Mega polis is an election pledge of the Yahapalanaya government. It will contribute to development in the Western Province and bring infrastructure, housing, transport and other facilities whilst increasing employment opportunities. What is Mega polis? Mega polis is agglomeration of cities and town forming a Mega City capable of holding a very large population. It is estimated that the Western Province population will increase to eight million by 2030. Therefore, the Mega polis is formed by stitching together Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts by interconnecting them with efficient networks of rail, road transport and other infrastructure facilities to increase efficiency, productivity and comfort to people. This will take urbanization to remote areas and change lifestyles and environmental character of the region. It’s a very large project that would reshape the entire Western Province and cause major changes in economics, politics, demography and the physical environment. Economically it can spur major developments and politically it can reshape the current morphology due to relocation of people. Pockets of minority concentrated areas can get diluted. This can have good and bad implications to the environment, economy and the society, therefore, this need to be managed cautiously. By definition, any project more than one billion dollars is a mega project and this project costs several billions over the next fifteen years. These are so huge projects that make us believe that ‘it won’t fail. Quite contrarily, if it fails, it would be a Mega Failure tormenting the country for long time to come. The Good: The Mega polis can take us out of the current stagnation of our economy and society. Development starved country affected by the three decades war and consequent stagnation is a barrier to growth. The rise in population growth over the last three decades, rise in educated population and per capita income increase has not been compensated by housing, social infrastructure, efficient transport and other facilities and employment opportunities to the bulging youth population. These are major socio economic issues challenging the post war Sri Lanka. Therefore development of mass housing projects, social and economic infrastructures, transport networks, schools, hospitals and industrial developments are priorities that Mega polis can potentially deliver. The Mega polis dream is very sweet but there is a sour side too to this. How are we to finance these projects? Does the government have money to invest? Can foreign direct investments (FDI) in the Mega polis really benefit us or will it be like the Hambanthota Harbour, the Air Port or Colombo Port City are major questions the advocates of Mega polis must explain to people. The Bad: Some cities are grown and some are planned. Colombo is 500 years old; it is a planned and grown hybrid city. Colombo centric economic policies of the successive governments, three decades conflicts and internal migration for economic and security reasons have increased population in the Western province beyond its bearing capacity. Therefore Mega polis is considered a solution possibly without exploring the alternatives of decentralized economic policies, efficient linking of other cities with Colombo and strengthening law and order to increase physical and economic security to stem the tide of internal migration. Evolution of cities take time, this supplemented with planned approach require a minimum of 25-30 years for sustainable growth. Accelerated projects like the Mahaweli and implemented within 15 years can have environmental, social and economic repercussions which no one is in a position to predict now. These repercussions can be costlier than the solution provided. This can potentially expose us to hitherto never experienced problems of: Catastrophic Environmental Problems: Climate Change and Environmental problems are modern phenomenon exacerbated by industrial growth and unsustainable development practices. Our present environmental regulations are out of date and need upgrade to respond to new issues of air, water, dust and noise pollutions etc experienced in other mega cities. It has to be equipped to address the issues of solid waste, construction waste, industrial waste management, sewage, waste water, and drainage and flood control. It has to protect marine resources, Greenfield (unpolluted lands) and low-lying areas against pollution, over abstraction and reclamation caused by new developments etc. New Environmental Management Systems must be placed and the concept of ‘Polluter Pays the Price’ be implemented to penalize environmental polluters in the process of development. Without these being addressed and environmental regulations upgraded, the Mega polis development can lead to environmental disaster. Gentrification: Meriam Webster Dictionary defines it as ‘the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents’. In the name of development the city’s poor can get displaced, disposed and marginalized further and they can be planted in the fringes of the city without proper housing. City development in our recent past as seen at Slave Island and Mattakuliya and the people living in the old parts of the city and poor in the shanties were displaced and dispossessed to make room for new developments without uplifting their condition by providing affordable housing. Instead, houses built in those places were provided to people who are alien to the area. We also witnessed this in the Colombo Beautification Project spearheaded by the previous government where social infrastructure facilities like parks, grounds and shopping and entertainment spaces were upgraded to serve the elites in the city which effectively made the city’s poor out of bound to these facilities. Valorization is ‘Increasing the value of capital assets through the application of value-forming labour in production.’ This increases artificially the value of real estate making it beyond the reach of the average city dweller. This leads to commodification of urban space influencing the original city dweller to emigrate to allow space for new class of people to occupy the city. Valorization cause ‘housing stress’ where there will be houses in the market but beyond the purchasing power of the average person. Sustainability: The ‘business as usual way’ of development is unsustainable. It exacerbates the impact of climate change and global warming, harms the environment, economy and the society. It is imperative to reduce carbon footprint, manage ecological resources efficiently, use renewable energy and design and build efficient and smart buildings and infrastructure that use less resources and does more work. Achieving sustainability goals require lifestyle change towards Circular Economy, reducing waste and getting away from consumerist culture. These require sustainability education to influence behaviour change to make individuals, families and the society to live within limits of the ecological carrying capacity. Maga polis if implemented in the ‘business as usual way’ can do more harm than good. The Ugly : Neoliberal economy, which is an extreme form of Capitalism, is the driving force behind the Mega polis. In this system, predatory capitalist investors’ focus only on profit and the whole Mega polis would potentially become their real estate depriving the average citizens to the margins of society. This means, the society would become more class based with a wide rich-poor gap. The sustainability of the city would diminish if the poor who are currently enmeshed within the city fabric and are serving it with ease being an integral part of the city structure. New developments and relocation of the poor to the fringes of the city would render uneconomical to them to reach the point of service in the city. This can potentially increase unemployment. This can in the long run make the Mega polis unserviceable. Also the attendant neo-liberalism may contribute to quasi slavery, increased poverty, violence, drugs, human trafficking etc as happening in other parts of the world. The leaders of this country have a moral obligation to the citizens to find solutions to our problems with foresight and to see that today’s solutions do not become tomorrow’s problems. The citizens too have responsibilities to understand the implications of changes that are taking place in the country and to see that the solutions offered are appropriate to our conditions and are not blindly imitated.
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Presidential Election 2015 has become a bone of contention fought between President Mahinda Rajapakshe and Maithripala Sirisena, one for the continuation of the status quo and the other for ‘Change’. The incumbent, well entrenched in the trappings of power and perks to him and his family and their appendages do not want changes to the status quo but markets ‘Change’ as what he has achieved for the country by ending the war. On the other side, the opposition considers his claim for change as ‘Cosmetic’ which has not changed to the lives of the people in terms of democracy, rule of law, good governance, sustainable cost of living, peace and social harmony. Pursuant to these, the opposition prioritizes as important on those that Mahinda has failed to deliver including the abolition of the Executive Presidency and ending corruption and mis-governance.
‘Change’ is a much sought after word in the modern vocabulary It is an electioneering catch word. Change means different things to different people at different times. But without change the world becomes a stagnant place. Change is needed to maintain dynamics in life socially, politically, economically and environmentally etc to uplift the status of life of people. Therefore ‘change’ being a polynomial word with variety of meanings, contextually it is required to define what ought to change, their priorities and imperatives.
No doubt, the incumbent President brought about some changes to the lives of the people by ending the war and did certain development works that benefitted the people whilst some of them lined the pockets of his cronies. At the same time, lopsided developments, misplaced priorities and corruption brought about negative impacts on the lives of the people to call for a change to the status quo.
Taking cues from the pulse of the people, the opposition is calling for a change to bring good governance, democracy and stop corruption and other ‘unique selling propositions’ USPs as their marketing tools.
This puzzles the citizens and they are in a quandary as to know who their deliverer is this time going to be. Blue or green, the incumbent or the opposition are they old wines in new bottles or are they fed up of the political culture of the post independent Sri Lanka and therefore seeking a genuine change? Who knows corruption may be threatening the most corrupt as well at times. These are puzzling questions that need answers. Also there is question about the tenability of genuine change from the opposition when politicians at all levels jump between the government and the opposition like frogs in the rainy season. The people are bemused. They are thinking whether this an indication of Mahinda’s ship sinking or is this a forecast to a potential Maithree presidency overburdened by frogs from Mahinda’s ship? Only Allah swt knows the future whether the people will be sinking or swimming. However, whoever comes, the ruling camp is assured the luxury of life at the people’s cost, where Sri Lankan political culture is concerned. There seems to be no signs of change to this.
