Globalization as an opportunity for the development of Muslim society

1.      Introduction

Globalization is a process to make the world society in one system. Globalization has transformed the world into a global village where there are commonalities of the cultures, exchange of ideas and free economic approaches struggling to bring consensus among the world society to protect and preserve the human rights against any violation (A. Rasyid& M. A.Watoo : 2015).As Bill Readings has put it, “Americanization in itscurrent form is a synonym for globalization, a synonym that recognizes that globalization is not a neutral process in which Washington and Dakar participate equally” (1996: 2).

      Globalization nowdays brings the whole of humanity to the West, even Muslims society. As highlighted by Huntington (1993: p.40) “the West needs to understand Islam as its true teaching and must recognize the diversity of Muslim experiences across the world. Muslims also must learn from experiences of the West in the fields of economy, education, science, technology, and medicine and adapts them into Islamic value system”. Many challenges of globalization that be faced by Muslim society in various sectors, but behind that all can be found some opportunities for the development of Muslim, such as economy sector, politic, education, life style, culture, technology and social sector. Muslims were the founders of the recording world history, knowledgeable in comparative religion, sociology, tradition of universal science, exclusive scientific institution, and world adventure (Osman, 2000). This article will focus on economy, politic, education, and culture sectors as an opportunity of globalization for the development of Muslim society.

2.      Discussion

2.1. Economy

      The problem with globalization is that it is not a single process but a complex web of processes, sometimes overlapping and interlocking processes, but also, at times, contradictory and oppositional ones.As Ishomuddin (2014, p. 140) stated that, “economicaspects show that the economy move towards; free trade, private enterprise, foreign investment, and liberalization of trade barrier”. For the economist, globalization is essentially the emergence of a global market.“. . . the increasing integration of developing countries into the global economy represents a major—perhaps the most important—opportunity for raising the welfare of both developing and industrial countries over the long term.” (Qureshi : 1996).

 The activities of economy is not only limited by boundaries factors of geography, language, culture, and ideology, but more than that, because of the need each other and depend on each other. According to  GaoShangquan (2000: 1), “The fast globalization of the world’s economies in recent years is largely based on the rapid development of science and technologies, has resulted from the environment in which market economic system has been fast spreading throughout the world, and has developed on the basis of increasing cross-border division of labor that has been penetrating down to the level of production chains within enterprises of different countries”.

2.2.Politic

            Opportunity that can be taken from the current globalization era in politics is to make or change various political parties in the worldembrance the political system of Islam. According to Hussain (2013),  “Justice as ‘fairness’ is the hallmark of an Islamic political system”.Political globalization starts the cultural ideals of democracy. Therefore, “the basis of an Islamic Republic is also a covenant or social contract whereby people give up or surrender some of their personal freedom, and give the Islamic government authority to enforce Islamic laws upon them whereby everyone lives in peace and happiness without fear of being harmed by others” (Hussein, 2013, p. 16).

      Another opportunity is to create a good relationship among Muslims around the world.As identified by Gholami in his essay (2005, p. 8), “the political Islamic strategy is to establish a state that Islam is not formally and directly declared into governmental orientation; however, religion legitimates mush of the state's actions and policies, and transposes many of the interests of its population onto a sacred plan”.A large number of Muslims can be utilized to advance the Islamic political system. “The form of Islamic politic is where Islam is used by a state itself to legitimate and consolidate its position (Hallidy, 1994 p.94).

         Islamic political forces capable of protecting the people from poverty. As Woltering (2002) said,“globalization, by restricting the ability of the state to protect the poor, has strengthened the hand of political Islam”.Therefore, Islam has strong position in political system. “The geo-political motivation for the flow of funds is also backed by strongeconomic interest. Globalization of the region either in the form of IMF and World Bank SAPs, WTO membership, or even in the form of many of the bilateral agreements that were recently signed between several Arab states and either the US (Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, and Bahrain) or the EU under the Association Agreements (includingMorocco, Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt) of the 1995 Barcelona Initiative represent important instruments to facilitate globalization and economic liberalization” (El-Said &Harrigan: 2006, p. 455).

2.3.Education

2.3.1.      Reforming Islamic Education

Education in Islam purposes to create a whole of Muslim personal, to develop human potencial both jasmaniyah and rohaniyah, and to build a good relationship between each self and God, human, and universe.Abdul Razak (2011, p. 61) said that “education long ago in the distant past which started as a private enterprise was at the beginning mainly concerned in producing man with knowledge and skills for his well-being and for his salvation in the hereafter”. According to Anderson et al. (2011, p. 6), many Islamic educational institutions aim to “integrate faith with learning”.To the question of what education is all about can be well understood by the following definition :

“Any processes, either formal or informal, that shapes the potential of a maturing organism. Informal education results from the constant effect of environment, and its strength in shaping values and habits cannot be overestimated. Formal education is a conscious effort by human society to impart the skills and modes of thought considered essential for social functioning. Techniques of instruction often lecturerflect the attitudes of society, i.e., authoritarian groups typically sponsor dogmatic methods, whiledemocratic systems may emphasize freedom of thought”. (Razak, 2011, p. 62).

