7 PRINCIPLES OF ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BASED ON MIB

I am honoured to have my article published in The Brunei Times daily today, while I am here in Brunei.

The title of the article is "Seven Principles of Islamic Development Based on Malay Islam Monarchy (MIB)". It expresses my conviction that the Brunei's State Philosophy, the MIB, is a fertile ground for a realization of a holistic Islam, including in development.

But to ensure a more systematic endeavors for this, the long term development planning Brunei Vision 2035 is proposed to have seven Islamic-based principles relating to its mold (Islamic worldview), actor (servants and vicegerent of God), time scale (past, present and forthcoming worlds), framework (fard ain), methodology (ibadah), means (natural resources), and ultimate aim (pleasure of God, mardhatillah).

Similar idea was also presented in my paper at The 5th International Conference on Borneo Islam 2012 today. The title of the paper is "The Principles of Islamic-Based Development: A Theoretical Proposal for Malay Islam Monarchy (MIB) in Brunei Darussalam.

I AM IN BRUNEI

Alhamdulillah, landed at Brunei airport safely this evening, together with three other ISDEV members (Dr Fadzila Azni Ahmad and husband, Dr Zahri Hamat and Dr Mohd Shukri Hanapi).

The main aim is to participate in The 5th International Conference on Borneo Islam (KAIB V) 2012, co-organized by Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan (KUPU SB) and Universiti Teknologi MARA Sarawak. Simultaneously, there would also be meetings to establish research networking with Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UDB), and to develop relationship with The Brunei Times.

The first programme tonight was a dinner with Tuan Haji Bujang and Azrina Abdul Karim, the Chief Editor and Managing Editor of The Brunei Times respectively.

Dinner with the Chief Editor and  Managing Editor of The Brunei Times daily, Tuan Haji Bujang (middle) and Azrina Abdul Karim (right) respectively

Delegates from ISDEV with Tuan Haji Bujang and Azrina at our accommodation, Palm Garden Hotel

PHOTOS IN YOGYAKARTA

Book shopping at Social Agency, Jl Kaliurang KM 8.5 No 25 YK

Arriving Yogyakarta airport, received by Pak Fudail (1st left)

With the organizers: Dr Priyonggo Suseno (left) of the Universitas Islam Indonesia and Prof Abdul Ghafar Ismail (right) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Some of the participants

Participants from ISDEV (L-R): Dr Nor Asmat Ismail, myself and Dr Zakaria Bahari

Workshop in progress

Public `newspapers display' at an avenue near our Mutiara Hotel

THE ZAKAT MANAGEMENT HICCUPS

I am in Yogyakarta since the 18th of June, participating in The Third International Workshop on Islamic Economic Theory themed Islamic Public Wealth Management, organized by Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII), with the cooperation of EKONIS of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

The title of my paper is "Organizational and Definitional Reconfiguration of Zakat Management". It attempts to explore the problems of the hiccups in the zakat management in Malaysia. I observe that there are two types of hiccup, viz, the organizational hiccup and the definitional hiccup.

The organizational hiccup refers to the hiccup entailed firstly from the over-paternalistic attitude of some of the State Islamic Religious Councils (SIRCs), secondly the problems of centralization versus decentralization, and thirdly the problems of professionalism (especially in the zakat collection dealt with by zakat management centres) versus traditionalism (especially in the zakat distribution dealt with by the SIRCs) in the zakat management system.

The definitional hiccup refers to the hiccup created by the usage of unredefined concepts related to zakat. For instance, zakat is said to have been able to alleviate poverty, but the concept of poverty itself is not redefined according to Islamic teaching. Instead, it remains as a western ethno-centric concepts with western ethno-centric indicators and measurements.The end product therefore is being viewed from that western ethno-centric eyes, even though the instrument is an Islamic institution called zakat.

Both the organizational and definitional hiccups have to be reconfigured accordingly. The former by balancing the centralization with the decentralization (through localization approach) and traditionalism with professionalism. The later by developing authentic Islamic concepts from within Islamic philosophical and epistemological underpinnings.

I will be flying home tomorrow, InshaAllah.