The people need change the change that protects life and properties, guarantees dignity, liberty and humanity and take them to destinations that bring satisfaction, safety, security, fulfillment and opportunities for actualization of their creativity and dreams as civilized beings.
Change is imperative and it needs to be brought about at any cost to save the country from the current state. Sri Lanka has come to an impasse socially, politically, economically and environmentally. The imperative change requires a holistic approach not only in its outlook but also in the way it is brought about. It requires balanced approaches that give weight to all sectors of the society and economy to prevent the country from further sinking. This being the desired direction for change, the type of change advocated by the incumbent and the opposition candidates is centered around more on urgent political and economic changes. Though these are pressing needs considering the socio-economic and political repercussions that may ensue should the status quo continues, there is much vaunting changes in respect to short and long-term needs such as addressing Climate Change, Pollution, Economic Inequity, population and geriatrics etc. It seems the manifestos of both candidates lack concentration in these sensitive areas that threatens the country and its citizens’ future.
Most countries give utmost priority to Climate Change since it has the potential to cause devastation in the life of the people and the nation in terms of changing scenarios that affects the very survival of people and the planet. Climate Change pose immediate and slow-onset threats, it can disrupt water supplies, transport networks, ecosystems, energy provisions and industrial production; damage physical infrastructure; disrupt basic services, collapse of local economies; exacerbation of urban inequalities and dispersal of urban populations etc. Stalemating to respond to this threat would bring catastrophic end to society than the war that we witnessed. Hence this needs to be prioritized.
Pollution cause not only environmental problems but also has social, political and economic ramifications. Garbage dump problem in Meethotamulla, Ground water pollution by industries at Rathupaswala in Kaduwela and Chronic Kidney Disease (Un)identified (CKDu) caused by ground water contamination by fertilizer and insecticides in the North Central and Southern provinces. All these have major social, political, economic and environmental implications that will challenge any future government and would be potential causes for conflicts in society having far reaching impacts.
Economic inequity causing the middle-class to shrink, poor class to increase whilst rich become super rich disturbs the socio-economic equilibrium in society. The failure of the governments to address these can potentially disrupt the economy and society and can potentially unleash a covert class war shrouded in the name of race and religion in society. Already we have witnessed the emergence of these conflicts becoming the turf wars of the rich and powerful who controls politics thus endangering the society.
Decreasing productivity rate of population and increasing geriatrics is an emerging threat in Sri Lanka which every level of political leadership seems to ignore. Decreasing productivity rate of population not only exacerbate the increase of geriatric population but also increases the dependency ratio in society. Conservatively, Sri Lanka is approaching 65/35 dependency ratio, meaning 65% of the population becoming dependent on 35% of the population for income, life support and care. This is a burden upon the 35%. This require urgent address of the needs of the geriatric in terms of infrastructure facilities to suit them, geriatric medical care and socio economic support to relieve the 35% to harness the social and economic potentials of their life. These also require increase in the productivity rate of population as abatement to offset the dependency ratio.
The aforesaid factors of Climate Change, Pollution, Economic Inequity and Population & Geriatrics are some of the major issues that need mention in the manifestos of the candidates to seek desirable change that benefits all. Failure to address these and similar deep seated anomalies in the society, economy and the environment are ever emerging challenges the average voter is not knowledgeable of until they submerge and feel the gravity of the problem. Lack of response to these from the political leadership would push people to seek reactive solutions that would ultimately damage the vital interests of the country.
Therefore, misplaced priorities may not bring the desired changes the people want instead it can create a ‘Business as usual’ case where the presidential candidates may sell anything to the gullible voters ‘as Change’ to take best advantage of their ignorance to lead them to the Presidential seat. However, different ground realities and dormant problems will potentially render any future presidential seat “not a bed of roses” but a hot seat only the fools would dare to sit.
Ramadhan, the month of Zakaath
Sincere believers eagerly await the coming of the blessed month of Ramadan and prepare to receive it with humility and veneration. Similarly, when it wanes and departs, they send off with sob and cry with doubts of whether one would be alive for the next coming of Ramadan. Ramadan is a believers’ month which testifies one’s extreme private relation with his Creator. During this period believers go into a service mode like servicing an automobile where s/he starts recalibrating the system of life to be in total compliance with the dictum of the Creator. In their recalibration, they take count of the past misdeeds and heedless ways of life and readjust to the ways acceptable to Allah SWT. Similarly, they undergo a period of spiritual training that imparts them training in abstinence of what is permitted in normal times and avoid doubtful consumptions and behaviour to cleanse themselves of spiritual, physical and behavioural impurities. These are the traditional thoughts about Ramadan.
Ramadan is the third pillar of Islam next ‘Shahadah’ and ‘Salah’. Therefore it should be understood in the light of Shahadah and Salah. Considering it as an individual aspect in isolation with the other pillars of Islam renders it meaningless. Ramadan is an extension of Shahadah and Salah, where Shahadah stands for attestation to the creed that Allah is the ‘Rab’ and Muhammad is His Messenger upon which belief system a way of life is created ‘this is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah’(Qur’an 2:1).
Declaration of Shahadah makes an individual to direct communion with Allah, the Lord of the Worlds as his obedient slave whilst saving him from all kinds of slavery to man and matters. Therefore a believer who takes Allah as his Lord will not be enslaved by carnal, material and temporal powers in the world and he shall fight against all powers that challenge his freedom to obey his Creator. Hence he attests his total servitude to his Creator in his daily prayers ‘Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds ‘ (Quran 6:162)
Attestation of Shahadah makes mankind into two groups. One group enslaving themselves willingly to the Creator thereby standing for Him and seeking succour and sustenance from Him alone and the other group enslaving themselves to the world of carnal desires, materials and temporal powers. As a result both groups find their own ways of life, one with obedience to one and single God and the other obedient to what overwhelms them.
A believer when he testifies that Allah is One and wishes to accord his life in accordance with the dictates of his Creator, the rest of mankind that does not believe in it spurns him. History testifies that believers were spurned and ostracised in their families and societies for the single reason of attesting that Allah is the Lord. Their spouse and children left them, parents disowned them and society ostracised them and as a result they had lost all their belongings. They had no leaders to guide them, no brotherhood to give company and no one accept them as equals, a sort of vagabond. To them their Creator promises ‘O ye who believe! if ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly. (Qur’an 47:7) This is the consequence of Shahadah and its attendant assurance from Allah SWT.
For those who attested Shahadah he makes compulsory the Salah. To a believer who has no leader to guide, no fraternity to belong to and finds no compassion and equity, Allah rewards him with Salah. Salah the second pillar should not be taken only in the spiritual sense of ritually showing obedience to the Creator. It is training to the believers in the art of building peace in the world. That is why the Qur’an interchangeably says ‘Establish Salah and Establish Deen’. To the believer who has no leader, it gives a leader, a fraternity to belong to, a brotherhood that treats with equity and compassion. This is why that Salah is an important pillar in Islam and have 72 merits for praying in congregation. Salah epitomises a society based on brotherhood of the believers, leadership of the Imam, equality among the brethren and obedience to the leadership. Successful training in Salah is the art of obeying Allah and building an Islamic society, if practiced outside the four walls of the Masjid would establish Deen in its perfect form. Today neither Salah nor the Masjid performs its right role. Salah is ritualistic and its training is not evident in the lives of the Muslims. Muslims are a bunch of individuals calling themselves a community. They dominate one another and vie for power and position displaying sheer lack of responsibility and behave not in keeping with the demands of the Qur’an.
Allah SWT rewarded the believers with Salah as a source to strengthen them, so that they would learn to live as a community of believers and not as ostracised vagabonds. Salah unites them, cement differences, eliminates inequity, and builds mutual love and affection based on a belief and ideology and not on kinship and race. Yet the believers are weak and vulnerable to the powers of ‘Thaagooth’, therefore in order to further strengthen them he ordains fasting ‘O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint. (Qur’an 2:183) and the Prophet called it a shield against Hellfire. Fasting strengthens Salah. It strengthens Salah by building resolve in the believers to fight their spiritual weaknesses. Spiritual weakness that destroys the lives of the individuals and society like social, moral, ethical and other weakness that degrade mankind to sub human levels. By strictly observing fast, learning its lessons and perennially practicing its values, believers strengthen the community built by Salah but yet vulnerable to the powers of ‘Thaagooth’. Because ‘Thaagooth’ would not cease troubling the believers until they renounce Shahadah.
