The Ilham Winter 2010

16 THE ILHAM A Journal of Contemporary Digital Policy The use of computer technology should be made a part of school curricula from the earliest grades through the university level. SOLUTIONSTO ENCOURAGE COMMERCIAL GROWTH INTHE MIDDLE EAST The proud,Muslim history is one in which commerce and engagement with other cultures were part of the Muslim Empire culture – a part of the fabric of everyday life.There was a strong merchant class that encouraged entrepreneurship. The institutions that once created an empire that spread from Spain to the borders of Chi- na have,over time,become dysfunctional.The reason for this is that commerce changed from personal to impersonal exchange.No longer were life-long business agreements made on a handshake as they were in the time of IsmailAbuTaqiyya. Today,in a global economy,business is imper- sonal,further inhibiting commercial growth in the region. Islamic law,while promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship,fails to develop the means to pool resources on a large scale.Entre- preneurs and innovators require financial support,which in turn,puts Muslim venture capital at risk.Islamic law does not adequately address the creation of a“corporate” mental- ity.In fact,just the opposite is true. The Islamic concepts of fatalism and bid’a have become encultured over the past centuries,diminishing the ambitions of potential entrepreneurs of Muslim faith. This is not the age of bid’a.If the nations of the Middle and Near East reject innovation, they will fall further and further behind, finding it increasingly difficult to compete in a technologically advanced,world-wide marketplace. This requires a fundamental change in Islamic teaching,placing more emphasis on religious teachings that encourage entrepreneurship and,yes,risk taking. Governments,religious institutions,educa- tional systems,media and other driving forces must take a more pro-active stance in (1) sta- bilizing political environments to encourage internal commercial growth and investment capital from global partners and (2) providing an effective means of pooling fiscal resources to enable a concept to become a company. With the advent of the world wide web, the impersonal,“corporate” mentality to- ward innovation is under strong pressure to change.Today, through the use of digital technology, virtual companies exist only on the world wide web (W3).These compa- nies employ technology to facilitate such common activities as: •On-line conferencing •Distance learning •Real-time collaboration across numerous time zones •Order capture and order fulfill- ment (Client Relations Management, or CRM) •Technical support •Outsourcing to significantly lower operating costs •The use of talent and expertise on an“as-needed” basis •The free exchange of concepts, theories and ideas through open forums •The development of profitable,on- line businesses such asAmazon.com and Google.com Indeed, if the commercial decline of the Islamic culture is based on a failure to provide for the pooling of capital and human resources on a global scale, this decline will only hasten in the years ahead. The ability of new businesses to grow through outsourced service providers will only leave the Middle and Near East further behind the technology curve. Now is not the time to debate the place of bid’a in Islamic culture.Today is not the day to discuss the impact of fatalism on Middle Eastern commerce.These effects can be seen clearly and provide the solid,empirical evidence needed for institutions to recognize the need to join this advance in technology and to embrace the potential it delivers to the region.