There is a need to move towards collective effort and choose leaders that are virtuous and morally strong
ISLAMABAD: The aspiration for social justice is something that every working man and woman can claim their fair share of the wealth that they have helped to generate freely on the basis of equal opportunity. The importance of achieving social justice is ever more pressing, with the rise in inequality and exclusion which is a threat to social cohesion, economic growth and human progress. With climate change, demographic changes, technological development and more generally, globalisation, we are witnessing a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace and scale.
The Islamic governance system has been associated with social justice. Establishment of social justice was one of the motivating factors for the Muslim Brotherhood; the implementation of social justice would require the rejection of consumerism and communism. The Brotherhood strongly affirmed the right to private property as well as differences in personal wealth due to factors such as hard work. According to the system, zakat (alms-giving) was not voluntary charity but rather the poor had the right to assistance from the more fortunate. Most Islamic governments therefore enforce the zakat through taxes. However, over the past many years, the system has morphed into a capitalist form, where individual twist meanings so that they can pursue their own interests rather than the collective one. There is a need to re-analyse all such meanings that the system incorporates and re-envision it in a contemporary manner so as it to affirm social justice. There is a need to move towards collective effort and choose leaders that are virtuous and morally strong, so that they help the people move towards a society that is equal and just.
Hafsa Nadeem
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2020.
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