Therefore Allah SWT, as promised to strengthen the believers for attesting Shahadah, strengthened them by Salah by making them a well bonded community and strengthened them further by ordaining Fasting to make them spiritually upright and strong but their inherent weaknesses in the world of materials makes them still vulnerable. Therefore he ordains Zakath as the fourth pillar to strengthen them by imposing material equity and to prevent man enslaving man as is happening in the contemporary Muslim society. Zakath is not a poverty elimination tool; it is a tool to stabilize society and equalize by protecting the dignity of a believer from being dominated by another. It is a tool to liberate man from domination by man. The Prophet Sal said that the dignity of a believer is more paramount than the sanctity of the Ka’ba.
Zakath is mandatory on those who are eligible to pay and it should be paid based on one’s annual value of wealth according to strict accounting practice. Abu Bakr Rali, the 1st Kaliph of Islam, declared those who refused to pay Zakath as apostate inspite of them devoutly staunch in their Salah. Ramadan is the financial month in the Islamic calendar and the year on year Zakath is computed in this month. Those who are deferring to pay their Zakath in the right amount and right way and finding pretexts to justify their behaviour should question their Shahadah before it is too late otherwise they will find them in the wrong side of the belief system. May Allah Swt protect us.
Masjid is the most important institution in Islam. It played a central and pivotal role in shaping Muslim society and giving leadership in the past. During the prophetic period, the period of the Khulafa e Rashideen and the hay days of Islam, Masjid was the centre of society for the administration of both spiritual and mundane affairs. During this period the effectiveness of its role was such that the people and the Masjid were inseparable and hence one who keeps away from the Masjid was considered an apostate. Masjid in Islam is an institution but as time passed by it became a purpose built structure used principally for the purpose of Salah alone.
The role of the Masjid differs between then and now in the same ways as the understanding of the purpose of Salah then and now. Salah during the time of the prophet and his companions was considered an extension of the 1st principles of Islam the Shahadah and the Masjid played the role of a centre that educate and train the faithful in the art of obeying Allah SWT. Salah is a ritual practice that imparts training in the art of obedience to Allah SWT. In the process it nurtures the habits of punctuality, staunchness, leadership, obedience to leadership, equality and brotherhood. This regimented training is imparted five times a day daily in order to practice these training outside the precincts of the Masjid. So that such practice would create a vibrant society that epitomises Deen and the establishment of Islam in society. Therefore history testifies that the seeds planted at the Masjid bore fruit in society by way of producing strong, timely and relevant leadership, obedience to leadership, equality and brotherhood among the faithful in society.
As opposed to this, the role of Salah, the way it is practiced and the role of the Masjid in the contemporary society is vigour less and the Muslim society is islamically dead. Today, Masjid is not the centre for the society both for spiritual and mundane needs. The Salah that is practiced is purely ritualistic. It does not nurture the values of punctuality, staunchness, leadership, obedience, equality and brotherhood. If our Salah is vibrant as it was in the past most certainly our society will be vibrant. As opposed to this we see the Muslim society without the fundamental qualities that Salah nurtures resulting in an islamically dead society. This is further evidenced by the irrelevance, anachronism, lack of leadership and obedience, equality and brotherhood. It is a divided sloppy and directionless society.
Weeping over this spiritual and moral decay won’t regain the Muslim community’s past glory as a vibrant and active society. Nor staunchly becoming devoted in the rituals of Salah without meaningful understanding of its intent, purpose and relevance would change the situation. This calls for a total overhaul of the whole institution of the Masjid both in the way Salah is understood and practiced and in the way Masjid is administered and the vibrant and dynamic role of the Imam in steering and directing the society.
The role of the Masjid in society entails three major components: A nuanced understanding of Salah, The role of the Imam in the Community and the role of the administrators of the Masjid.
A nuanced understanding of Salah
As mentioned before, Salah is the second principle of Islam next to Shahadah. Salah is both a ritualistic show of devotion to Allah SWT and training in the art of building community seeking total servitude to Allah SWT. Salah qualifies the undertaking given is Shahadah that a believer shall not obey any entity other than Allah SWT, both in spiritual and mundane affairs and therefore shall endeavour to create a spiritual and mundane system of life wholly in consonance with the dictates of Allah SWT. In other words build a community based on the Islamic worldview. Effective establishment of Salah would establish Deen which entails a society staunchly devoted to Allah SWT and lead mankind to lead a life of obedience to Allah SWT, Obey those who are entrusted with authority, Be just and equal among the believers with strong sense of brotherhood as believers in the Single God.
The role of the Imam in the Community
The role of Imam in the Masjid is as important as the Masjid itself. Without his dynamic role the Masjid and the community is islamically dead. Imam is not a priest as in other religions. He is a leader equipped to lead the community both in spiritual and mundane affairs. Ulemas are the inheritors of the prophets. Therefore an Imam has more authority and responsibility to lead the community and guide them in their daily affairs whether they are spiritual, social, political, economic, civil and other aspects of the community. The parishioners whom the Imam serve revolves around him for direction, guidance and leadership. Therefore the Imams have to be sufficiently qualified and trained not only in the Islamic sciences but also in secular sciences, development, management, administration and other skills. Our first Imam was Prophet(Sal), subsequently the Sahabas, especially trained by the prophet like Musab Ibn Umair(Rali) and Muaz Ibn Jabal(Rali) and etc. Following this, the chain of Imams that succeeded were highly skilled scholar like Imams Shaafei, Abu Haneefa, Malik and many others who’s Masjids turned into centres of learning, adjudication, administration and guidance that brought civilization to the world.
Deplorably, most of the contemporary Imams are with truncated knowledge, they are lacking in several aspects of Islamic training and knowledge and ill equipped with social and people skills to lead and direct society. They lack social, political and developmental awareness of the community. This is a major defect and a causal factor for the decay in society. Imams are extremely important and responsible people under whom the community depends for guidance and leadership. A qualified, dynamic and visionary Imam is as important to a community as a school principle is. The Imam should be the leader of the community in a parish and he should be equipped and facilitated by the Masjid administrators to play his role effectively and appropriately and not the other way around. An Imam is indispensable for the effective leadership of the community through the Masjid.
The role of the Administrators of Masjids
This is a simple role of administrating the day to day affairs of the Masjid, its premises, resources and maintenance. The qualification required for this role in only thaqwa, honesty and devotion like required for maintaining any other institution/organisation. The principle role of the Masjid Administrators are to keep the Masjid running efficiently and sufficiently facilitate the Imam to play the dynamic role of Guide, Leader and Counsel in the affairs of the community in both spiritual and mundane life. Deplorably the Imam is employed as an obedient servant of the Masjid Administrators and instead of facilitating him as an Imam worthy of leadership of the community inclusive of the Masjid administrators, he is controlled by them.
Pertinently, to enhance effective role of the Masjid in reshaping society, the Imams in contemporary society should be recruited from the highest qualified of people with speciality in Islamic and secular science at the levels of Masters Degree and PhD qualifications. He should be paid the highest salary with fringe benefits to enable him to function as a senior most civil/religious officer in directing the community. Only such a step of putting right people at the right place in the Masjid would resurrect the community as a Khaira Ummah.
Zakaath the fourth principle of Islam is primarily an institution invoking the collective strength of the community to ameliorate the economic inequity/disparity that emerges marginally by default in society. By definition Muslim society is not iniquitous. Muslims believe that wealth belongs to Allah SWT and that man is only a trustee managing it. Therefore a society that manages and defray wealth due to trusteeship for Allah SWT cannot be iniquitous. Economic inequity in Muslim society could come only by default marginally due to the very nature of the society per se. This is due to the natural uneven distribution of wealth. Therefore to respond to this natural and inherent anomaly and to equalize, Zakaath has been ordained so that we cultivate ‘thaqwa’ which results in believers protecting the dignity of the believer.
