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of the received knowledge. The anthropological approach allows for the gradation of insiders, and to see different levels of inclusion of the researcher in the studied community.
Author of the abstract - N. Ginesina
2017.02.021. AZIZ NIYAZI. IDEALS OF "AL-VASATYIA" EXERCISE FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT // "Islam v Sovremennom Mire", Moscow, 2016, Vol. 12, № 3, P. 235-252.
Keywords: al-vasatyia, globalism, Islamic economy, world system crisis, neoliberalism, Russia, social and environmental problems, sustainable development, economic security.
Aziz Niyazi,
PhD (History), Senior Researcher, Center for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Ural-Volga Region, Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS
The author analyzes the trends in the formation of advanced ideas and practices of economic, social, environmental and cultural nature through the prism of the fundamental problems of global development. He believes that, first of all, these trends are formed within the framework of the concept of sustainable development, created by UNDP specialists (the United Nations Development Program), as well as in the theory of Islamic economics, based on the Koranic Covenant on justice and moderation in all human relations. These models are alternative to the radical postulates of the neoliberal system of capitalism in many respects and provide guidance for the establishment of a new development paradigm.
The author notes that the manifestations of the global systemic crisis began to be traced back in the last century. It was then, that the world system of the consumer society was formed,
and a materialistic worldview spread that placed economic and social interest above universal morality. At the same time man imagined himself to be the king of Nature. The mass consumer attitude toward life coincided with a rapid growth in the number of non-believers in the last century.
Mankind has rejected the idea of the divinity of the universe, as well as religious morals and ethics. A blind faith in the omnipotence of man and scientific and technological progress has led to the fact that homo sapiens began to rearrange the world according to his schemes, each of them considered to be correct by the adepts. As a result, there were colossal human and natural losses.
Global instability, covering all spheres of human life, is steadily increasing in recent years. The instability of the world energy and financial systems is increasing, militarization is increasing, cultural development and rapprochement of peoples are being thrown back, and serious social and environmental problems are aggravated. In general, the most serious crisis arose in international political and economic relations.
The growing instability of the world system is caused by a number of reasons, but first of all it is connected with a radical attempt to implant the geopolitical and geo-economic model of the world free market into the body of the modern civilization. Since the late 1970s, neoliberal theory and practice have been built on the basis of economic models of the U.S. and Great Britain mainly, and then the countries of the "big seven" followed in their fairways. They seek to consolidate their own economic institutions, jurisprudence and economic practices in the rest of the world up to this day. "Market fundamentalism" is based on the belief that a supranational free world market can solve all the pressing problems of mankind. "Civilization of business" enjoys the military-political protection of the U.S. and its closest partners.
International financial institutions, controlled by them, such as the IMF, the World Bank and a number of other influential
institutions, strongly recommend joining the neo-liberal competition in exchange for assistance to Developing Countries. Those who resist the rule of the natural advantages, enlisted in the enemy camp. The author recalls that initially the neoliberal economic doctrine meant a phased release of the markets of leading economies from the guardianship of the state and from social obligations, as well as the establishment of a new world monetary and financial system. Over time, this project has significantly transformed into a kind of philosophy of development of world civilization. Supporters of the project began to accelerate the reconstruction of the world as soon as the Soviet system was shaken. "Shock therapy", prescribed for the post-Soviet economy, has shown much more stringent reforms than those practiced earlier in other countries. An attempt to force the spread of the neo-liberal project otherwise of globalism followed the collapse of the socialist camp around the planet. Neo-liberal tools were used in the war-ravaged Iraq and Afghanistan after the introduction of the coalition troops there. As a result, the long-term socio-economic and political crises were received. The system based on the erosion of national markets, the neglect of social obligations, unrestrained consumption and accelerated economic growth has generated a critical mass of global socio-economic, cultural, environmental and military problems over the past two decades.
Mainly European countries led by the U.S. and the international financial institutions continue to build relationships with the "second" and the "third" world in the mainstream of the globalist project, contrary to common sense. Countries and credit and investment organizations which form the core of neoliberal capitalism give advice to others which often disprove their own socio-economic practices. The proposed formula for progress for the rest basically comes down to radical steps to privatize state property, minimize state presence in the economy, state social obligations and abolish protectionist measures. It is strongly recommended to follow the rules of monetarism of the dominant
speculative monetary and financial system. Export orientation is encouraged, first of all - the raw materials.
The author believes, based on the available experience, that the implementation of a full set of such councils leads to the opposite from the expected results, cause the processes of their rejection by active social layers and politicians expressing their moods. The rejection of imposed reforms that contain a real threat to social and cultural values of the peoples is accompanied by a revival of left-wing ideology, right-wing conservatism, religious and national movements. Sometimes they radicalized significantly. The growth of radicalism in recent years is noticeable all over the world, including Europe, and its spectrum is expanding. Many modern fundamentalist movements from peaceful to militant ones arise as a response to market fundamentalism.
It is often perceived not only as an economic neocolonialism, but also as a cultural, or rather anti-cultural. National cultures, traditions in the design of the world market civilization are ignored, and even considered as obstacles on the way to it. The production basis of modern transnational capitalism needs the formation of a corresponding superstructure in the form of a world society of unrestrained consumption. The type of "new man", which is called «homo economicus», multiplies in this environment. He is accustomed to think in economic categories mainly, loses his individuality and social ties, hardly understands the culture of his ancestors, past and present cultural values of other peoples, often perceives them as archaic vestiges. Naturally, the masses of such one-dimensional workaholics and consumers are easily manageable in the right direction.
The idea of the global democratization, preached by neo-liberals, is subordinated to the economic tasks of the super-free market in reality and is used as a political tool for its dissemination and selectively. The export of democracy does not extend to allied authoritarian and even obviously despotic,
regimes. The neoliberal system has considerable political, economic and military power. There is an active search for another value and technological paradigm of development, designed to change the consumer attitude to life on the conscious saving of the surrounding world and the human essence in a human being. Serious disruptions in the life of societies are caused by the depletion of ecosystems with intensive consumption of resources. Many socio-economic models, whether developed or developing countries, are beginning to lose perspective. The author believes that the concept of sustainable development worked out by UNDP experts is a unifying antithesis to the neoliberal project. It is gaining the increasing international recognition in recent years, and its individual projects are already beginning to be realized.
The key principle of the concept is the need to balance economic, social and environmental well-being. The scheme of mutually supportive socio-natural evolution through the approval of lean socio-economic models for regulating production and consumption, the introduction of alternative energy, resource-saving and clean technologies, which is commonly referred to as the "green economy", is proposed. It is very important that the new views on the world economic and political system, the role of the state and the market, awareness and education, are formed around this basic goal, the problems of social responsibility of business, and local government are resolved. Serious attention is paid to the issues of support and development of culture, preservation of the traditional spiritual values, their role in approving new vectors of progress.
The Islamic heritage can give a lot of useful on the way out of the global systemic crisis. Millions of Muslims aspire to the main ethical appeals to the teachings of Islam - justice and moderation. Many retain such cultural and psychological attitudes as responsibility for the spiritual and physical health of man, for the present and the future. Islamic doctrine condemns greed and parasitism, unnecessary risks, fosters diligence.
The author emphasizes that recently Quranic precepts about the careful attitude to the surrounding world attracts increasing attention. More and more Muslim social and environmental organizations are emerging, contributing to the common cause of human and nature protection, the number of Islamic ecological Internet resources is growing, and serious works on the theory and practice of sustainable development in the Muslim world are beginning to be published.
Summarizing the main trends in the system of coordinates of the world sustainable development for the foreseeable future, the author believes, it is necessary to single out the planned forced abandonment of the priority of economic growth over social development and environmental safety.
Changes are brewing in the socio-political structures, there is a correction in the direction of inter balance of interests of personality and society in the preservation and dissemination of the basic values of democracy and human rights in the Western and Eastern models of social organization. Russia trustingly followed the rules of the neoliberal globalist project until recently, not quite aware of its own role. But its statehood was strengthened at the same time and consistent defense of their natural interests provoked a strong reaction from the West. But its statehood was strengthened at the same time and consistent defense of their natural interests provoked a strong reaction from the West. However, the pressure of the so-called civilized West is good for Russia. It only speeds up the revision of the goals and methods of development. Most likely, they will have to bring in line with the overall global objectives for the release of a global systemic crisis.
Now there is a tendency to strengthen state regulation and planning of social and economic development in Russia. Movement towards economic stability includes:
Temporary freezing of the process of denationalization of strategic sectors of the economy and privatization of key state assets; The introduction of protectionist measures to protect
economic security, the state monopoly on the use of natural resources; State support of investment and innovation activity; Strengthening administrative responsibility for achieving the set goals, as well as the introduction of currency control norms in order to restrict the export of capital and neutralize speculative attacks against the national currency.
Such steps do not at all threaten the preservation of private property and are not aimed at self-isolation from the world market. They are necessary to keep major sectors of the national economy under control, and to create the financial and industrial mechanism to improve the efficiency of state regulation and socially useful returns from the market system. These measures contribute to the diversification of the economy, its orientation to the domestic market and the increase of competitiveness on the external one.
The development of tools to reduce the inflationary component of economic growth and the transition from a monetarist policy of containing a money supply to a full-fledged banking and financial-investment system occupies an important place in the macroeconomic strategy. It should save the Russian economy from a rigid link to servicing the needs of the world market and the interests of foreign creditors, as well as to meet monetary demand in the real sector of the economy, to expand the purchasing power of consumers.
The Islamic banking system attracts more attention of Russian specialists and the public. It is likely that the testing of Islamic banking will begin within the framework of one of Russia's financial institutions. It is not excluded that the Russian Islamic Bank will start full-fledged work in the future. Islamic banks operate not only in countries with predominantly Muslim populations, but also in Europe, the United States, Australia, Canada, India, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the Bahamas, in more than 70 countries.
The world financial system that has developed in recent decades is unfairly subjected to increasing criticism from many
economists, including Muslim ones. The author notes that it is isolated from the economy that provides real goods and services. Colossal short-term speculative transactions allow someone to make huge profits without producing a product. The natural connection between finance and the real economy is lost, which in turn leads to unpredictability of the development of world markets. This situation does not match one of the most important principles in the theory of Islamic Economics, according to which business income without the cost of productive resources -labour, material, natural and other - is regarded as unjust.
The author proposes to consider the theory and practice of the Islamic economy as an integral part of the growing popularity of the ethical economy in the world, as some part of the «new, third way», and pay attention to the concept of the median way, developed by Islamic scientists, and known as «al-vasatyia» that covers the important aspects of Muslim life, beginning with theology, law, issues of freedom, responsibility and up to the economy, education and enlightenment. Islamic doctrine does not reject the market economy as such, but requires reasonable and fair regulation. It puts the limits of market society of unlimited consumption, calls for moderation and harmony with the surrounding world, looking for an alternative to destructive «civilization of business». The author suggests calling this alternative "green". Green is the color of life, nature, peace and security, the path to salvation, and it symbolizes resurrection, renewal, hope, wisdom.
A careful and respectful attitude to man and Nature, to harmony between them is laid in Islam. Its sacred color is green. Green color also symbolizes the path to sustainable development, a modern socio-ecological movement, striving for a balanced co-evolution of man and nature. Guidelines for sustainable development and Islamic Economics are complementary to each other and valuable in the development of the new world in their own way. The author hopes that Russia will take a worthy place in it.
Author of the abstract - E. Dmitrieva
