Mayotte placed hin.

            Thus, the result of inquiry show that islamic countries are not as islamic in their practice as one might expect; instead the developed countries tend to have islamic’s values. In additional of what Syeikh Muhammad Abduh said, on 1882, “I had travel the West (France) that there were no Moslem but the people practiced Islamic well, then when I came back to the East (Egypt) and saw around, I was not find Islamic, however moslem were there.”

            But then that result doesn’t draw perfectly, it’s need further inquiries and data. Therefore many lack inside and cynical perspectives outside. Nevertheless, Rehman and Askari give us good information about what is islamic and whether moslem are islamic ? Their journal at least answer what we have to differ of both.

Bibliography:

Rehman, Shceherazade S.  and Askari, Hossein. (2010). Global Economy Journal: How Islamic are Islamic Countries. 10(2).