Zakath and Sadaqa connotes diverse meanings due to demands of time, during the Makkan period there was no Zakaath but Sadaqa connoted defraying all of one’s wealth for the sake of Allah SWT. As you know that this period was a period of struggle by the Makkan Muslims then, therefore believers did defray their wealth at the service of the nascent Muslim community in Makka. This was the time the Makkan believers spent their wealth without measure to manumit slaves, to build wells and to facilitate the nascent Muslim community and the mission of the prophet. This is a clear indication to note that a nascent Muslim community and particularly a community without any temporal power should not restrict their contribution to strengthen themselves as a community. During this period Sadaqa was mandatory but propelled by the degree of conviction of one’s faith. Therefore those who were stronger in faith contributed more.
Similarly, during the Madinan period Zakaath was ordained and Sadaqa became a voluntary practice at the discretion of the contributor whilst Zakaath became a mandatory tax upon those eligible to pay. Madinan society is a well established society with the temporal power with the Muslims. Therefore Muslims being administering the temporal power in Madina, the basic need of the society was met by state administration and the emerging marginal economic inequity by default in society was met by institutionalised collection of Zakaath.
The relevance of time in respect to Makka and Madina periods are important factors here when considering how Sadaqa and Zakaath articulated in society and answered the needs appropriately. This raises the question about our times of whether we are living in a state analogous to Makka or Madina or a combination of both requiring judicious response. Unfortunately, the relevance of time is not considered in our attitude to life and as a result we live anachronistically. Also relevantly, in a society sans temporal power, the Makkan society contributed Sadaqa more than that of Zakaath similarly the Madinan society wholesomely paid Zakaath and further complemented with voluntary Sadaqa.
Considering the foregoing, a society sans temporal power is where ‘Thaqwa’ takes pre-eminence over mandatory imposition. Contemporary Muslim community is yet to prove this aspect of ‘Thaqwa’. Alternatively, in a citizenship based democracy like Sri Lanka, establishing Zakaath collection with collective mutual agreement amongst the believers and building consensus to collect and disburse Zakaath is possible, when considering the efforts and high level advocacy given by the Ulemas and the Interest Free Banking and Insurance businesses to create niche market for Interest Free financial products in Sri Lanka. A similar effort with the same vigour by the Ulemas and the community can create the instruments necessary to institutionalize Zakaath collection.
Zakaath was never a voluntary contribution and its collection and distribution was institutional. Today not in keeping with the tenets of Islam, Zakaath has become synonymous with Sadaqa and often paid as voluntary contributions in non institutionalised forms. This has no relevance to its origin and not fruitful in its results. This is deemed as nonexistent and not beneficial due to its impropriety in the implementation.
Muslim community today, particularly as a minority community, the vibrant role of institutionalized Zakaath is very imperative. A centrally planned and regionally administrated system of Zakaath collection and disbursement would eliminate socio economic anomalies that inhibit human development in Muslim society and dignify them.
No doubt, that there is general consensus in the community about institutionalised Zakaath collection, deplorably the interest shown by the influential segments of the community, the Ulemas and Muslim corporate organisations to develop Interest Free Banking and Insurance is not given in equal vigour and strength to build and institutionalise Zakaath Collection. This is the need of the hour, a divine duty of those capable and responsible. Failing to put our synergy to this will be answerable to Allah SWT and advocacy of Interest Free Banking and Insurance cannot be equated to Zakaath to escape responsibility. Those who are in positions of responsibility are responsible to the suffering people and they are liable to be punished by Allah SWT until the rights of the suffering are restored as alleged by Abu Bakr (Rali) in his maiden speech as the 1st Calipha.
Marginal socio economic inequity in perfect Islamic society is a default which Zakaath responds to the anomaly appropriately. But in a society built on the foundation of materialism and hedonism and man on the prowl to hunt for the golden egg at the cost of his brother, socio economic inequity is dominant. This society run by gangsters and banksters and socio-political and community leaders discreetly aligned with them make society rampant with inequity in all its forms and manifestations. This social malaise leads nations to failed state conditions. In such societies more than the central government answering to the needs of the society, it is the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that intervene. This has resulted in furthering shirking of responsibility by the state and creating a culture of dependency upon the NGOs. This is a dangerous trend, on the one hand this emasculates the central government and on the other the culture of dependency leads to enslavement of society by groups and factions.
Sinking governance, war and natural disasters have made Muslim society more dependent on NGOs and the Muslim NGOs are doing a yeomen service to the community and others. Though these are commendable, in respect to the question of appeal for Zakaath by the NGOs is contestable. NGO operations are voluntary and that can be operated by Sadaqa and other benevolent funds, where as Zakaath is concerned it is religiously ordained instruments that need to be collected and disbursed institutionally. Therefore Zakaath should be left alone by voluntary organisations to encourage development of institutionalised systems. Otherwise NGOs becoming dependent on segmental/group/coterie Zakath collection to run their programmes would effectively undermine consensus building to formulate institutionalised Zakaath collection. Presumably, the foregoing and conflict of interest seems to be the reason behind a long drag to institutionalize Zakaath collection. Hence the warning of Allah SWT : “Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline; or the dwellings in which ye delight― are dearer to you than Allah or His Messenger or the striving in His cause; then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious”. (Qur’an 9:24)
Today, in an integrated and inter-dependent world, Sri Lanka does not have the leverage to reverse climate change but mitigate and adapt. Climate change is caused mostly by human actions which began with the industrialised West and followed suit by emerging economies exacerbating this. Some consider climate change to be a negative result of human efforts for development whilst others consider it as irresponsible efforts for profit making at the cost of the planet. Wherever the argument lies, Climate Change is real and an effective response is very urgent.
Human development is a necessity irrespective of one’s bearing towards the West or East. The economic & development planners and the political leadership should seriously consider the sustainability of the society, region, country and then the world to achieve development that satisfies human needs without tipping the ecological balance that supports us. Overriding market capitalism that drives on the seats of global power today is an obstacle to sustainable development. This is evident in the failure of missions of the climate conferences hitherto held. This is because large corporations in their profit centric drive for hyper consumerism generate insatiable needs and greed that are beyond the limits nature could provide. This tips the ecological balance to the detriment of mankind whilst giving profits to corporations that are masquerading as Angels of sustainability.
Sri Lanka is economically linked and inter-dependent with the world economy but physically it is an island nation. As an island nation, it has opportunities to be independent as regards its sustainability policies to protect its ecosystem. In an inter-dependent world, flow of goods by way of imports and exports do lead to over extraction and exploitation of nature and at the same time a country becomes a dumping ground for imported waste which is harmful to the ecology. Sadly, the economists and development planners’ yardstick of measurement is the GDP. If the GDP is high and derives a high per-capita income, their bottom-lines are met. Unfortunately the environmental and social cost incurred to achieve such GDP is not reflected anywhere. This leads to a situation of one step up and two steps down in respect to the sustainability of a nation. This is the reason why in spite of all the attractive and indoctrinating rhetoric by planners and politicians, the ground reality has not changed. More often than not, modern market economic concepts are more destructive than otherwise. Professor Stuart Sim of Northumbria University in his book The End of Modernity: What the Financial and Environmental Crisis is Re-ally Telling Us says: “modernity has reached its limit as a cultural form, all because it is ―destructive of both the planet and…socio-economic systems”. This is an incisive edict by a Western scholar on the imperative of an alternative economic philosophy to answer the current situation.
Climate Change
Climate Change is a consequence of human actions. This anthropogenic influence really began with the dawn of modern age and the industrial revolution. This influenced human behaviour in their life styles, consumption patterns and migration. As a cyclic effect this influenced a host of other things like urbanization, industrialization, wars, colonization and the resultant destruction of societies: all in the name of development and civilization in an unsustainable way. The last three centuries of unsustainable development globally snowballed to what is to become now ‘the climate change’ threatening mankind and the planet.
Climate change if not successfully addressed can create havoc in society. It can have cyclic effects influencing our micro climate; impede our agriculture by flood, depletion, temperature change and scarcity of water. Socially, it can influence internal migration to resource rich and safe areas creating new socio-economic and political issues. This can also possibly deplete the forest cover by human settlements that exacerbate conflict with animal habitat and flooding and scores of new problems hitherto un-confronted. This can also create the problems of food insecurity, water scarcity, extinction of businesses & industries and consequent unemployment, the issues of energy, power etc.
