The second meeting of the series of meetings called “Compassionate Ummah” entitled as “Study of Economic Strategies to Achieve Unity and Convergence of Islamic Denominations and the Formation of Islamic Countries Union” with the presence of Hujjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimin Dr. Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam (former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, head of the Infrastructure and Production Commission of The Expediency Discernment Council and member of Assembly of Experts of the Leadership), Dr. Meysam Mousaei (Professor of Social Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, and head of the Scientific Association of Islamic Economics), Dr. Mohammad Reza Seyyed Nourani (Professor at Allameh Tabatabaei University and Senior Advisor of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly), and Dr. Minoo Kiani Rad (Lecturer in Financial Management and former Deputy of the Central Bank), was held in the World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.
The Interactions of Islamic Countries Increases Economic Ties
Gholam Reza Mesbahi Moghaddam, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated at the beginning of the meeting: “What can create economic ties between Islamic countries is the interactions of countries with each other; If you look at the relations of the countries of the world, you see that they are connected in parallel.”
He added: “Scholars and intellectuals of the Islamic world should do something to increase the relations between Islamic countries with each other, by increasing these relations, they can gradually increase trade between themselves, and as a result, increasing trade between Islamic countries leads to an increase in investment and it causes the growth and development of Islamic countries.”
Mesbahi Moghaddam added: “The issue of poverty in the Islamic world is one of the other economic issues, but measures have been taken to combat poverty in Islamic countries by setting up a fund to help the poor and educating children and health in those countries. It should be said that health and education for children are two basic components that Islamic countries can do to save Muslims from absolute poverty. It should be noted that we need to increase such funds in the Islamic world today.”
The member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was established because Islamic countries should be united and pursue common goals according to the needs of each country. Today the best place for unification of Islamic Countries is the Organization of Islamic Cooperation which has some affiliations. Of course, we saw that some Islamic countries did not adhere to the principles of this organization and joined hands with the Zionist regime and tarnished unity in the Islamic world.
Fighting Poverty is One of the Main Tasks of Islamic Countries
Continuing the meeting, Mohammad Reza Seyyed Nourani, Professor of Economics at Allameh Tabatabai University, said: “Today, the duty of Muslim nations is to establish serious interaction with other Islamic countries so as not to allow other countries to use their conditions.”
In this regard, he added: “The great powers of the world are always looking to create problems among Islamic countries and take full advantage of these conditions because they know very well that Islamic countries have very rich God-given resources; We hope that the diplomacy of the Islamic countries will be such that they will be benefitted by each other economically. It should be said that with this event, their unity and relations will be stronger than before.
Seyyed Nourani stated: “If the issue of business is promoted among Muslim nations, issues such as sanctions, etc. can be resolved with the help of each other; Today, it is the duty of Islamic countries to exchange knowledge and meet their needs; So we need to know that these issues only happen with joint ventures.”
Professor of Economics at Allameh Tabatabai University acknowledged: “We have a debate in the world as Islamic micro-financing and it means the mechanism of providing various financial services to low-income groups; These people usually have a low position in the society and are not considered by banks and other financial institutions, so one of the appropriate solutions for people close to the poverty line is that poor people by joining groups of twenty to thirty people as a group guarantee each other. In this way, the process of granting financial facilities will be more easily realized for the vulnerable groups.
He continued: “The duty of Islamic countries is to take a serious way to alleviate poverty. Of course, it must be said that governments must provide the path of poverty alleviation in society and act as a catalyst to gradually eradicate poverty from society.”
Seyyed Nourani pointed out that there should be institutions that employ the poor so that they can get rich by working, and this wealth production should be distributed fairly among the poor, he said: “For example, Islamic countries can create ways to study the problems of the poor and solve them so that poverty is eliminated from Islamic societies in general.
