Scientific and Social Theories Derived from Quran-67
Dr. Javed Jamil
In His Name
Scientific and Social Theories
Derived from Quran-67
By
Dr. Javed Jamil
Executive Chairman
International Centre for Applied Islamics
India
Part 3
Theory of Economics – 23
Unfolding True Theory of Islamic Economics: PEACE ECONOMICS-2
Economics of Fundamental Prohibitions: Dangerous Economics
In the previous chapter, I defined Islamic Economics as follows:
”Islamic Economics refers to the establishment of a world order where people, individuals or groups, are free to earn their livelihood through rightful use of the provisions of God and their abilities, natural or acquired, without the violations of the true goal of Comprehensive Peace that Quran envisages, that is within the boundaries of the three-dimensional system of Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Fundamental prohibitions, and the establishent of a system that ensures comfortable living for each and every human being including those who are in a disadvantageous position, temporarrily or permanently, due to some reason.”
The three-dimensional system of Islam is extremely important, as it is by studying the Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Fundamental Prohibitions that we understand all the major aspects of economics, particularly the acceptability or unacceptability of different activities. As I have said before, every human activity is an economic activity as it involves works and goods. But all activities are not good for society; Quran, also called Furqan, the one that distinguishes between right and wrong, clearly tells us what is acceptable in economics and what is not and what is desirable and what is not. I am labelling the economics related to the Fundamental Prohibitions in Islam as Dangerous Economics, as it poses dangers of enormous proportions to humanity It is the duty of Muslims to not only prevent unacceptable activities to occur in their own domains but they must also run a relentless campaign at every possible level to prevent these activities from taking place anywhere in the whole world. Only then the real aims of Quran and Prophet, both described as Rahmatul lil-Aalamin (Source of beneficence for the whole world) will be achieved.
Dangerous Economics of Fundamental Prohibitions
The distinguishing feature of Islamic system is that unlike other contemporary systems that give Fundamental Rights supremacy over Fundamental Duties and omit Fundamental Prohibitions altogether, it creates a three-dimensional structure with equal emphasis on Fundamental Duties, Fundamental Prohibitions and Fundamental Rights. A system based on this impregnable triangle gives Islam the flexibility that is required for being a system for all times to come.
The two-dimensional approach is inadequate in maintaining order in society. It is innately dangerous, as it unleashes the forces of exploitation. No society can maintain order and tranquillity unless it has its set of restrictions. Its members must not only claim for their own rights, but must also be duty-bound to help in its survival and development, and they must not be in a position, even if they want, to do what is expressly detrimental for society. A three-dimensional approach is therefore mandatory if the totally paralysed and redundant law has to be rejuvenated. The two-dimensional constitutions, without any express provisions of fundamental prohibitions, guarantee rights only for the strong and those rights of the weak that the strong seek to exploit. The three-dimensional approach, on the contrary, with explicit Fundamental Prohibitions, is a guarantee for the rights of all the members of society including the weak and the underprivileged. Fundamental Prohibitions must be aimed at ensuring the same trio of objectives — Individual Health, Family Peace and Social Order, the three essential components of what can be called Grand Peace. Is it not a slap on the face of Muslim community that Quran’s Fundamental Prohibitions are among the biggest trades of the world? This is despite the fact that the highly dangerous effects of all these prohibitions are being witnessed at a scale never witnessed in the past. Let us study these prohibitions:
I) Drinking
Quran says:
* They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: “In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit.” (2: 219/A)
* O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,
Islam expressly prohibits alcoholic drinks and substances causing addiction. Prohibition in Islam means prohibition on manufacturing, storing, selling, serving and drinking all alcoholic beverages anywhere on any occasion to anybody. Drinking has been labelled as Ummul Khhabais, that is the mother of all evils, and the investigations have clearly established that drinking is Ummul Khhabais indeed. The Global Burden of Study has reported that “in 1990, alcohol was responsible for 3.5 percent of the world's total disability-adjusted life-years lost.” This exceeds the combined toll taken by smoking (2.6%) and illicit drugs (.6%). Alcohol is the leading cause of disability among men in industrialised nations. Dependence on alcohol is counted as a disease in medical sciences, commonly referred to as Alcoholism. I have discussed the medical effects of Alcoholism in detail in my “Dynamic heory of Health” derived from Quran. In that chapter I have also discussed about the brazen attempts in recernt years to popularise drinking on the basis of some dubious reports that impart a protective effect to alcohol for Ischaemic Heart Diseases. Here I will mainly concentrate on Economic aspects. However, some statistics are being given below that tell us how dangerous is the alcohol economics for human health, family peace and social order.
The alcohol consumption is directly associated with increased health risks related to alcohol, crimes, accidents, sex-related problems, suicides and domestic violence. Note the following facts:
· World wide, alcohol accounts for more than 2 million deaths
· In developing nations, alcohol ranks as the fourth cause of disability among men.
