Eight years after the events of Sept 11, 2001 attacks, the West still think of Islam as a threat. West is still concerned about the existence of groups of Islamic extremists and Muslims considered backward and easy to accept it raw what their religious leaders. But the West forget that the rise of extremism is not always directly related to religious doctrine, but mostly because of the injustice done the Western countries to Muslim countries and social issues rooted in economic issues, such as economic regulation that inhibits the development of entrepreneurial, isolation of a community society from the global economy, limited employment opportunities, minimal service and hope for the future better.
According to Vali Nasr, a professor of politics at Tufts University, USA, when viewed as a risk factor for the emergence of extremism, issues of social inequality and injustice should be addressed to prevent the emergence of extremism itself. And there is hope that change, particularly in the Islamic world who had been accused as the birth place of fertile Muslim extremists as the trend of increasingly large number of the "middle class" among the Muslim communities around the world.
This middle class, says Nasr in his book that will soon be published "Forces of Fortune: The Rise of a New Muslim Middle Class and What it Means for Our World", showed an improvement of the social side and the economy in the world of Islam. Though Nasr, itself acknowledges the existence of this middle-class society is not guaranteed and the only solution to scrape out extremism to its roots.
Since a long time, writes Nasr, the Muslim community living standards in many parts of the Islamic world's decline. Age population increased even more pressing economic growth rate was low. An estimate says, in the year 2020 the Arab world to provide 100 million jobs, but the prospects for meeting the needs that are not too bright. The unemployment rate remained high and those who are less fortunate just to get a job or be rude clerks. Social Mobiltas faltered, at the same time ektrimisme develop into anger and despair. The children are restless young Muslims turned to radicalism was more to give meaning to their daily lives. This condition is even more alarming because of the same parents desperate to give "blessing" of the involvement of their sons in the radical movement.
Nasr had met with a father in Pakistan who said, "Let my son be martyred. No one can expect him in here. There's no future there. At least, if he dies in a jihad, he will give honor to his family."
In the midst of despair that, there is a change in Muslim countries such as Turkey, Dubai, Malaysia and even in Egypt, the West Bank and Pakistan itself. These countries began to make space for discourse and the leniency of global trade is exploited by the businessmen and the local businessman to develop their business and make a profit. From here, Nasr writes, began to appear among the new middle class in the Islamic duia. If in the 1960s, in countries such as Turkey, Iran or Pakistan does not average more than a third of the population living in urban areas and on average only six percent of the population of that country into a middle-class category.
But now, almost 2 / 3 the population of these countries live in urban areas and the number of middle class doubled. If the definition of middle class includes those with fixed incomes and can spend a third of its revenues to needs outside of basic needs, then the number of middle class in Pakistan for example, reaches 15 percent of the total population and the country's middle class in Turkey reached 30 percent of the total population. This percentage will increase if the expanded definition of middle class with those who apply modern values in the family, for example, just want to invest a little anakdan living needs in the future. In Iran, the number of middle class in this definition link is expected to reach 60 percent of the total population.
For one reason, this middle income group representing a hope for improving the condition of society and a powerful weapon to erode ektrimisme. Although there are still question whether the middle class is not precisely be one of supporting extremism, learn from the case of the September 11 attacks precisely 2001dimana some suspects come from middle-class Muslim groups. Common problems that occur in the Islamic world until then, said Nasr, a Muslim group of middle-level economy is not directly related to changes in the market and it can be done in case of local capital growth and integration with world economy. He considered, now, the country Turkey is one country that successfully combines Muslim democracy with an integrated global economy.
Along with the increasing number of middle-class communities in the Islamic world, new needs will arise Islamic economic system that combines the traditional and moderate system, where they can take advantage of the liberal capitalist system. Muslims are now increasingly concerned about the halal food products and economic transactions that do not conflict with Islamic teachings. This condition is increasingly closer to the Islamic world with the global economy. Though still small in a matter, there are now nearly 300 Islamic banks and investment companies operating in 75 countries. Islamic banking industry and the Islamic bond market continued to show an increasing trend and is expected in the next 2015 years assetnya reach 4 trillion dollars.
The problem, the number of Muslims who still live in the limitations and of lower social classes are still much more. Middle-class groups as well as most of the bureaucracy is dependent of the state salary. This condition, according to Nasr, was still a chance of ektrimisme of middle-class society. But the extremists appear rather to sense their anger and kekritisian of Western policies that have caused misery everywhere, including in some Muslim countries.
Nasr writes in his book, the West so far has shown great ambition to maintain its interests in the Middle East region. But actually, the West itself has little real business in the region. West largest businesses in the Middle East and the sale of oil only weapon. U.S. has made free trade agreements with Jordan and Morocco, but the deal was still not comparable when compared with the number of products that Arab countries may enter the United States.
Thus, Nasr said, if the Muslim countries will not fully implement the values of moderate and capitalist, it was not because of fundamentalist views that the West always been associated with Islam. But because Western economic policies are still at least crippled and class groups "traders" who were given access to lead the process in that direction.
To encourage a revolution in the Muslim middle class, according to Nasr, the West should help the economies of Muslim countries from the grip of the state. Governments in Muslim countries also need to uphold the rule of law, perform checks and balances, open access for foreign investment inflows mempelancar goods and resources and minimize regulation. On the other hand, the West also must open its markets to the widest possible for products from Muslim countries and ensure that Western investments in the Islamic world is to support the change.
Nasr further stated, these changes take a long time, but not impossible as long as rich countries in the world to build an honest cooperation and mutual benefit with the "middle class" in the Islamic world and goodwill to help improve their welfare. (ln / NW)
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