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Globalization
and Religion: Some Reflections
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By
Chandra Muzaffar
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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 Japan. Other centers of control in Northeast
and Southeast Asia are emerging.
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
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Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) has helped to reduce poverty by creating
jobs and improving incomes.
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The
expansion of trade and foreign investment has accelerated social
mobility and strengthened the middle class.
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New
communications and information technology have helped
disseminate knowledge in many fields of study and disciplines.
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Communication
is cheaper and easier. Costs of telephone calls as well as
travel have fallen.
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This
makes it easier to understand one another. Communities
although heterogeneous, can be more cooperative now that are
more means of understanding each other.
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Globalization
makes it possible for humanity to have compassion for each other
when calamities – natural or man-made – affect others.
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Issues
such as human rights and public accountability are brought to
the fore.
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The
rights of women are highlighted and the problems many women face
are now addressed.
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All
of these are conducive to religious teachings.
Negative
aspects of globalization
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Environmental
degradation due to unrestrained logging activities of
transnational corporations whose sole aim is to multiply
profits.
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Although
poverty has been reduced to a certain extent, new economic
disparities have been created. There are stark regional
disparities in poverty.
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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.
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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
Southeast Asia.
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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.
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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.
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Global
consumerism is now forming a homogeneous global culture where
indigenous cultures of the South are being replaced by Western
cultures.
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The
global entertainment industry is propagating a superficial
American pop culture, which titillates the senses and deadens
the spirit.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Globalization
has internationalized crime of all kinds.
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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.”
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