Managing Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation in the Islamic World

Abstract

The Centre for Poverty and Development Studies (CPDS), Faculty of Economics
and Administration, University of Malaya, hosted an international
conference, “Managing Sustainable Development and PovertyAlleviation in
the IslamicWorld,” on 14-15 October 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This
event attracted around 100 participants and eighteen presenters.
The thematic foci reflected the understanding that the Islamic world
exhibits significant and disturbing variations in its levels and magnitudes of
socioeconomic development, poverty incidence and prevalence, income distribution
patterns, literacy, employment, and economic growth.As these are
inconsistent with Islam’s principles and ethics of distributive justice and
equity, unity, and social responsibility, Muslim researchers and concerned
individuals must join the quest to devise concerted and collaborative Islamic
solutions to the challenges of sustainable development, as well as of poverty
alleviation and eradication, in the Islamic world.
Within an Islamic framework, the presenters analyzed poverty as a
socioeconomic phenomenon from multiple perspectives. One perspective
justifies the instrumentality of empowerment in overcoming poverty in
Islamic societies. As the poor are powerless, the universal principles of
equality and justice imply a more equitable power distribution in society,
and collective social action implies consultation strategies to resolve social
imperfections. InMalaysia’s three poverty-focused organizations, empowerment
was analyzed using a framework of determinants, including trusting
the organizer, local working culture, participants behaving like friends, the
government’s role, importance of the organization, belief in and trusting the
organization, and roles at all levels. It was established that individuals, the
community, and the organization widely acknowledge empowerment as a
significant determinant for success ...