The Persistent Middle East Crises

As we all know, the Middle East seems on the brink of overwhelming disaster. Iraq is wracked by insurgency and sectarian warfare. The ongoing conflict in Afghanistan is not much different to the disaster in neighbouring Iraq. Israel and Hezbollah have fought to a bloody standstill, a disastrous war for all. The Israeli-Palestinian struggle festers like a raw sore. There is great controversy over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The “Selective” push for “Democracy” –hugely expensive both in material and human life costs- is in ruins. In times like these, it is easy to despair. But somehow, for the sake of humanity and the enlightened self interest, the cycle of violence and inflicting inhumanity on each other must be broken. Here the wise words of Martin Luther King rings true as ever, “Sooner or later, all the peoples of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love”.

By now everybody should clearly know that, force begets force; hate begets hate; toughness begets toughness. And it is all a descending spiral, ultimately ending in destruction for all and everybody. All of us collectively must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate and the chain of evil in the universe.

Some pertinent questions at this time in our history are: What now for the Middle East? How can Middle East’s broken heart be healed? How can we, East and West, Muslims, Christians, Jews- All the Children of Abraham- work together for the common good to bring peace, justice, freedom and prosperity for all to the region?

Below are my suggestions:

I believe that, there will be no path to peace in the Middle East without engaging the religious traditions of the region and in turn enabling the faith communities to get behind the process of economic and business development. Many people in the Middle-East and around the world express their highest hopes and aspirations for what it means to be human through religion.

Religion, after all, is a powerful constituent of cultural norms and values, and because it addresses the most profound existential issues of human life (e.g., freedom and inevitability, fear and faith, security and insecurity, right and wrong, sacred and profane), religion is deeply implicated in individual and social conceptions of peace. To transform the conflicts besetting the world today, we need to uncover the conceptions of peace within our diverse religious, spiritual and cultural traditions, while seeking the common ground among them.

The people of the Middle-East have the resources for doing so within the Abrahamic faiths. We have to insist that the lives of an Iraqi civilian, an American or British soldier, an Israeli teenager in a café, and a Palestinian child all carry the same inherent value. Here again we can be inspired by the wisdom of our religions if we note what they say about love and its true meaning and value.

The major religions of the world prescribe the unselfish love and service of others. Only when this love extends to all humanity without exception can a dignified and peaceful human future become possible. God is love and love is God. St. Paul wrote, “Love (agape) is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs” (I Corinthians 13). Judaism teaches that “those who are kind reward themselves” (Proverbs 11:17). The Quran reads, “My mercy and compassion embrace all things” (Quran 7:156). In these and other traditions, unselfish love is deemed a Creative Presence underlying and integral to all of reality, participation in which constitutes the fullest experience of spirituality.

People everywhere, given a chance prefer to be compassionate, spiritual and caring. They want to be able to practice their religions freely. More and more, they also want to see that their religious values have a bearing on their economic systems and structures. This philosophy is nowhere stronger than in the Middle-East, whose people by and large are very spiritual, religious, hospitable, informed and cultural.

They largely do not reject the pivotal values behind a well regulated market economy. Indeed, the Middle-East region throughout the history has been the major area of, and for, business, trade and commerce. They do know that, under the right conditions, a market economy can drive development, decrease poverty, encourage productivity, and reward entrepreneurial energy. Moreover, Great many Muslims everywhere want their societies to be economically and politically compatible with the West, while remaining in social and spiritual terms true to their religious heritage. They want to trigger both the equivalent of a renaissance and a rationalist enlightened movement in the Islamic world. Based on our commonly shared values of love, compassion, justice and progress for the common good, we should be able to formulate a partnership for mutual benefit and development.

However, it is a great tragedy that many so-called modernisers in the region itself, as well as great many specialists/advisors from the West, have misunderstood the people of the Middle-East by forcing upon them a social engineering model that is not in harmony with the region’s culture, civilisation and spirituality. This was very clearly and unquestionably demonstrated in Iran during the 1973-78 period, resulting in the creation of a revolutionary environment and the eventual 1978 Revolution. It would be an affront to humanity if the same mistakes are allowed to happen again. This is why I am suggesting a” theological/spiritual economics” approach to development and modernisation in the Middle- East.

The ethical and spiritual teachings of all religions and their striving for the common good can provide a clear and focused model of moral behaviour in what has been termed “the market place”. The religious and business values and sentiments, such as human dignity, communal solidarity, humility, patience, service, compassion, reciprocity, social justice, equity, efficiency, growth and profit should go together, hand-in-hand, leading to Globalisation for the Common Good, where every one is a winner. We should acknowledge that, the marketplace is not just an economic sphere, but, it is a region of the human spirit, compassion and dignity.

The call for this dialogue is an appeal to the deep instinctive understanding of the common good that all people share. It is an appeal to our essential humanity to deal with some of the most pressing concerns of peoples the world over. Religion has always been a major factor in the growth of human civilisation. Business and wealth creation when they are for a noble reason are blessed and vital for human survival.

As a global citizen, with a deep understanding of both Eastern and Western traditions and values, as well as an economist who has promoted spiritual economics and economics of hope& compassion, I would like to present- Globalisation for the Common Good- as a possible model of engaging with the Middle East, as I believe it to be in great harmony with the tradition of the people of the region.

Globalisation for the Common Good

Globalisation for the Common Good means the promotion of ethical, moral and spiritual values - which are shared by all religions - in the areas of economics, commerce, trade and international relations. It emphasizes personal and societal virtues. It calls for understanding and collaborative action - on the part of civil society, private enterprise, the public sector, governments, and national and international institutions - to address major global issues. Globalisation for the common good is predicated on a global economy of sharing and community, grounded in an economic value system whose aim is generosity and the promotion of a just distribution of the world’s goods, which are divine gifts. Globalisation for the Common Good is not about charity. It is not about collecting money. It is about justice.