In the broadest sense, Islamic education evolve with the emergence of Islam itself. In the context of Arab society, where Islam was born and evolved the arrival of Islam complete with educational efforts-not to mention the system-a major transformation . Therefore, the pre-Islamic Arab society does not have the formal education system. In the early days of the development of Islam, of course, formal education has not been systematically established. Education that takes place can be said to be informal; and even this has more to do with the efforts of the Islamic da’wah- deployment, and planting basics of Islamic belief and worship” (Ishomuddin : 2014).

The reforms of education in the Muslim world must adopt integral approach that merge the existing two streams of educational system into a balanced and integrated system of education of all discipline of knowledge that can meet the challenges in the modern world and Hereafter. Scientific and technological advances are the two crucial ingredients in the era of globalization. The integrated advancements in all sectors of human-related development cannot be achieved unless the moral and ethical principles are given priorities, in which religion is the source of these principles. (Ali: 1996).

So, called progressive individual should not be frightened about religious and integrated educational systems because it is the only system, which provides a comprehensive and balanced education that able to provide well-being and success in world life and life after death.

2.3.2.      The use of Technology and Communication

            Technology and communication give good impact to the Muslims society in this 

globalization era. The advances of technology and communications can be used to spread the 

teachings of Islam. It can also be used as a tool to enhance the good image of Islam and 

Muslims.Ayub (2016) highlighted, “Modern technology in transport and communication has 

promoted an unprecedented degree of interaction between Muslims across the world, especially

those belonging to the middle and upper classes, forging new links in scholarship, trade, 

commerce and welfare programs”. He also said that “The networking of relationships has 

 naturally given fresh impetus to the trans-national nationalism of the Muslim Ummah, with a 

leadership drawn mainly from the ranks of the middle class. Its energies are targeted against 

western cultural imperialism”. Thus, globalization has been generating excitement for Muslims 

to create a good Muslim identity in the world. According to Razak (2011, p. 62), “the introduction 

of computers and internet and other technology-mediated learning through the use of VCD, CD-Rom, 

Email, E-Chat, database, webpage, LMS, and digital library, have helped in the dissemination of 

information and knowledge to millions around the world.”.

                       

2.4.Culture

Globalization has changed a lot of habits, even change the culture of a nation. Culture is an intrinsic aspect of the entire process of complex connectivity at globalization’s core (Hsiao: 2003). Therefore, cultural globalization is the vital focus in the scholarly discussion on globalization. Waters (2001: 5) asserts that,“in a globalized world there will be a single society and culture occupying the  planet. …culture will be extremely abstract, expressing tolerance for diversity and individual choice. Importantly territoriality will disappear as an organizing principle for social and cultural life”.

Culture is socially learned and shared behavior and ideas which are found universally among human beings, and it also exists in a more specific way because all cultures are not the same (Miller, 2004). In addition, “culture refers to the totality of the group’s thought, experiences, and patterns of behavior and its concepts, values, and assumptions about life that guide behavior and how those evolve with contact with other cultures” (Jandt, 2004). Further, globalization can give good opportunities to the countries which have a lot of culture, especially the islamic countries. The culture that resulted can be such as technology, the necessities of life, and disclipine. By globalization, the culture spread fast in the world. As noted by Razak (2011: p. 64), “the proponents of globalization argue that it has brought rapid development to many parts of the world by bringing people in the third world countries out of their backwardness and old ideas, and put them on par with the people of the developed countries in the world”. Khalil Gholami stated that :

“The Muslim’s problems is not "changing the cultural identity", but it is "not changing” many old misunderstanding of Islam under the concepts of tradition and cultural identity. This is a great fact that Muslims need to develop their communities, and for this, they should understand the international socio-economic language. And in this historical phase of human being, this language can not be understood, unless you can understand the process of globalization in comprehensive point of view: economically, culturally technologically, and politically.”

3.      Conclusion

Globalization is an unstoppable phenomenon, presenting opportunities to those who are prepared and threats to those who are not.The impacts of globalization on one hand give possitive and good opportunities in economy, politic, education, and adeucation. Globalization spreads fast in the world. On the economic, globalization can increase the ability of countries in the world competitive internationally. On the other hand, globalization also develops the global market. Secondly, on the politic aspect, globalization be used to create a large of relationship among the Muslims around the world and make a good cooperation. Therefore, In practice, Islamic education, in addition manifested in theform of an informal, non-formal education as a formal institution. On the cultural front, good and healthy culture thatcomes from the West via globalization. The people in the East, particularly theMuslims should have an open mind to examine all thatcome from the West and should pick and choosewhatever that is relevant to Muslims need.

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