A Critical Analysis of 'Real Islam'. Its People ... - Bukti dan Saksi

destructive cycle continues endlessly, ensuring only the continuing economic disadvantage, frustration,
and misery of its participants.
By contributing to order, honesty, and fairness, a progressive religion can be an asset to the economic
well being of citizens. But when a ‘religion’ propagates ignorance, inefficiency and poverty it becomes a
liability to host societies. Like other totalitarianism systems, Islam acts as an economic hindrance, placing
barriers to ambition, prosperity, and fulfillment of human potential. With Islamic education focused (as a
political necessary) on indoctrination, and with other Islamic control mechanisms in society, the kind of
education which might lead to significant economic reform is not offered. Only a tiny minority of the
most privileged escape to western institutions, and then usually choose to stay in the open societies who
host them. Then there is the fact that half the population (women) are prevented from getting an
education, entering the workforce, and contributing to industry. Instead women are regulated to being
nothing more than servants to their husbands and baby factories for Islam.
Paying large percentages in alms is also a heavy burden, as is the personal and social burdens
associated with caring for large numbers of minors. Contributing to support local and distant Jihads is
also expected. In fact the opportunity to donate sons and money is irresistible to many Muslims, the
following reveals why;
Allah will give "a far richer recompense to those who fight for him" (Sura 4:96). The Prophet said: "Whatever
one spends to facilitate Jehad, Allah shall give him a reward which will exceed his contribution 700 times."
(Tirmzi, Vol.1, p.697) "He who reared a horse for the sole intention of using it in a Jehad, then he will be
rewarded one virtue for each grain he gave the horse as a feed." (Ibn-E-Majah, Vol. 2, p. 172) "A martyr (in
Jehad) is dressed in radiant robes of faith: he is married to Houris and is allowed by Allah to intercede for
seventy men (i.e. he is authorized by God to recommend seventy men for entry into paradise, and his
intercession is sure to be granted.) (Ibn-E-Majah, Vol. 2, p. 174)
Consider also the productivity effects of a limited workforce who are interrupted 5 times a day for
rather lengthy compulsory prayers, and who fast all day for weeks on end (40 days/year). Then for
merchants, there is undoubtedly fear of providing services or products not in complete conformity with
rigid, canonical Islamic restrictions. Such realities are not exactly conducive to market expansion and
employment.
Because of the Islamic prohibition to usury (interest rates attached to monetary loans), any who
manage to acquire wealth in Islamic lands have no incentive to invest in or otherwise finance new
businesses ventures. This prevents the flow of capital to fund other companies or start-ups, effectively
killing the entrepreneurial spirit.
Of even more significance is the general Islamic disrespect when contracting to non-Muslim entities.
Non-Muslims quickly learn of the propensity of Muslims to break contracts for self gain, and act instead
to protect their own capital investments by avoiding such adventures in financial recklessness.
Opportunities for cooperation and profit disappear when comes to be known that Muslims are taught my
Muhammad himself that covenants with infidels can be broken with impunity if it serves the best interest
of Islam. But business behavior between Muslims also suffers from an Arabic culture which is tribal and
hegemonic. All such self-destructive business conduct flows as a natural extension of the example
exemplified by the caravan raiding Muhammad. The Islamic and/or Arab morality that glorifies
dishonesty and cunning to get gain results in suspicion instead of trust. It is a fact that when you remove
trust from business relationships, nothing much will happen. Because personal or institutional risk
becomes untenable, things like long-term-investment, shared-vision, common-goals, cooperative-projects,
and group-achievement become impossible.
The net result of all these Islamic cultural effects on markets and industry make economies based on
it much less than competitive in a world economy based on open markets, freedom, and business law not
based on the Qur’an. Lands hamstrung by Islamic principals and culture seem guaranteed to fail
competitively, producing only the kind of desperate uneducated, unenlightened core material required to
produce ever more Jihadic foot soldiers. Another consequence of the Muslim model is that the trappings
of superior economic models in adjoining non-Muslim lands are thereby guaranteed to be superior, which
more often than not produces jealousy and bitter animosity, if not fodder inspiring conquest and plunder.