Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 170
170 islam’s response to contemporary issues The Changing Economic Order Exploitation of poorer citizens by interest-based capitalism, which gives birth to socialist rebellion, seems to be relegated to history. But a deeper study would reveal that it is only a change of guise. Already the world as a whole has been split into the haves and have-nots, thanks mainly to the exploitation by the advanced capitalist countries. Add to this situation the momentous return to capitalism by the repentant Eastern bloc. One shudders to visualise how much more blood would be sucked from the already enfeebled and anaemic nations of the Third World. But, it would seem that the vampires of capitalism must draw more blood. It is clear that the age of confrontation between the two major opposing economic philosophies of capitalism and scientific socialism is over. The economic systems based on Marxism-Leninism have bowed out of the stage of human affairs. On the other hand, the so- called ‘free’ economy of the West seems to be exultant over its apparent victory. Barring China, the Eastern bloc countries are still struggling to mitigate the miseries of the multitudes of have-nots in their respective countries in the wake of their newfound freedom. The economic gap between the East and West is not as big as that between the North and South. The First World countries of the North are divided on another plane from the Third World countries of Africa and South America. Though in terms of economic disparity, the gap between North and South America is certainly hurtful, it is nowhere near the gap between Europe and Africa. Africa, so close in proximity to Europe is, in terms of economic disparity, the farthest apart from Europe.