Grameen is an institution which does micro-credit in Bangladesh. That means it (apparently) helps the poor by giving money, not as charity, but with heavy loan which they have to return in double digit percent interests.
When you listen to Mohammad Yunus – the pioneer and founder of Grameen idea- you will get impressed by all the humanitarian vocabulary he uses, and will get amazed by the vast potentials he wants to un-lock from the poor human beings.
Feeling sympathy for poor is something that Islam promotes, and also a quality that no two human beings would argue against. So, the very good feeling towards the poor, is not a great unique thing that we should thank Prof. Yunus for. However, we should thank Prof. Yunus, for his continuous effort and hard work to find solution for the poor. Academicians usually bound themselves within the literature and paper works. Prof. Yunus did step forward from the University campus and went to hard field work, and now the concept of Grameen became an icon in credit finance.
With all these thanks and appreciations, I must still hate the grass root works of Yunus, and not necessarily hate his initial intentions and love for the poor.
Two people might have the same good intention, but one starts to work in wrong manner, and other in right manner, but both wants to fulfill the good common intention.
The steps Prof. Yunus took to implement his poverty reduction plan was wrong. I know it is wrong, and am sure it is wrong, because it adopts means not approved by Islam. For a Islam loving person, this would be enough to end this discussion and conclude the wrongness of Yunus. However, for a great mankind population –and unfortunately many Muslims as well- it is not enough to attribute an action as wrong, just because it is said to be so by Islam, we have to justify that with reason and argument. This is also OK for Muslims, because, Islam does never go against a right and healthy reason. This is why in the rest of this article, I will attempt to refute Prof. Yunu’s approach, from reasons point of view, which goes in alignment with Islamic principles.
Taking interest is waging war against Allah and the Prophet.A person taking interest from the poor is not pro-poor. Yunus could give money for the poor, and take in return the same money. At worst he could claim a fixed service rate, but he can not claim to be pro-poor while demanding double digit interest rates. Islam directs it’s members to the reward hereafter in exchange for helping the poor. But, because of the capitalist mindset of Yunus –and probably his little believe in the hereafter- he wants the lucrative return in this world, even if that requires waging war against Allah and Prophet.
It is a strategic move of Prof. Yunus to “buy” the mindset of Muslim women in exchange of few dollars, as Satan did with Eve. 95% of Grameens money goes in weakening women under the illusion of‘empowerment’ . For this very ‘noble’ job, Yunus faces no problem to fetch rewards and supports from the western world. The west found in him, a good vehicle to corrupt a densely Muslim country, by bringing woman out.
The erroneous equation of Yunus –and many others- goes as follows:
Woman are 50% of any society, so they should at least operate 50% of national economy.
The above statement of the elders of modern economy is very similar to the following statement:
Cows do represent 50% of the population of cows and bulls of a cattle society. So, in terms of heavy loads, cows should carry 50% and bulls will carry 50%.
Dear reader, Allah the almighty created men and women to do the main job of worshipping Allah and building a noble human civilization on earth. Woman can worship Allah as easily as man can. Mankind grows and expands on earth in a bottom-up fashion, where male and female units and grows children who then multiply. The children needs love, mercy, milk, as well as dress, food and education. They need money and mercy. The money part is covered by father, the soft tender part is covered by mother. In this way human being –as well as many animals- grow family and society. And in this manner human race is being multiplied since the first husband and wife (Adam and Eve). It is unjust to ask an ostrich to fly and to carry burden at the same time, but still more just than asking a woman to nurse as well as bear the expense of her small baby. Physical and psychological structure of women was not created for that. Religion as well as real life examples support my claim. If women are 50% of USA human population, then tell me the % of money women are handling in that country? Tell me among the USA presidents, how many were women. The answer is zero.
The modern mindset of the west consider family as a bullshit, and believe in strong individualism, and promote the capitalist principle of maximizing profit, without any relation with culture, religion or ethics.
Being graduated from western universities, I do not blame Yunus to circumventaround their mecca. But I blame him to slow poison the Islam loving, poor laymen of Bangladesh, and act like a serpent entering into the poor villager’s hut in Bangladesh and whispering therein the agenda of Satan. Yunus is giving 90% of his money to woman, and asking them not to give a paisa (this is the penny in pounds world, as paisa in taka’s world) to their husband. Husbands stay un-employed while the wife gets wicked by the money of Yunus. With the pressure from Yunus to pay back the interest, the wife needs to work harder in her business, and the little baby, as well as her father get more angry. The wife pays little attention to both baby and husband, as she now knows well that she is ‘Empowered’. Yunus has told her that any violence from husband should be reported, and the Satan husband will get strong blow both mentally and physically. Do you imagine the bad utopia Bangladesh will end up with, if Grameen and Yunus continues in playing the role of Serpent and Satan in the house of Adam and Eve!?