In reality, this can potentially change our lifestyles to keep up with the changing scenario brought about by climate change. Therefore, we cannot face this problem in the ‘business as usual’ way, instead we have to frame policies, educate people, lead societies and set examples of sustainable living to make this a positive change.
The pitfalls that climate change could bring to Sri Lanka are many and need serious and urgent deliberations. However, dwelling on them all is beyond the scope of this article and hence this attempts to dwell on the problems of food security and virtual water that is newly emergent.
Food Security
The issue of food security in the world is not a new phenomenon. It varies from country to country due to climatic and geographic factors. In an inter-dependent and peaceful world, exchange of goods between countries sustains the whole of mankind in terms of satisfying the needs for food. However, today due to population increases, affluence and climate change, sustainable sources of food is becoming a major issue that threatens the security of nations in a geopolitically unstable world. Compounding this, more attention to production and consumption of consumer goods and other ephemerals have rendered agriculture and food production secondary. Also industrialization, urbanization and consequent profit motivations have driven food production to the third or fourth place in some economies. Most developing economies prioritize investment in non food producing industries seeking economic growth without realising the fact that dependency for food threatens their national security.
Hierarchically, water and food are fundamental for human survival and all other goods come later. Therefore it is prudent to give priority to water conservation and food security over and above other needs. All other secondary goods are obtainable in a competitive market but food and water are vital assets to be secure within the domain of a nation state. Dependency for food and water on external sources are not sustainable to a nation even if they are industrial giants. At times of crisis, food and water as commodities can be withheld to make a country subservient. Therefore sustainability of water and food becomes almost important as having a standing army protecting the boundaries of a nation. The command of these resources cannot be delegated to outside sources.
Responding to this emerging crisis of food insecurity, resource rich countries which are having resources other than food are buying large tracts of agricultural lands in the form of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in other countries. They are maintaining these as their national assets as contingencies vis a vis food insecurity. The host nations that focus on increasing their GDPs are rarely aware of this emerging new trend that casts potential food insecurity to the host nation in the long run.
Host nations catering to the food security of other nations by permitting FDI in the food and agricultural sector would possibly face severe political problems within the country when food is exported whilst the citizens are starving. This would define very clearly the rich and the poor gap in a society and would set one against the other in their quest for survival. Therefore it is imperative for a country like Sri Lanka to have policies that ensure food security to its citizens first and then concentrate upon economic growth that uplift other sectors.
Discussions on food security cannot be discussed in isolation of the water management of a nation, since water is the source of life that underpins food production. Sri Lanka is blessed with abundant water though there are regional disparities. It was this source of life that once made Sri Lanka the ‘Granary of the East’. Today, we are dependent on imports for some of our food items creating a potentially unwarranted security breach impinging on our national integrity.
This is common in most of the developing economies, in their rat race to achieve high GDP they forge ahead focusing more in the development of technological, industrial and service base of the economy at the expense of the development of the agricultural sector. In line with this, our economists and development planners too were keen on merely achieving higher GDP and per-capita income derivatives and focussed on economic growth. Surprisingly, to an average citizen, economic growth makes no sense unless it reflects food security or self sufficiency in food. How many citizens’ basic needs are satisfied in this country by the so-called increase in the per-capita income? In the contemporary Sri Lankan economy, the middle class sector is narrowing whilst creating a wide gap between the rich and the poor. This is unsustainable and is a clear proof of a majority living below the so-called stated ‘per-capita income’.
Economic growth increases only the profit of the investor with extremely marginal upsurge in the income level of a worker or a citizen. Apart from this, the per-capita income varies from province to province within the country and it serves only a small percentage whilst a large population is below the per-capita income level and some are below the poverty line.
Therefore considering the current economic status, it portends that, if climate change and consequent food insecurity is not addressed prudently now by adjusting our economic policies to strengthen the food security of the nation, the results would be catastrophic.
For Sri Lanka, the potential food insecurity currently experienced is reversible to ensure food security and to attain self sufficiency. The expertise and the resources as an agricultural nation that we have is still dormant and once the right atmosphere and incentives are provided, would spur an agricultural revolution in a very short time. Directing us towards being a successful agricultural nation is possible but it is dependent upon how we manage the following emergent issues:
Water Management
Sri Lanka is abundant with water. It receives rain from the sky and is surrounded by sea. We have an annual average rainfall of 2,000 millimetres covering a total area of 65,610 Sq.Km representing a total volume of 131,220 million m³. This gives an annual rain water per-capita of 6,165m³/person.
Generally, rainwater is stored as blue and green water. Blue water is what is stored in the rivers, lakes and ponds and green water is the water that saturates the soil. In managing this vast reserve of water that we get annually, we are very much behind in making optimal use of this. Considering the usage cost of this water, green water generally has zero cost since it is saturated in the soil and can be harnessed for agriculture directly whereas blue waters require irrigation and therefore incur distribution and management costs.
In addition to the above, according to studies by the UNEP, Sri Lanka has a ground water potential of 78,000M³ per annum.
Therefore, considering the availability of water resource in plenty and ready for direct use, the policy makers must frame policies encouraging the citizens to make maximum use of the green water and ground water available to produce food by engaging in home gardening and informal agriculture. This would make the cost of food cheaper; reduce food miles and its carbon-foot print to sustain the economy of the people whilst enhancing food security of the nation. Remarkably, the traditional Sri Lankan ‘Chena’ cultivation is a success story, as this makes best use of the green water and does not rely on inorganic fertilizer producing healthy and nutritious food.
Similarly, the blue water that is used for agriculture through irrigation requires strict water management due to the following factors:
• Irrigation systems require proper conveyance and distribution system that does not waste water.
• The system should solve the instances of excess water use in the upstream which preclude sufficient water reaching downstream.
• Encourage responsible and frugal use of water by famers and cultivators.
Noting the above, it should be emphasised here that successful water management especially of the blue water would help double-cropping in the paddy lands and would potentially make us self sufficient in rice.
Apart from rainwater being used in agriculture, successful harnessing of waste and grey water with proper recycling can be a potential renewable resource to augment water supply for agricultural and other uses
Soil Contamination
Soil contamination in Sri Lanka is becoming a major threat to the food chain. Intensive use of inorganic fertilizer is denuding the soil of its nutritive elements and thereby rendering them barren. Therefore to overcome this negative soil development, it is becoming ever dependent on inorganic fertilizer to invigorate its capacity to produce. Apart from this, contaminants such as the residues of inorganic fertilizer leach into the ground water thereby contaminating the drinking water sources.
In developed nations, soil decontamination is widely used as a mandatory process of environmental protection and unfortunately in Sri Lanka this is nonexistent. Instead, soil remediation is done only to improve its productivity.
With the advent of Climate Change, its influence on hydrology can potentially exacerbate the problems of soil contamination caused by excessive inorganic fertilizer use. These can also potentially impact the future of agricultural productivity in Sri Lanka and therefore strict governance and regulation is required on inorganic fertilizer use.
Dependence on Inorganic fertilizer
Sri Lanka was once a successful food producing nation. Sri Lankan farmers were once evidently successful in producing food using their centuries old traditional expertise in agriculture using organic fertilizer. Their methods had high productivity, high nutrition and were environmentally sustainable. With the introduction of modern methods and in particular the reliance on inorganic fertilizer has diminished the traditional knowledge of the farmer on one hand and on the other, has made the farmer ever dependent on the imported inorganic fertilizer.
Compounding this, next to imported food, Sri Lanka relies on imported inorganic fertilizer to sustain its agriculture. If the current trend continues, our farmers may become reliant on imported patented seeds, thus putting the last nail on the coffin by surviving on external sources of sustenance for food.
Facing the future in particular in a divided and geopolitically threatening world compounded by the on setting Climate Change, Sri Lankan policy planners must be cognizant of the impending threats not just from terrorism but from the ever expanding Corporate Business Organisations that are aiming at owning the sources of human life like food and water in the name of development and management. The collapse of Ireland and Greece are lessons in modern economies and how such collapse is substituted by corporate leaders who are unelected rulers in the name of stabilizing the economy. This evidences how Corporate Business Organisations takeover national economies.
