Since the basic dynamic of the wealth of nations is seen as production, all elements of the economy are organized in a way to increase production in the Fair Economic Order. All economic regulations, other than tax and credit principles, have been determined to encourage production.
While capitalism caused exploitation to become much more widespread in the world, communism, which emerged as its antithesis, caused deep wounds, let alone being a solution to problems, due to its unsuitable nature for human nature.
February means longing, yearning… February means Erbakan for us National Vision (Milli Görüş) members. Of course, we don't have to wait for certain days and weeks to commemorate him and tell about his struggle, but we can't pass the February without working him … Are you aware of how much we say "If only Erbakan" were there these days, how many times we beat our knees?
However, he warned in his health that the day will come when you will not have a knee to beat…
We are witnessing an increase in lamentation the reason why both economic and moral crises reached their peak “Oh Teacher! What would it be like if we understood you?" So this year, we should have talked about Erbakan and the Fair Economic Order. That's what we did. We had an interview with Professor Dr. Muhammed Maruf on the Fair Economic Order.
Throughout his life, our teacher Erbakan criticized the corrupt order in the world and worked for a livable world. As a matter of fact, when the subject is our teacher Erbakan and the Fair Economic Order, it would not be possible to talk about the current world order and economic systems. While emphasizing the importance of the economy for human life, Dr. Maruf emphasized that in the Fair Economic Order, a fair sharing and a social structure that takes care of all people will be built.
“Economy is one of the most important factors affecting human life in many ways, especially socially and politically. The economy is one of the most important life factors affected by the system that dominates the world. At the same time, economy is one of the areas where the most tangible effects of the systems and understandings that dominate the world are seen.
In a right-based Fair Economic Order, fair sharing and a social structure that takes care of all people will be established. This situation will bring about the fair sharing of income and wealth, and the basis of the happiness of humanity will be provided economically. In an order based on force and exploitation, as is the case today, as a result of injustice in the distribution of income and wealth, and as a result of increasing exploitation, a small group will become richer day by day, and humanity will be dragged into misery. Communism and capitalism, which were put into practice in the world especially in the 20th century, could not cure the problems of humanity at this point. While capitalism caused exploitation to become much more widespread in the world, communism, which emerged as its antithesis, caused deep wounds, let alone being a solution to problems, due to its unsuitable nature for human nature. In fact, both capitalism and communism are based on matter and domination. Only the group that will dominate in the two systems is different. While dominant group in capitalism is the capital class, the dominance of the working class, which is expressed as the proletariat class in communism, is foreseen. In short, since both systems are based on matter and domination, they could not be expected to bring happiness to humanity by their nature,” Maruf said.
Politics in Turkey was read as left and right. In the world, the economy was read as capitalism and communism. Capitalism also represented the West. Communism also represented the Eastern Bloc. When we look at it from this point of view, the question immediately comes to mind is there a connection between the economy and wars. While saying that it would not be right to make such a generalization, Dr. Maruf stating the wars for the last 300 years have aimed to promote economic exploitation, “It would not be right to generalize like this for all times. Because, we believe, we do not look at history from the perspective of the struggle of economic interests. However, as in the last 300 years in the world, in the periods, when the mentality that prioritizes force prevails, wars generally intended to consolidate economic exploitation. When we look at the wars that took place from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, we can see that the main factor was to establish the world order targeted by Zionism and to increase economic exploitation in favor of the dominant powers. In my opinion, this is the main reason for both world wars and the wars in the recent past and today. The main problem here is related to the dominant mentality's understanding of rights. The understanding that sees power, interest, majority and privilege as a reason for right does not hesitate to start wars or kill millions of people in order to achieve its imperial goals and to establish the full world domination it idealized,” he added.
THE SOLUTION: FAIR ECONOMIC ORDER
Dr. Muhammed Maruf expressed that our teacher Erbakan wants to put an end to economic backwardness by solving intellectual, political and social problems so that the Islamic world can demonstrate the will for a solution:
“Our teacher, Erbakan, is well aware of the reasons for the crisis in the Islamic world in particular and humanity in general. He was a great leader who not only diagnosed but also determined the steps to be taken in order to solve our problems and ensure the happiness of humanity. First of all, he knew that solutions that would ensure the happiness of humanity in terms of our beliefs and values could only be put forward by Muslims. He thought that it was necessary to put an end to its economic backwardness by solving its intellectual, political and social problems in order for the Islamic world to reveal the will for a solution needed. However, since he believed that a strong Turkey could lead the general awakening of the Islamic world, he put forward the ideals that he listed as ‘Livable Turkey’, ‘Great Turkey Again’ and ‘A New World’. In this context, he took steps that enabled Turkey to make a breakthrough in the field of economy, both during the 54th Erbakan Government and in the 1970s when he was a power partner. In a way, the periods when National Vision (Milli Gorus) parties were power partners were beneficial for the Turkish economy. There have been periods of repair and breakthrough,” Maruf said.