THE ESSENTIAL DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALISATION FOR THE COMMON GOOD:

To champion the highest cultural evolutionary values and aspirations of the early 21st century, in full awareness of their strategic interdependence:
Respect for belief in God, Ultimate Reality, or the One, and the right of each person to religious freedom and practice
The investment of spiritual capital
The practice of selfless love
Deep Interreligious and intercultural dialogue and engagement for the common good
Cultures of peace and non-violent conflict resolution
Economic justice, social justice, solidarity, and universal human rights
Ecological sustainability, stewardship, and commitment to an interspecies ethic
Global empowerment of women
The rights of the child
The elimination of global hunger, thirst, preventable disease, and poverty
Cosmopolitanism: the harmony of local, national, and global citizenship.
To seek solutions to the great challenges facing the planetary community:
The estrangement of global North and South
The urgent need for a restructured global economy
The increasing necessity of global public governance
The elucidation of a global ethic identifying the rights and the responsibilities of Earth’s people
The elimination of the scourges of actual and virtual slavery and torture
The creation of sustainable energy policies
The realization of planetary sovereignty by the peoples of the Earth
Cherishing and protection of the global commons
Commitment to service.
To contribute to the creation of a global interdisciplinary agenda for the common good.
Globalisation for the Common Good affirms that economics is, above all, concerned with human well-being and happiness in society and with care for the Earth. This cannot be separated from moral and spiritual considerations. The idea of a “value-free” economics is spurious. It demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be a human being.

We affirm our conviction that genuine interfaith dialogue and cooperation is a significant way of bringing the world together. It is indispensable to the creation of the harmonious global culture needed to build peace, justice, sustainability and prosperity for all. The call for Globalisation for the Common Good is an appeal to our essential humanity. It engages the most pressing concerns of peoples the world over.

Globalisation for the Common Good, by addressing the crises that face us all, empowers us with humanity, spirituality and love. It engages people of different races, cultures and languages, from a wide variety of backgrounds, all committed to bringing about a world in which there is more solidarity and greater harmony. This spiritual ground for hope at this time of wanton destruction of our world, can help us to recall the ultimate purpose of life and of our journey in this world.

Bringing religions and business together for the common good will empower us with humanity, spirituality and love. It will raise us above pessimism to an ultimate optimism; turning from darkness to light; from night to day; from winter to spring. This spiritual ground for hope at this time of wanton destruction of our world, can help us recognise the ultimate purpose of life and of our journey in this world.

Finally, to bring all the above together and to begin the healing process, I recommend the formation of an Economic Forum- Creating a Virtuous Economy: Reconciliation and Reconstruction in the Middle East. A multi-year Economic Forum, developing a Programme of Study of learning and sharing with people of Abrahamic faith traditions to discuss and discover how our religious, spiritual and economic life can contribute to conflict resolution and the development of a lasting peace in the Middle-East.

The Forum will promote its work by bringing different actors and forces together in dialogue for a lasting peace in the Middle East. Workshops, seminars and conferences will be organised. Educational training, consultancy, young people leadership and spirit in business programmes will be initiated.

The Economic Forum’s Main Themes:

The Quest for a lasting Peace: The Wisdom and Inspiration from Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The Conflict Resolution/Prevention and Management: The Interaction of Theology and Economics for the Common Good.

Reconciliation and an Inter/intra-faith Dialogue: Can it happen without Economic Progress and economic Justice?

Enabling, Envisioning and Empowering: Sustainable Development and Long-term Security.

What is the place of violence and non-violence in Abrahamic faiths?

How can the Islamic concepts such as jihad (sacred struggle), sabr (patience), adl (justice), umma (community), sulha (reconciliation) and so on., contribute to the Islamic peace paradigm? What would be the contribution of Islam into the peace-building efforts within Muslim societies and globally?

Globalisation for the Common Good to Heal our Broken World

Business as a Calling: Doing Well by Doing Good

Transforming Leadership: Common Good-Common Ground, Building Commitment and Community

The Role of Education (at all levels, Primary, Secondary and Higher) in Promotion of Culture of Peace and Non-violent Conflict Resolution: Religious and Economics teachings that encourage Resolution of Conflicts.

Bringing East and West together for the Common Good: A Dialogue between Ibn –Khaldun and Adam Smith

With a great hope to achieve an enduring peace with justice in the Middle East.

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Kamran Mofid, a British Citizen of Persian origin, Founder, An Inter-faith Perspective on Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative; and the Co-editor, Journal of Globalisation for the Common Good. He was awarded a doctorate in economics from the University of Birmingham, U.K in 1986. In 2001 he received a Certificate in Education in Pastoral Studies from Plater College in Oxford.

Dr. Mofid’s work is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on Economics, Politics, International Relations, Theology, Culture, Ecology and Spirituality. His writings have appeared in leading scholarly journals, popular magazines and newspapers.

His most recent book, Promoting the Common Good: Bringing Economics and Theology Together Again (With Rev. Dr. Marcus Braybrooke-2005) was published by Shepheard-Walwyn, London. Mofid’s other books includes: Globalisation for the Common Good (2002), The Economic Consequences of the Gulf War (1990) and Development Planning in Iran: from Monarchy to Islamic Republic (1987)

Web sites:
http://www.globalisationforthecommongood.info/ http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/jgcg