From primitive societies, through classical societies, to modern societies, human interaction has been possible thanks to certain fundamental characteristics inherent to each individual member of a group. What is added to, or stands alongside, the characteristics common to all mammals is the presence of a codified language . Through language, it has been possible to make sense of the surrounding world and of human reality, allowing for the organization of social life itself in terms of power, norms, beliefs, religion, and economics. All these elements, in constant interaction, have maintained their original characteristics throughout their evolution, adapting to currents of thought and beliefs emanating from certain members or from outside the community.
The role of religion
The role of religion in human interaction within a community is central and dominant compared to the other elements mentioned. Indeed, it has been able to bring together ancient and new beliefs within a representation of the material-cosmic and human-social world. The biblical verse " as it is on earth as it is in heaven " is a reality that exists and can be found in every society. A pioneer of sociology, Emile Durkheim states in his work Elementary Forms of Religious Life that the social character is clearly evident in American and Australian tribes, where the community's image of the afterlife is represented in the form and layout of the camp. Similarly, the Indian caste system harks back to the concept of the division of the divine world. Religion has therefore also played a dominant role in the formation of norms and power relations. The relationship between economics and religion is also easily observed in today's complex societies.
Economy and religion, an inseparable pair?
Max Weber considered the theological currents of the Puritans and Calvinists , according to which earthly well-being was a symptom of divine approval, as the driving force and spirit of capitalism . A century earlier, economics had become an independent science, detaching itself from the realities of production, distribution, and consumption, embracing mathematics and rationalist logic. Economics separated itself from the predominantly Christian religious sense of Europe and America, but not from its religious leaders. The double standards present in our day thus become evident: an altruistic and charitable conception on the one hand, and a society of debt and usury on the other.
Economy and religion in the Islamic model
Continuing in this direction, it is also interesting to analyze the case of the Islamic model of economics and finance, especially in this specific historical period. While in the West the economy is becoming secularized, in Muslim countries religion assumes a central role in its management. The Islamic economy has three central characteristics: ethics derived from the Qur'an , the zakat tax as the basis of fiscal policy, and the prohibition of interest . Every member of the Islamic community is required to contribute 2,5% of their net wealth annually so that the most socially disadvantaged members have daily meals and a place to sleep (zakat). This percentage can increase up to 20% depending on the type of wealth possessed, but does not take into account the means of production. The institution of zakat was introduced to discourage capital accumulation and stimulate investment. Similarly, the prohibition of usury ( riba ) prohibits private individuals and banks from charging interest on loans. The interest ban, however, is not applied to non-Muslim countries. In conclusion, the precept of "gherar" imposes the obligation of socially responsible investments, in order to avoid the increasingly frequent financial bubbles that explode every year in the rest of the secularized and rationalized world, to the advantage of an unscrupulous financial system no longer challenged by either religion or the state.
René Verneau
[paypal_donation_button]