Emphasis on the Common Language of Islamic Countries
Minoo Kiani Rad, the former Deputy of the Central Bank, said: “Unless there is a common language among Islamic countries, the synergy of wealth in Islamic societies will not increase. It should be said that government officials and experts can make a list of what Islamic countries need to find out what economic problems each of these countries is facing; It is very important that in addition to investing together, countries should pay attention to the political, economic, geopolitical structure of countries in order to gain wealth.”
She mentioned a list of measures that lead to economic convergence and said: “Common language, common understanding, bilateral and multilateralism of Islamic countries with each other, creating a common monetary fund, etc. are among these measures.”
Kiani Rad stated: “Whether we like it or not, the shadow of politics and economics has its effects on the relations between countries. This policy can be both on the right path and on the wrong path, like the rule of Imam Ali (AS) in which politics in that time was on the right track.”
The former Deputy of the Central Bank continued: “Today, cultural barriers among Islamic countries must be removed and countries must take joint actions, even in part; We should know that in this direction, the use of the people of the society can be very effective, of course, the rules and regulations for establishing relations with other countries are somewhat obstructive, so a network of facilitating laws and regulations must be created so that relying on them those countries be able to communicate with each other.”
Kiani Rad acknowledged: “If Islamic countries use the ‘society without poverty’ as the slogan of this year, and propose its solutions, they will achieve very good results in this field.”
She added: “When we talk about poverty in Islamic society, we should also examine its roots and offer solutions in this field that are accompanied by respect for human self-esteem and dignity. The poor should not be downgraded in Islamic society and we have to deal with the poverty in different ways; The Grameen Bank of Bangladesh and the Women’s Bank of Pakistan are great examples of this being used jointly by Islamic countries as an idea.”
Kiani Rad stated: “In the path of economic convergence of Islamic countries, the discussion of culture and education is very important. If we know each other’s language, we can trust each other better, and that trust will cause more convergence in all fields, especially the economy.”
Increasing Scientific Interactions of Islamic Countries Leads to Economic Convergence
Meysam Mousaei, head of the Scientific Association of Islamic Economics, said at the meeting: “In Islamic Countries, there is a lot of potential and resources for economic convergence. In some Islamic Countries, there are sanctions, so the base of works should be in a way that we use the scientific aspect of those practices. For example, our country, as one of the Islamic countries, should invest more in the private sector and interact with other countries and non-governmental organizations.”
Mousaei added: “To eliminate poverty, we must look for models in which poverty does not exist and is not part of the essence of society; It should be said that in the capitalist system, the distribution of poverty is accepted because of the measures such as insurance, etc. that are intended for the people, but according to religious texts, we should not allow poverty to be created. Human being has dignity and has the right to have job and make a living through it.”
He added: “Poverty is not appropriate for the Islamic society and the distribution of income should be such that wealth is distributed fairly among the people of the society as much as possible, so it is necessary to review the set of regulations of the countries.”
“Sometimes, with a simple scientific connection, the world can be changed. Today, we must increase our scientific interaction with Islamic countries, and we must know that with this move, we can easily communicate even with non-Muslim countries,” Mousaei said.
The head of Scientific Association of Islamic Economics said at the end: “The only way to reduce poverty in the Islamic society is not to let tensions arise between Islamic countries. This is the most important thing that strengthens relations in order to reduce these tensions and insist on unity.”
It is worth mentioning that on the threshold of Unity Week and the 35th International Islamic Unity Conference, the World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought intends to hold meetings called “Compassionate Ummah” in which professors and experts from Hawzah and universities will review the subjects of the 35th International Islamic Unity Conference, as well as the work entitled as “The Unified Islamic Ummah” and the Union of Islamic Countries”, which was written and presented by the Secretary General of the World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, Hujjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimin Dr. Hamid Shahriari.
According to the plan, these meetings will be held every week on Tuesday at 17:30 and simultaneously, will be live broadcasted from the conference website (www.iuc.taqrib.ir) and the Information Systems of the World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought.