FDI in Agricultural & Water Sector
FDI in these sectors should be taken cautiously as this has potential threats to the nation considering the evolving scenarios of domination by global giants in business. As mentioned before, investment in and the ownership of food production and water by foreign companies in a country with untrammelled freedom, can potentially withhold food supply to the producing nation when faced with food shortages but export to profitable markets overseas. This should instead be on the other way round by supplying first to the producing country and only exporting the surplus. National agricultural and water policies should prioritise on national sustainability as opposed to opening up the vital resources to foreign extraction that threatens sustainability. Mismanagement of this would create serious political repercussions in society, as these can worsen food and water poverty already experienced in some regions of the country.
Virtual Water
Virtual water is said to be the amount of water required to produce a unit of crop. Virtual water is measured in cubic metres per kilogram M³/Kg. Sri Lanka compared to most other countries in the SAARC Region is water rich and its population density derives a per-capita water availability of 6,165m³/person per annum. Apart from this, forecast of per-capita water availability by the year 2025 on a District basis gives a bleak picture needing prompt action by all concerned.
Estimates of Per-Capita Water Availability : Sri Lanka – Districts (Cubic Metres/Person)
Colombo 449 Galle 2,817 Batticoloa 1,907 Mannar 1,323
Gampaha 871 Matara 1,806 Trincomalee 2,508 Vavuniya 1,676
Kalutara 3,438 Hambantota 1,604 Polonnaruwa 6,888 Mullaitivu 3,416
Kandy 717 Badulla 2,227 Anuradhapura 1,684 Kilinochchi 1,525
NuwaraEliya 2,146 Monaragala 4,877 Kurunegala 914 Jaffna 284
Matale 2,275 Ampara 3,209 Puttalam 579 Sri Lanka 1,928
Source:Amarasinghe, Mutuwatte & Shakthivadivel, 2000
The above table shows that water is a dwindling resource in Sri Lanka and some districts would experience acute water shortage. It should be noted that the impacts of climate change is possibly not accounted for in the above table and therefore needs corroboration with latest forecasts.
Colombo and Gampaha districts are highly urbanised with high population densities where major services and industrial bases of the country is located, the forecast of 449 and 971 cubic metres/ person respectively is threatening. This is due to the ever increasing use of water for industrial and other purposes which can potentially aggravate this situation affecting the environment and the population living in these districts. Location of industries with intensive water use or of high extraction can potentially make these districts environmentally vulnerable to the extent of damaging the region’s water supply. Similarly, Jaffna, Puttalam and Kandy would experience acute shortages requiring effective water management. Since major industries are not located in these districts it is less concerning, however population growth and regional developments would impose a strain on this and therefore would require strict environmental regulations to mitigate this.
Considering these evolving scenarios, future-proofing sustainable food production and water management would require well defined policies and regulations that direct not only sustainable use but also caters to the national demands.
Having understood the potential scarcity of water predicted in the ensuing years, national policy planners should take note of these new issues that virtual water can impose on the already unsustainable water availability.
In an inter-dependent free market led world, virtual water plays a bridging role between the ’water surplus’ and ‘water deficit’ countries. For example in ‘water deficit’ countries, investing in agriculture is exponentially high due to water scarcity. Therefore importing food from ‘water surplus’ countries are cheap and a prudent choice. This does not endanger their indigenous agriculture if available due to import of foods. However, in ‘water surplus’ countries, importing food is unsustainable as it destroys the indigenous food production. Producing food is cheaper in ‘water surplus countries than in ‘water deficit’ countries.
Exporting crops contains virtual water, similarly, the beverages and mineral water bottling industries contains real water. This also aggravates the water scarcity in Sri Lanka due to extraction of water from aquifers and streams for export overseas. These extractive industries impose a severe strain on the nation’s dwindling water supply sources. Notwithstanding this, export of crops from a ‘water surplus’ country is analogous to exporting water in ‘virtual form’. Therefore virtual water and its much tangible cousin, the mineral water that are exported should serve its citizens first and only the surplus should be exported. This would give an asymmetrical advantage to a country like Sri Lanka if it is used as a commodity to counterbalance the importation cost of fuel and energy etc.
It should be noted here that future wars are going to be fought over water and not over oil, therefore it is vital that this resource is conserved, protected and the system leak proofed so that it will be available to Sri Lanka to serve in a sustainable manner.
The threat of peak oil and having secure and sustainable sources of energy to run our economy is very expensive. But paying for such an expensive commodity would in the long run be possible if Sri Lanka regains its status as the ‘Granary of the East’. So that energy producers in turn would be dependent on food producers.
Today, as global scenarios evolve, inspite of the world being inter-dependent, it is also multi polar and asymmetrical when it comes to the survival of nations. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each nation to be on guard about its own survival. Sri Lanka taking advantage of being an island, developing robust sustainable policies and achieving self sufficiency in food and water would definitely get an edge to survive as a sustainable nation. Achieving this by using sustainable food and water as an asymmetrical tool would also create a sustainable balance of power in real politick in the region.
Investment in education & training in Agriculture and Water Management
Ensuring self sufficiency in food and sustainable water cannot be achieved without formulating policies, producing personals and relevant infrastructure. Our investments should not only be in imported technologies but also in recreating the traditional balance and the relationship our people had with our environment and its people. Our centuries of agricultural traditions and knowhow’s should be improvised to answer current needs and the farmers should be provided with training and practical education thereby binding them with the land they till. They should be recognised for contributing for our food security like the security forces for our defence against our enemies. Farmer education should have academic & professional recognition for their expertise and economic & social recognition for what they are, so that sound farmer education, training, motivation and recognition & facilitation would spur an agricultural revolution to give Sri Lanka a sustainable food security.
Responding to the foregoing factors is an imperative to resuscitate our food security. To bring about this response, the policy planners should develop policies and regulations that ensure national security in respect to our food. The policy makers and other stakeholders in areas of Food & Agriculture and Environmental Protection and Sustainability must work in tandem to bring about this security and give the nation this asymmetric tool.
Human being is the best of God’s creations, created for the higher purpose of acting as His Vicegerent. Therefore in His divine mercy, he has placed the family as the primary centre to nurture man with a well rounded education and training to enable him to shoulder this responsibility. A good family cultivates not only moral and cultural ethos but also directs the life goals to be Vicegerents of Allah SWT.
Evolving oneself as a Vicegerent of Allah SWT is not an easy task, this require training, guidance and self motivation to be sincere Muslims standing firm in submission to Allah SWT. This role in particular is played at both micro and macro levels of society. Hence grooming in socio economic, political and other skills are vital ingredients to develop refined human personality.
In the contemporary society, families fail to cultivate and develop well rounded human personalities out of their offspring due to dissipation of their energy in their struggle for survival. This leads them to digress from their main responsibilities. As a result, this responsibility has now been given to schools and other institutions which serve to produce human resources to the corporate world. Hence, this resulted in creating a competitive society breeding social conflicts and threatening social sustainability.
Islam symbolizes peace through total submission to Allah SWT. Therefore, such peace and serenity in life cannot be achieved without total submission to one’s Creator. “Whoever submits his face in Islam to Allah while being a doer of good will have his reward with his Lord. And no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.(Qur’an 2: 112) and evolving a way of life as dictated by Him. “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and I have chosen for you Islam as you religion.” (Qur’an 5:3) “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God), never will it be accepted of him.” (Qur’an 3:85).
In the light of the above, it is noteworthy here that the family is an important institution instrumental to catalyse social and political change in society. Therefore those who wish positive changes in society should invest more resources in their families to make them sustainable units. Continuing from previous segments of this series, this segment further explores the pre-requisite elements of a sustainable family as follows:
- Education
Contemporary education system is secular and lacks vital ingredients to produce cultured human beings. Basically, the aim of modern education is to produce human resources to the corporate world. Therefore the world of education today like any other institutions in society is dominated by the corporate world and tailored to sustain them as opposed to sustain family and the society. This renders the society mono-cultural as desired by the corporate world and serves neither the individuals nor their families; instead it is the corporate giant that is the ultimate beneficiary.
Similarly, physical, psychological and social dimensions of the role of gender are not considered in the present education system and both sex are fed from the same spoon. This produces a multitude of men and women of same mental frame which enables them to serve the corporate world better than upon themselves, their families and thereby the society.
Contemporary children are seriously lacking knowledge and training consonant with their nature as male and female and their filial & social role. This lack is seriously affecting their adult lives which provokes competition between the spouses and makes marriage fragile since both are not trained to play their complementary roles in family. The empowerment brought by this system encourages a standalone behaviour that is very helpful to the corporate world but calamitous to the individual men and women and undermines family. Today this phenomenon is starkly evident where people have become groups of individuals as opposed to a society at the mercy of the corporate world with no collective power to fight off modern slavery. Here individuals compete with one another seeking individual recognition in the corporate world whilst losing collective security.
Contemporary education system does not serve our socio-cultural and economic needs; instead it caters to an external entity that determines our fate with a profit making agenda. This is evidenced by the IMF and the World Bank influencing governments to re-align education with their corporate plans.
Education should aim at uplifting the literary and knowledge base of the people and equip them to perform their natural roles in family, society and the nation. Such an approach would help individuals to achieve their best potentials and aspirations without undermining the family and society.
Deplorably, the contemporary education system produce split personalities that do not allow men and women to play their natural roles thereby undermine the sustainability of the family. Ensuring social sustainability is a pipe dream in a society where family is not sustainable. Therefore, this calls for reformation in education that is more appropriate to the natural needs of our people.
- Gender Complementarities
The influence of the education based on western value system and market orientation has produced anomalies in gender relationship today. In Islam gender relationship is based on complementarities as opposed to equality. The western concept advocates men and women as equals and repose responsibilities equally but are not commensurate with their natural ability to bear. This springs from the thoughts which evolved in the post industrial society where men and women became factory hands and producers of economic goods. This continues to date so that the corporate world benefit from the ‘supposed’ equality and have access to cheap labour.
Islam considers men and women as complementary to each other and they are so intertwined that one cannot exist without the other. They are neither equals as the west advocates nor unequal. Gender complementarities repose responsibilities upon them commensurate with their capacity and innate nature. It also considers the individual, family and social roles of gender and creates the appropriate space for each without endangering sustainability of the family. Islam accepts and encourages equality in terms of one’s effort and enjoyment of the fruit of one’s labour both in the spiritual and material domain but strictly confers most other rights and responsibilities based on their complementarities and nature. This to the syllogistic western mind seems unequal hence view Islam as impediment to gender equality.
A women’s spiritual effort towards refinement, her right to the fruit of her labour and commercial transactions are equal as to man, but her family, social and political role play is defined based on her innate nature and role play commensurate with her disposition. Any change in her role incommensurate with her real nature (physical, biological, psychological, family & social) would undermine family and social sustainability.
The contemporary society’s failure to produce a ‘better generation’ imbued with knowledge, skills, moral and social responsibilities is caused by disturbance to the natural balance in the family. This negative development is taking place inspite of the fact that modern society has surpassed the boundaries of science and technology and has created marvels and wonders. Therefore, Muslims have to be vigilant, not to be misled by the scientific and technological marvels achieved by the west. They must ponder on producing human beings who would be responsible Vicegerent of Allah SWT to make the world a better place for all to live with comfort, safety and integrity without undermining the sustainability of the planet our temporary abode.
Sustainable family is the key to create sustainable society. It is the agglomeration of families that makes the society. Therefore bonding of families together through marriage and other social relationship influences both the macro and micro environment of the individual, and a responsible person thus produced by this fusion contributes to social sustainability.
As enumerated in the previous part of this article, the following key factors that makes a family sustainable need deeper understanding:
- Socioeconomic and political role of family in society.
Family is the smallest socioeconomic and political unit in society. The individual that the family produces largely depends on the society whilst the society in similar tenor do depends on the individual. Therefore this symbiotic relationship is the umbilical cord that ensures mutual survival. Hence both entities in this equation have mutual rights and responsibilities. “I do call to witness this City, And you are a freeman of this City and (the mystic ties of) Parent and Child” (Balad: 1-3). The Qur’an is very emphatic of this relationship as this is the kingpin for a sustainable society. Therefore, failure of the family to produce the right breed and the failure of the society to protect them is the cause for the chaos today.
The family’s role as a miniscule socioeconomic and political unit is the base upon which an individual is nurtured to behave as an economic, social, political and moral being. Allah SWT in his Mercy has decentralized the responsibilities of nurturing an individual in a family as opposed to the society. Therefore, it is the family’s responsibility to nurture the child in full participation in the affairs of the family so that s/he may learn the elements that makes them successful beings. This role play by the family as an incubator in cultivating nuanced social, economic, political and moral values, thoughts and behaviour grooms the individual to become responsible members of the society.
Deplorably today, the family fails to understand this potential and its ability to influence change. Very often one gropes in the dark and seek directions to change without changing one selves. Allah SWT in his Mercy has made family a decentralized unit because it is easy to catalyze change and change in smaller units by aggregation can change the whole system. “Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)” (Ra’d:11)
The Qur’an gives the highest emphasis on protecting the family than a state because it is the family that makes the righteous state and not the other way round. This was the reason why, when the Prophet Sal established the State of Madeena the first few verses of the Qur’an that were revealed was not about administration of the state but of protecting the family.
In the contemporary world, the global power structure underpinned by Banksters and MNCs & TNCs sees a cohesive family unit as a threat, hence they are bent on atomizing the family so that man will be feeble to resist. Also by extension, these business conglomerates do also threatens the stability of the state by destroying the basic elements of society.
- The nature of the family; unitary or extended.
The nature of family also has an impact on its sustainability. Unitary family is a post industrial phenomenon. This emerged due to the influence of industry and the market that coerced and influenced extended families to dis-integrate due to economic and logistical environment created by the post industrial society. This disintegration helped the industrialists and major business conglomerates to juggle human resources to suits their business plans and make profits thereby severely undermining the sustainability of the unitary family unit. This led businesses to look at humans as capital goods and therefore engineered a slot for each individual in the family within their business plan. So that men, women and children will be their producers, consumers and surrogates. This effectively made them slaves without the shackles.
Unitary family is very unsustainable particularly in the absence of a robust state welfare system where diverse needs of different individuals in family is looked after. This system is highly stressful to parents. In a dwindling economy where men and women are expected to work, looking after children are insurmountable hence crèche is assigned to deal with this for a fee. Similarly, the elders are driven to the elder’s home. Both these are clear indication of delegating ones filial duties to institutions that do not have the human capacity to care like the parents and children. Apart from this transmission of knowledge, values, cultures & interpersonal relationship between family members are diminished. This is a negative contributor for social sustainability.
Extended family as opposed to unitary family is a microcosm of society. It is a link between the past and future generation and an effective medium for transmission of knowledge, traditions, culture and moral & social values. In an extended family shared resources and responsibilities closely knits the family as a sustainable unit that gives protection to its constituent member. Islam favours an extended family and the Shariah is strict about protecting the rights of the individuals as evidenced in the Law of Inheritance.
- Quality and Type of parenting.
Quality and type of parenting differs between the family systems. In the unitary system, parental influence upon the children is limited due to their work commitments and other social engagements. Therefore children are more delegated to be in solitary state or in the company of strangers or the digital world in most part of their life. Children left unsupervised are corrupting the future of humanity. This phenomenon is the cause for maladjusted children, character malformation, cause for child abuse and delinquency that impair social sustainability. Studies indicate that children from unitary families feel insecure and less integrated with the society than from extended family. They are prone to be easily agitated and lack social control.
Quality of parenting in an extended family is shared between the parents, grandparents, siblings and other members of the extended family. Therefore in this system, children are supervised by diverse members of the family that not only shares and cares but also positively contributes to the character disposition of the children to be better integrated persons within a larger social microcosm. This system provides the child with conceptions of ideal person for emulation with diversity that helps to formulate a well rounded personality. Here the family system successfully manages the transition of the individual from being a member of the family to become a responsible member of the society.
Family is an important institution for human existence. However, in the contemporary society family does not play that important role and family as a system is breaking now. This is due to secularization, commercialization and compartmentalization of society that had resulted in producing individuals without any family, filial or social bonds to the detriment of mankind. This has made the contemporary man a weak individual being having unfettered freedom to enjoy life but have no collective security to protect from threats to his survival. Traditionally, the individual had the protection of the family and the larger society, deplorably today the family and the society is emasculated and the individual’s survival depends solely on the individual’s ability as survivor. Talking of high sounding development strategies to uplift mankind to new levels of development and civilization in the new millennium is nonsense, when fundamentally man is orphaned by the new found freedom and security to individuals are eroding fast in our societies.
Modernization and industrialization which are considered bane for human society unfortunately is not centered on producing ‘good human beings’ instead its prime focus is to ‘satisfy human wants and needs’ as dictated by their desires. It is from this threshold, that market economy is born which considers human beings as consumers. Therefore it is around this premise that the contemporary social institutions are set which cultivates and stimulates the ‘sense of wants and needs’ as opposed to the holistic view of human being as a sublime creation having not only ‘wants and needs’ but also the sense of belonging to family, society and a content & collective life.
This focus on satisfying human sense driven needs and wants has created systems and institutions that cultivate human greed on one hand whilst on the other, direct such institutions and systems to cater to the inertia created by them. In other words man is made to play the dual role of a producer and a consumer. To sustain these, contemporary institutions in society are built on this paradigm. Contrary to positive opinions, this robs the traditional role played by families in nurturing individuals to under pin the society. For example, education is the most important area for human development. Traditionally the family played major roles in educating the individual in the formative periods whilst schools and universities groomed the individuals as responsible citizens imbued with survival skills.
Sri Lanka in the 1960s was a model welfare state in the third world where other countries sought to emulate. In the 60s our education system was more social centric than industry centric and that was one of the reasons why the welfare state was vibrant and the social fabric then was strong. This system produced socially conscious citizens who thrived individually whilst being within the social fabric that protected them. This produced a more sustainable family and a society.
As opposed to this, introduction of industry centric education system in the late 1970s at the behest of the IMF and the World Bank started ripping the family and the social fabric apart to the detriment of the individual’s survival. This finally had its toll on the family and the larger society.
Family is the building block of society, it is a microcosm of the society and is the smallest political unit & an incubator that produces the most important of resources ‘men and women’ that mankind need for their survival.
The contemporary socio-political and economic system has almost made social sustainability difficult to achieve by compartmentalizing and atomizing man. Therefore to resurrect this and to recreate a cushion that protects man, who is socio-economically vulnerable, recreation of the family with its potency to sustain it self is vital.
Sustainable Family
“Verily, We created man in the best of moulds” (At-Tin: 4) and “Man is the vicegerent of Allah on the earth” (Baqara:30). Man being the sublime creation of Allah SWT and accorded the highest status as the best of creations in the Qur’an, he cannot be treated sub humanly. This is the reason why man is different from other mammals. In the case of other mammals, it is the environment in which they are born that sustains them. But in the case of man who’s nurturing from infancy to young adulthood require a sustainable family that not only sustains his physical requirements similar to other mammals but also his spiritual, emotional and intellectual requirements.
The physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual requirements of man cannot be satisfactorily rendered if the family is not sustainable. Therefore a sustainable family is a vital component for successful upbringing of man. Generally the incubation period for man prior to introducing to the larger society as a responsible member is about 18 to 21 years. During this period it is the family that shapes his character and thoughts by instilling the social, ethical and moral values which determines his socio political thoughts in later years.
To produce this individual with sufficient skills and abilities, the family has to play multi faceted roles to create an environment within the family whilst being an integral part of the larger social fabric that consist of the neighbors, relatives and other institutions in society. The neighbors, relatives and the social institutions also play a major role in shaping the character and behaviors of the individual.
Therefore, to achieve sustainability in family, one has to understand its primary function, its role in society and how it shapes events over time. Considering these, the following are the fundamentals to create a sustainable family:
- Socioeconomic and political role of family in society.
- The nature of the family; unitary or extended.
- Quality and Type of parenting.
- Education
- Gender Complementarities
- Resource management
- Living condition and economic status
- Environmental influence on family
- Love, affection and family cohesion.
- Ethical and moral value system.
The above are the fundamental elements that make family sustainable whilst playing the important role of being a building block of society. Islam considers family as the most important institution, therefore concentrates a major portion of the Shariah about protection of the family. This is to ensure that the most suitable environment is created to receive the child who in Islam is a Vicegerent of Allah (SWT). This enables the family to function its primary role of preparing the child to play the role of Vicegerent by creating a conducive environment that guides the child through infancy to adulthood. Inshallah, this will be continued in part three.
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. (Hujurath:13)
Surely family is the building block of society which produces the much needful human resources that helps to manage the physical resources for the betterment of man and other creations. It is the expansion of the family from unitary to extended and spanning as clans and tribes that evolve the society. The family or the society should not be interpreted as a collection of people came into existence from nowhere without a purpose instead they evolved with a purpose consciously or unconsciously by the actors and players in it.
By definition, family and society is an organized entity having its goals, aims and command & control systems to direct purposefully. In the pre-industrial era, family was an integral part of society both by extension and by convention. Today with the advancement of the means of communication, mobility, translocation, urbanization and globalization, the cohesion found in the family, community and the larger society is fragmented and atomized as individuals.
Individuation and atomization of family and society has ripped apart the social fabric and have emasculated the potency of the family unit to procreate and nurture individuals to underpin the society. As a consequence, the society fails to protect the individual and the family. This gradual paralysis of the two-way communication and responsibility between the family and society is eliminating the once dominant and responsible role family played in the society and vice versa. Hence this has brought the family and the society to the knees at the mercy of the multi (MNCs) and transnational (TNCs) corporations who decides the fate of the individuals, families and the society.
The MNCs, TNC and other business conglomerates operate beyond national and geographical boundaries and are richer than national economies. These organizations are more powerful than governments that rule the people within the confines of their respective national boundaries. These organizations to maximize their profits do force governments to open up their economies and society to permit them to harness the resources imperiling the family and social life of nations.
Globalization and unleashed intrusion of MNCs, TNCs, International Monetary Fund and World Bank today is a threat to the family and social systems. They force upon the people a way of life that is profitable for their businesses and they wish not to have families or societies that inhibit their profiteering. To achieve this they brand all cultural and religious values as decadent except their value system based on market economy and consumerism. They are all out in force to dismantle any system that is opposed to consumerism. In this sense they consider organized living as family or society as a potential threat to their business agenda. Hence they atomize the family and society so that the individual will be at their mercy.
In this era of globalization with unfettered intrusion of MNCs & TNCs into the lives of people, social sustainability is destroyed by influencing the governments and atomizing the people. People are made to be only consumers without a balance between ‘human need and human greed’. This has deplorably led to not only individual and social debt but also sovereign debt that threatens the very foundation of the nation state. Exacerbation of this would be calamitous to the whole of mankind as societies would be ridden with civil riots and commotions when countries go bankrupt due to sovereign debt at the mercy of the MNCs & TNCs.
This threat is worse than the so-called weapons of mass destruction. This can kill more people and destroy the environment more than an atom bomb. This can cause shortages of food, fuel and other supplies relied upon the MNCs & TNCs to deliver and would set one set of people against the other leaving only the fittest to survive whilst the MNCs & TNCs enjoy their profits.
This threat is not a foretelling; indeed this has come to our doorstep. The widening gap between the rich and poor, absence of family and community support, corporate & administrative corruptions, poverty, illiteracy, inefficient resource management and climate change has made the threat very discernible.
Fighting this threat require, considering the status quo, more micro adjustments than macro adjustments. Today’s problems at the macro levels is caused by the systemic paralysis at the micro levels which in turn have retroactively impacted the micro level as a vicious cycle leading the system to regression.
Answering this problem, the problems of social sustainability require going back to the status quo ante: i.e. the remaking of the family as a sustainable unit to underpin the society to ensure social sustainability.
As family is the building block of society, casting the family in the right mould as a place for nurturing the next generation to produce the men and women who would liberate us from the human follies towards a sustainable world seeking a sustainable future in the Here After as responsible Muslims. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. (Hujurath:13)
Thoughts from London 