Where is prosperity under radical Islam? Hate and terror impoverish..

Submitted by Carol Fuller (United States), Aug 6, 2008 at 16:27

I have been reading voraciously about Muslim history, especially its economic history, since 9/11. I have reached my own conclusion that Muslims constantly strangle their own economic progress by trying to follow the Shariah. The closer they follow it they poorer they get. Then they add violence which destroys constructive work and invites retaliation. In that climate how can business succeed?

Radical Islamists try to follow what they think was Mahammad's example, and they think of violence -- but are wrong. Do they not see that everything the Prophet did was for the long-range purpose of improving the economic life of his followers? He wanted Arab tribes to cease disrupting long-distance trade, and to unite in a peaceful belief in Allah. He had setbacks in this goal, for example, having to migrate to Madina when the "Righteous" were ruined by a boycott. A war ensued, and he pursued it like a general -- and in ancient times the only way to do that was through violence. To handle captives there were no prisoner-of-war camps, no safe jails. When war ended he spared his Meccan enemies so that they could re-establish their trade. Peace brought prosperity.

After his death, came the real violence, done by his successors. A war against fallen-away tribes, and then the inroads of Muslim tribes into civilized lands. This brought vast war booty, and then livelihoods for soldiers by taxing conquered people. For a good while, they discouraged conversion because that subtracted from the numbers of tax-payers.

Unfortunately, Caliph Umar, after allowing some of his soldiers to take up land, changed course and put the soldiers in garrisons. He followed the example of the Oriental potentates where the ruler owned all the land. In addition division of farms into little plots by inheritance rules put a ceiling on the growth of agriculture, far and away the leading economic sector. Isn't it likely that when Muhammad spoke the words of the Koran about inheritance he was thinking of moveable booty? After all very few Muslims in his day were farmers, understood little about it, and disdained that kind of work. Did he want the bulk of his descendants to become peasants in the countryside and unemployed millions in the cities?

It is difficult to find books and articles about the economic history of Muslims, and even about their situation today. To gain some understanding of Muslim culture and politics I was forced to write my own book on the Muslim economic trap.

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