· Deaths attributable to alcohol form 1.3 percent for developed regions and 1.6 percent for developing regions.
· ‘The Global Burden of Disease' study estimated that, in 1990, alcohol was responsible for 3.5 percent of the world's total disability-adjusted life-years lost. This exceeds the tolls taken by tobacco (2.6 percent) and illicit drugs (0.6 percent) combined (Murray and Lopez, 1996).
· Among men, alcohol is the leading cause of disability in industrialised countries and ranks fourth in causing disabilities in developing countries (WHO, 1999).
· In developed nations, more than 136000 people die every year, in developing countries more than 636000 and in LAC countries more than 136000.
· In industrialised nations, 14.3 % and in developing nations, 4.4% of total disability adjusted life years are lost.
· There are countries with alcoholics in the range of 10-36 % of total population. (Remember that alcoholic means an alcohol-dependent person, not the persons who take alcohol irregularly.
· Cirrhosis is one of the ten leading causes of death in Mexico. Among men between the ages of 35 and 45, it is the number one killer (Madrigal, 1998, Medina-Mora, 1999). In Mexico, Venezuela R.B., Argentina, and Trinidad and Tobago, cirrhosis deaths among men are as much as three times higher than the deaths among women.
· Percent of traffic fatalities attributed to alcohol
Chile 1970 46% (male traffic deaths)
Colombia 1990s 60%
Costa Rica 1990s 46%
Peru 1990s 50%
Sources: Caetano, 1984; Madrigal, 1998
· Alcohol was estimated to cause 41 percent of suicide cases among men in Australia, compared to only 16 percent among their female counterparts.
· Selected Health Issues by Alcohol Attributable Fractions
Health issue Australian Canadian
Male Female Male Female
Liver cancer 0.18 0.12 0.29 0.16
Breast cancer - 0.03 - 0.04
Unspecific
liver cirrhosis 0.54 0.43 0.54 0.54
Chronic
Pancreatitis 0.84 0.84 0.84 0.84
Spontaneous
abortion - 0.04 - 0.20
Road injuries 0.37 0.18 0.43 0.43
Fall injuries 0.34 0.34 0.24 0.15
Fire injuries 0.44 0.44 0.38 0.38
Drowning 0.34 0.34 0 30 0.23
Suicide 0.41 0.16 0.27 0.17
Assault 0.47 0.47 0.27 0.27
Source: Edwards and others, 1995, Single and others, 1998
· Drinking, along with poor condom use and sex with prostitutes, was found to increase by a factor of 15.6 the soldiers' risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases (Flores and Arathoon, 1994).
· More than a quarter (26 percent) of the women seeking counselling services in the urban areas of Mexico reported that their partners' abusive behaviours were fuelled by intoxication (Ramirez and others, 1992). In the Solomon Islands, 32 percent of family violence offences were related to problem drinking (McDonald, 1995). Even higher rates were found in South Africa: 67.4 percent of domestic violence cases in Cape Town and 76.4 percent in rural areas involved alcohol use (Parry, 1995).
· In both Canada and Australia, 16 percent of child abuse cases could be attributed to alcohol. In Japan, 20 percent of abused children had alcoholic parents, and in Hungary 8.6 percent of child abuse cases in 1994 involved alcohol (Fekete, 1996). Alcohol has also been associated with a high proportion of child abuse cases in the UK (30 percent) and Norway (50 percent) (Moser, 1992).
· Alcohol use disorders present serious problems for the interpersonal relationships, health, and productivity of employed men and women. Of the $117 billion estimated as the economic cost of alcoholism and alcohol abuse in the United States in 1983, nearly $71 billion (61 percent) was attributed to lost employment and reduced productivity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1990).
