Poverty and Islam: an economist's opinion

The other day I ran across a scholarly paper titled, Islam and Underdevelopment: An Old Puzzle Revisited,  by Tim Kuran, an economics professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Kuran raises several fascinating questions about the historical and modern correlation between poverty and Islam. In an effort to figure out why the world’s Muslim countries continue to be underdeveloped, Kuran examines the works of experts on Islam, discusses their theories and theses, and covers a lot of Islamic history.

Kuran observes that, “[T]he poorest countries in the world contain disproportionately many with predominantly Muslim populations. From a scientific standpoint, then, it is natural to inquire into the existence of a causal relationship between Islam and economic development (p. 2).”

He wants to examine the effects of Islam from “a scientific standpoint,” and expresses surprise that few scholars have approached Islam with the scrutiny reserved for history-impacting phenomena. “It should be recognized that the relevant literature is remarkably small in view of Islam’s importance in global affairs.” Europe and America walk on eggshells when it comes to criticizing Islam for any reason, and Kuran notes that attitude has permeated the academic and economic communities. “Significantly, the English-language development textbooks currently in vogue tend not to explore linkages between religion and economic development, to say nothing of addressing the economic role of Islam in particular” (p. 2).

Kuran says there is incontrovertible evidence that the Islamic world has been in an economic decline since around 1250. Why? Why have the learned men of the past hundred years eschewed analyzing the impact Islam has on economic, technological, and social development? They tout thirteenth century Muslims as being the “guardians of culture,” but then turn a blind eye to other historical realities. Isn’t it odd that the printing press didn’t make a widespread appearance in an Islamic country until the eighteenth century? Or that modern medicine (especially ultra-sounds, obstetrics, and anything to do with female healthcare) are still distrusted or unknown in much of the current Islamic community?

It’s refreshing to read an economist-scholar who wants to get the facts straight and lay them out in the open. As Kuran himself says, “Whatever the extent of current anti-Muslim prejudice, it is unlikely to disappear by ignoring potentially discomforting possibilities. On the contrary, a dispassionate analysis that dispels myths might serve as an antidote to religious prejudice.”

Understanding how a people-group relates to God is vital to understanding their history and culture. In the same vein, understanding how a people-group views wealth, education, technology, and economic concepts will help illuminate the true nature of the deity or deities they worship. Kuran’s research shows that very few scholars are or have been digging into the verifiable history of Islam.