Saying that our teacher Erbakan is fighting for whatever the current time requires for the country to make a breakthrough in terms of economy, Dr. Maruf emphasized that if we had made the breakthroughs predicted by our Hodja, we would not have faced any of the troubles we had experienced; “As you know, our teacher Erbakan is the person who produced Turkey's first domestic automobile. With the Silver Motor initiative, it changed the vision of the country by producing domestic engines at a time when the 'do not produce, just consume' was imposed on Turkey. Today we are talking about producing domestic cars. In 1961, our teacher Erbakan made presentations to the authorities of the period that Turkey could produce domestic automobiles, and he was instrumental in taking concrete steps in this field. In the 1970s, he predicted that Turkey's development would only be possible with a heavy industry move, and he laid the foundations of many heavy industry facilities and enabled them to start production. However, the planned development for our country could not be fully achieved because the governments that came after the steps taken, do not conitnue to carry out. It is also known that important incentives and guidance were provided for the encouragement of production investments of the private sector and the industrialization of Anatolia during the periods when he was in power. In the 2000s, our teacher Erbakan advocated high technology investments for Turkey. We can state that; Our teacher Erbakan defended and struggled for whatever the current time required for the country to make a breakthrough in terms of economy. In the current situation, we can see today that if we had made the breakthroughs predicted by our teacher Erbakan, as a country that is so foreign-dependent especially in high technology products and therefore in need of foreign exchange, we would not have faced any of the problems we experienced,” Maruf added.
WHAT IS A FAIR ECONOMIC ORDER?
Explaining what a Just Economic Order is, Dr. Maruf states that a system suitable for the human nature is needed for the happiness of humanity:
“The Fair Economic Order can be expressed as a system based on the economic principles of Islam that can meet the needs of the time. The frequency of human happiness is nature. In other words, for any system or approach to be conducive to the happiness of humanity, it must be in accordance with the human nature. The Fair Economic Order, above all, has the feature of being a system alternative suitable for human nature. While communism and capitalism express the two extremes in terms of approach to basic concepts and behavior model, the Fair Economic Order expresses the middle way suitable for nature. Our teacher Erbakan introduced the Fair Economic Order as an alternative to the elimination of exploitation on earth, but unfortunately, he could not find the opportunity to implement it in Turkey. During the 11-month Refahyol government, there was no opportunity for the implementation of the principles of the Fair Economic Order. At that time, steps were taken to relieve the Turkish economy with steps in line with the economic policies of the National Vision Movement and the wider society. The results were obtained, which greatly relieved the citizens and helped the country's economy to become stronger. Our Erbakan Hodja used the phrase, ‘We only smelled the Fair Order during the Refahyol government,’ regarding the implementation of the Fair Economic Order in the Refahyol government,” Maruf said.
Explaining why the National Vision Movement sought a different economic model, Dr. Maruf emphasized that it is not possible to achieve the desired results with imported economic and financial systems:
“Turkey in particular, and the Islamic world in general, have been forced to play the passive role assigned to them within the existing order of exploitation. In the current system, although Islamic countries tried to take steps to make a breakthrough individually, it was not possible to achieve the desired results with the imported economic and financial systems. Islamic countries can only get rid of the economic backwardness they are in, but with getting out of the grip of the current system of exploitation and paradigm shift. It could have been possible with an economic system developed in line with its own beliefs and values. The ‘Fair Economic System’ put forward by the National Vision Movement offers the Islamic world a hope for change and salvation in this regard. Islamic countries can take steps together that will lead to the liberation of both the Islamic world and all humanity from the current system of exploitation, by showing a common will. In my opinion, this is one of the aims of the establishment of the D-8 Economic Cooperation Organization,” Maruf added.
Emphasizing that the Fair Economic Order is a production-oriented economic system, Dr. Maruf stated that he took the balance as a basis in accordance with the Islamic understanding:
“The Fair Economic Order is a production-oriented economic system in which all factors of production are common and everyone gets a fair share of the added value resulting from production. In the Fair Economic Order, labor, capital, natural resources, entrepreneur, state, that is, all elements that contribute to production are common, they come together in line with the same goal. In communism and capitalism, on the other hand, there is a conflict between labor and capital, which is one of the basic production factors, and a fight for sharing. Since the basic dynamic of the wealth of nations is seen as production, all elements of the economy are organized in a way to increase production in the Fair Economic Order. All economic regulations, especially tax and credit principles, have been determined to encourage production. While the Fair Economic Order encourages production, it is based on the balance in consumption in accordance with the Islamic understanding. There are regulations that will prevent waste and unlimited consumption. For example, in the Fair Economic Order, the way for a person to consume without producing added value and earning its return is blocked. Consumer credit cannot be used. Credit can only be used on condition that production is made. This situation both prevents excessive consumption that is not earned and helps to maintain the market balance,” