Policy Recommendations from the ICR 4.2 (April 2013)

Mohammad Hashim Kamali, Peace as a Universal Islamic Value

• Our political leaders and officials should make peace-building a feature of their engagements, generate ideas and develop public support for a common peace agenda between Islamic and Western countries.
• Our religious leaders, Ulama, judges and Muftis, Ulama associations and civil society should draw attention to persistent violence, insecurity and conflict, instead of focusing on such issues as Íudūd punishments or on what people eat and wear.
• The Ulama associations of Malaysia and other Muslim countries should engage in consultations with prominent figures among them to work on an agenda such as “Peace Building as the Jihād of the 21st century”.
• Malaysia should solicit support, initially from Turkey, Egypt, and possibly Morocco, to promote a “Common Peace Agenda” between Islamic and Western countries, the US and Europe. This may involve mediation to help resolve local conflicts in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine. Having successfully brokered peace in the Philippines, nations such as Malaysia are in a favourable position to take other initiatives. Formation of a group of eminent persons from select Muslim countries may also seem advisable.

Daud Abdul-Fattah Batchelor, A New Islamic Rating Index of Well-being for Muslim Countries

• In the spirit of helping each other in righteousness (Tawun ala al-bir; Al-Ma’idah 5: 2), encourage Muslim aid and financial support to be channelled to those countries comprising good Muslims but who have poor living standards (income, health, education, and running water) and need investment and loans to improve their economic situation, especially the pious Muslim communities in West Africa identified by the Pew Center studies.
• Inquire whether the Central Asian and South European Muslim Majority countries would be receptive to (i) Islamic missionary efforts in their countries, (ii) professional support for and establishment of more Islamic higher educational institutions, and (iii) provision of scholarships for their citizens to seek higher education qualifications in Islamic disciplines in other parts of the Muslim world.
• Countries that fall low in the ratings in the Personal Religiosity, Social Interaction or overall Well-being fields, and who may wish to improve their standing for the benefit of their citizens, should assess the reasons for their rating and seek professional planning advice from experts in Islamic and other disciplines to develop appropriate amelioration strategies, particularly from experts in those countries that have a high standing in the specific fields of well-being sought.
• Conduct a review of the methodology provided in this article in two years time, revise if necessary, and publish a new 2014 well-being assessment of the Muslim-majority countries with comments on any trends from the 2012 baseline data.
• Conduct research to identify suitable target levels or benchmarks for each indicator that Muslim majority countries would strive to achieve or exceed within a certain time frame.
• Approach the Pew Center to ascertain whether the worldwide religiosity surveys of Muslims could be conducted on a periodic basis (say every two years); also those countries should be approached where interviews have not been conducted in the past to request their future participation. For the question asked regarding attendance at a mosque for Friday prayers, the person’s gender should be identified so that the obligatory male attendance levels can be captured.
• Ideally, a reputable Islamic research institution or an international Islamic body such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation should be the rating agency to plan and conduct the field interview surveys and to facilitate a comprehensive and reliable well-being assessment of all Muslim-majority countries.

Krzysztof Kościelniak, Christian-Muslim Relations in Central Europe: The Polish Experience

• There is a pragmatic need for better understanding and cooperation among followers of Christianity and Islam.
• A dialogue of life; involves the desire to promote understanding, stimulate communication, and work collaboratively on a specific problems of mutual concerns and to facilitate testimony and cooperation.

Abdul-Qayum Mohmand, Security and Peace in Afghanistan: Before and After 2014

• Promised political reforms and economic development, the most important prerequisites of peace and stability are not going to take place within the existing government and state structure.
• To bring peace and stability to the country, peace negotiations need to take place with the resistance soon.

Marjanie Salic Macasalong, Mindanao Conflict and Islamic Revivalism: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Approach

• The Philippine government should recognise the legitimate rights of the Moros for self-determination and;
• Muslim groups should also respect the territorial integrity of the country.

Abdul Karim Abdullah (Leslie Terebessy), Risk Sharing, Transfer and Management

• Banks and other financial institutions need to pay greater attention to systemic risks caused by risk transfer and apply risk sharing methods of financing more vigorously than has hitherto been the case.
• Inefficiencies in the allocation of resources caused by risk transfer also call for a reassessment of financing strategies.
• Financial securities need to be structured to share risk rather than to transfer it.
• A regulatory framework needs to be implemented that rewards and facilitates the issuance of securities that share risk rather than transfer it.
• Pilot projects could be organised to demonstrate the viability and benefits of risk sharing models.

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