· World-wide Deaths Attributable to Alcohol
Percent Total
Cause of Total Alcohol Alcohol
Death Deaths Related Deaths
Motor Vehicle 214,208 50 107,104
Accidents
Oesophagus Cancer 805,980 75 604,485
Liver Cancer 488,060 15 73,209
Alcohol Dependence 279,930 100 79,930
Syndrome Cirrhosis 2,094,110 50 1,047,055
Total 2,111,783
In total, alcohol accounts for around 2 million deaths annually. Most of these deaths take place in industrialised, developing and Latin American countries. In Islamic countries, alcohol related deaths are negligible. All other problems related to alcohol are also virtually absent. According to the data available, the economic cost of alcoholism and alcohol abuse in the US was 117 billion dollars in 1983. Recent data are not available. European countries lead the table of countries having maximum per capita consumption of alcohol. Canada, the US, South Africa and Australia follow Europe. South American, Asian and African countries come next. In Muslim countries, of course, the consumption is extremely low. Here is the list of top 20 countries in terms of alcohol consumption:
Top countries in terms of alcohol consumption
1.Luxemberg 12 litres per inhabitant
2.Portugal 10+
3.Ire;and 10+
4.Germany 10+
5.France 10+
6.Spain 10
7.Denmark 9+
8.Austria 9+
9.Great Britain 8*
10. Belgium 8*
11.Netherlands 8*
12. Russia 6+
13.Greece 6+
14.Australia 6+
15. Italy 6+
16.Finland 6+
17.USA 6+
18, Canada 6+
19. Japan 6+
20.Sweden 5+
21.Norway 5+
All these are Western countries. The high consumption rate, it may be argued, points to their high lifestyle and the ability to spend more. If the ability to spend more leads to spending on the purchase of slow poisons for themselves it is better not to have that ability. If Westerners consume alcohol at such an alarming rate it is because they have been made habitual or addict of drinking by their cultural supervisors, the forces of globalisation. It is not surprising then that about 2 million deaths every year are attributable to alcohol-related problems. A substantial percentage of these deaths occur in the developed nations whose “advanced” health system is always busy in creating conditions that lead to the longevity of life. Still, they are not in a position to demand a ban on substances and practices that are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity. Some of the findings of a research report entitled, “ALCOHOL-ATTRIBUTABL
· Based on data from Europe, increases or decreases of 1 litre of pure alcohol in the per capita consumption were estimated to be associated with increases or decreases of 1.3% in all-cause mortality rates (Her and Rehm, 1998)
· On this basis, for the USA, 4.5% of the total mortality was estimated to be alcohol-attributabl
· Restricted to middle adult age (36–64 years), in France, the rates are 19.1% of all male and 13.0% of all female death cases (Zureik and Ducimetière, 1996
· Alcohol-related disease, accounting for 25% of the total mortality in males and 13% in females, is a substantial part of the total mortality in the most productive part of adult life.
· In males, the median age at death in all alcohol-attributabl
Economics of Alcohol
Alcohol industry is among the top industries of the world. The business associated with alcohol is of course not only huge but is also showing a steady rise. Some of the interesting facts reported in the VinExpo Americas/IWSR/
- Retail dollar volume of worldwide wine sales are projected to grow by more than 12% (from 2002 to 2007), from $101.6 billion to $114.2 billion. At the same time, worldwide spirits retail sales are projected to increase 8.5%, from $153.4 billion to $166.5 billion.
- The U.S. leads the world in retail sales of wine, with 18.37% of worldwide dollars. That number is projected to increase almost 16% (from 2002 to 2007) to more than $18.6 billion. In second place is the U.K, which will see more than a 25% increase by 2007, to almost $13 billion.
It is natural that the alcohol industry would seek newer areas to increase their sales. And the two areas that are being focussed are:
1. Women
2. Musims
According to a report appearing at www.HealthPolitics.
:” Dark Mint, Midnight Berry, Mocha Taboo. Exotic beverages or flavored cigarettes? It’s hard to tell these days. Tobacco companies have been using flavor in their cigarettes for decades. Most recently, they’ve attempted to supercharge their sales by marketing these to women and young smokers. Not wanting to be outdone, the Alcohol industry has now caught on. If it works for nicotine, it should work for Alcohol, right? Again, women are deliberately targeted…. Between 1999 and 2004, Alcohol consumption among American and British women between the legal drinking age and the age of 24 has increased by more than 30 percent… Why are women being singled out? Because times are changing. Women are more affluent and independent than ever before, and they’re starting families later in life. This means more disposable income and more time to socialize. Plus, many have already acquired a taste for Alcohol after four years on a college campus. The marketing is pervasive. you’re watching the small screen or the large, reading a magazine or surfing the Internet, you’ll often see women holding a beverage -- predictably fizzy, fruity and alcoholic. From Carrie Bradshaw to Bridget Jones, many of our modern “heroines” are also associated fun, passion and glamour. Product marketers tend to connect the dots. Take Anheuser-Busch’
How business and alcohol have become inseparable can be gauged from the following remarks in an article, “Alcohol and Business” by David J. Hanson, Ph.D.
“Sharing an alcoholic drink is a common part of doing business around the world. There’s an expectation that people will indulge in alcohol on business-social occasions and it’s useful in building business relationships.
A corporate consultant and provider of corporate leader development programs suggests that people who do not choose to consume alcoholic beverages should order one and simply not drink it or order something that looks like one. He suggests that people should be gracious by ordering a beverage of some type as part of the relationship-
This is also clear from the above that the forces of alcohol industry are keeping a close eye on Muslim countries. Though, most of Muslim countries have Prohibition in place, the sales are still going on in varying degrees. The sales are of course nowhere near the levels of the West. But I have seen reports about Kuwait, Iraq and some other countries where drinking in certain areas is going on without inhibition. And of course, countries like Egypt and Turkey are repeatedly advised by the market forces to open up if they have to make their tourism industries robust by international standards. They are warned that they would lose substantial tourism if they stick to their policies of prohibition. Tourism these days has direct relation with sex and alcohol; if these two are not available, it is not easy to attract tourists.
Contd….