What harms Yunus if he educates the Muslim poor Male youth of Bangladeshi villagers, and teaches them the principles of Islam in being active, doing Business, knowing the Women rights and then gives them loans and create jobs for them, who will fetch money and feed their wives and kids and grow noble families!
What harms Yunus if he provides training courses to the poor women mothers of Bangladesh teaching them the Islamic principles of upbringing children, and fulfilling the responsibility as a house wife, and managing the how expenses from the money that their husbands brings home out of profitable grameen projects in which they work all the day!
It does not require a rocket scientist to know the principles of wrongs and rights, but it requires a stronger scientist than a rocket to go against the western capitalist mindset which pulls a rich, non-practicing Muslim from the charity and mercy provisions that Islam teaches him.
Grameen I, was too extreme in capitalist practice, so Yunus was forced to move into Grameen II.
My vision is that, in an Islam loving country like Bangladesh, Yunus will be forced to move into Grameen III, or will be forced to move out of Bangladesh (and work in Africa or latin America if he wishes). Do you know what is Grameen III? Grameen III is the Islamic version of humanitarian works, which is not based on interest (Usury), but based on mercy and the reward of hereafter. A system which knows the unique roles of Man and Woman in a society, and maximizes profits based on these unique roles.
Following are few more points added after receiving some of the valuable comments from readers:
It is a well known problem that male villagers of Bangladesh (and probably else where) misuse money, and would probably not repay Yunus as the women do. This however does not justify depriving males and involving women with Business. This very action of Yunus shows that, his main objective is to get money back and not looking into the social corruption that his actions might lead in future.
If we have problems with the male, then rather than giving the money to the female as a solution, a better solution would be to educate and teach the male, so they know their responsibility towards their wives and kids. Keeping the males corrupted, and instead enticing the women to be rebellious towards their males, simply adds problem to a typical Muslim society, rather than solving problems.
Our Imams does not go from door to door to educate male and women and promote the rights of both is another problem of our society. The main reason I would say is because the lack of empowerment of Imams. Imams today are far different than what an ideal Muslim Imam should be. Imams are the poorest in our society, and they are very much dependent on the money coming from neighborhood. Hence, their voice is never strong, and they will not take any risk. Again one noble action of Yunus might be to empower the Imams of villages to play a leading role. Will he do that?!
The status-quo social problems in Bangladeshi villages are prevalent in Bangladesh well before Yunus started Grameen. So, I am not claiming that Yunus moved our villages from rest to tension, or from peace to war, or that Grameen is the source of all the family peril in Bangladesh. What I am saying is that Grameen (and many other NGOs) are adding fuel to an already blazing fire in our villages. Still keeping the males (who are supposed to be guardians and financials of any human family) un-employed and un-educated, and employing women and teaching them to be rebellious to their men, is contradicting normal human course of life, before it contradicts religion, and a true religion always goes in alignment with normal human nature.
The default status of woman is to stay in the house and occupy herself with noble house works. As been stipulated in the following verse: “And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance, and perform As-Salât (Iqamât-as-Salât), and give Zakât and obey Allâh and His Messenger. Allâh wishes only to remove Ar-Rijs (evil deeds and sins) from you, O members of the family (of the Prophet (peace be upon him)) and to purify you with a thorough purification.” [33:33]. This default position can be violated for certain occupation: like nursing, teaching, being physicians for female diseases, etc. Also, while doing these outdoor jobs, Islam clearly gives a detail guideline for maintaining Hijab (which is not just a dress that women have to wear, rather a complete code of ethics and behaviour). I wonder to what extend Grameen imposes these ethics to it’s clients?! The western world started to explore their version of women empowerment long time back, and now the western women are complaining from workplace tension and corruption, and the wise among them are calling women to stay at home and be noble mothers. One PhD thesis in an American university is titled: “When mothers work, who pays?”.
My suggestion to Prof. Yunus, when he will design Grameen III, to exclude all stains of Riba (interest) from his contracts, and Islamic finance has lots of halal instruments that will fit well, so he will help the people, and earn halal money and get the pleasure of Allah. Also, Prof. Yunus should start to un-lock the potentials of males and lock the false potentials of women that he has been doing so for quite some time. Soft home jobs –or jobs in well maintained Islamic workplace- for women is OK, provided that the majority of the males are not neglected, and women’s –part time- jobs does not contradict with their real jobs.
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Do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior (in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers. [Quran aal-Imran (3):139]
