Globalization and
Religion: Some Reflections
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By Chandra Muzaffar |
19/06/2002
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It was religion that first espoused the idea of the
oneness of humankind. As globalization drives humankind towards some sort of
interdependent world the voice and vision of religion has all but faded into
oblivion.
The religious vision of the unity of humanity has little
to do with globalization. The motives and goals of globalization, however, are
based on the process by which capital, goods, services and sometimes labor crosses
national borders acquiring a transnational character. A flow of ideas, tastes
and values accompany them helping to reshape the image of the world to a world
that will eventually be one global system and one global unity.
Globalization
Globalization involves complete economic liberalization
i.e., opening doors to big businesses. Transnational corporations are at the
forefront. Governments create an environment that is as conducive as possible
to its growth of business. Regional groupings like APEC, GATT and WTO are
totally committed to the same goal.
The nexus between big business, governments and regional
and international institutions to create an environment for globalization is
not an accident. It has historic roots in colonization, hence why the dominant
forces are based in the West.
Nonetheless, it would be wrong to describe globalization
today as a replica of the Western colonial experience. This is because one of
the centers of power is based in
In other words, globalization is not a process of capital,
goods and tastes flowing from certain centers to the rest of the world. While
there are certain centers of control in the West, there is a reverse flow, as
well as other flows at different levels.
It is this complex process we should evaluate from a
religious perspective.
Positive aspects of globalization
1.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has helped to reduce
poverty by creating jobs and improving incomes.
2.
The expansion of trade and foreign investment has
accelerated social mobility and strengthened the middle class.
3.
New communications and information technology have helped
disseminate knowledge in many fields of study and disciplines.
4.
Communication is cheaper and easier. Costs of telephone
calls as well as travel have fallen.
5.
This makes it easier to understand one another.
Communities although heterogeneous, can be more cooperative now that are more
means of understanding each other.
6.
Globalization makes it possible for humanity to have
compassion for each other when calamities – natural or man-made – affect
others.
7.
Issues such as human rights and public accountability are
brought to the fore.
8.
The rights of women are highlighted and the problems many
women face are now addressed.
9.
All of these are conducive to religious teachings.
Negative aspects of globalization
1.
Environmental degradation due to unrestrained logging
activities of transnational corporations whose sole aim is to multiply profits.
2.
Although poverty has been reduced to a certain extent, new
economic disparities have been created. There are stark regional disparities in
poverty.
3.
Basic necessities in life are set aside in favor of
profits. Many countries in the South have been occupied with facilitating
foreign investment in industries that are lucrative to foreign markets and
forsaking the most fundamental needs of the people.
4.
Globalization aids the removal of national controls over
cross-border financial flows. Dramatic outflows of capital from one country to
another have caused havoc in some currencies, particularly in
5.
Advances in technology
aggravated by the outflow of capital to low cost production sites in the South
has caused growing unemployment in the North, which is an affront to
human dignity.
6.
Globalization has popularized the consumer culture.
Consumerism has given birth to materialism where people are more interested in
what they have rather than the essential aspects of humanity.
7.
Global consumerism is now forming a homogeneous global
culture where indigenous cultures of the South are being replaced by Western
cultures.
8.
The global entertainment industry is propagating a
superficial American pop culture, which titillates the senses and deadens the
spirit.
9.
Formal education systems are emphasizing technical and
managerial skills responding to market demands and leaving aside traditional
academic subjects. This means that education is nothing more than acquiring
specific skills and techniques and less emphasis on moral education.
10.
Although the IT boom has given rise to an expanse of
information there is a lot of information that is useless and meaningless
causing people to be pre-occupied with trivia.
11.
Double standards are present in the human rights aspect of
the present world where they are used as part of Western governments’ foreign
policy but only when it suits them.
12.
Globalization has internationalized crime of all kinds.
13.
Like crime, disease is more rampant throughout the world
making the spread difficult to control.
Challenge
In reflecting on the credit and debit sides of
globalization we find that whatever good has come out of it is actually a
by-product. The very motive – maximizing profit – is responsible for its ills.
Globalization may well be one of the most serious challenges ever to the
integrity of human civilization.
Strategy
How does one deal with this challenge?
Since religion and culture hold some positive aspects it
is important that it is not completely rejected. Ethics and moral standards
should be injected into some economic activities as a short-term and
medium-term strategy. The market should be regulated by ethical principles.
The challenge for Islamic thinkers and thinkers of other
religions is to devise ethical economically-sound policies built into the
globalization process that are in keeping with religion.
Long Run
The economic dimensions of globalization are not the only
factors that need reconsidering.
Culture should be guided by moral universal values whereby
a strong ethic of restraint is within one culture is applied to prevent the
dominance of another culture.
The internationalization of the ethical values within the
consciousness of the individual and the community is the only real hope for
humanity. It is almost impossible to effectively censor all information through
the Internet, satellite, etc. The individual who derives his/her value-system
from religion will be guided by time-honored principles of what is right and
wrong.
To decide on the basis of Divine ethics one must be deeply
conscious of his/her relationship with God. A God-conscious society would act
against injustices and do so out of a deep sense of awareness of their position
as God’s representatives on earth. Such individuals are the real antidotes to
the ill effects of globalization.
Religion
For such individuals and societies to emerge, there must
be a real transformation. It should be a long-term struggle but beginning with
our own religion. Justice, love and compassion that are part of all religions
should propel goodness rather than form, ritual and symbol.
To the benefit of religion certain aspects of
globalization have made it easier to transfer the all-embracing message of
religion. For the first time in history we have the opportunity to convey to
humankind as a whole the universal essence of each of our religions. Instead of
allowing narrow-minded bigots to monopolize the airwaves, why shouldn’t men and
women with a universal outlook state their case through the global media
infrastructure?
Societies are becoming less exclusive and more
multi-religious. It is as if the social reality is forcing us to get rid of our
exclusive attitudes and develop a universal orientation that is more
accommodating to the other.
Perhaps this is the path that nations must take for a
universal community founded upon a common humanity. It is a community that
globalization will never be able to achieve. Perhaps this we will understand
what the illustrious mystic, Jallaluddin Ar-Rumi, meant when he wrote, “The lamps are different but
the light is the same.”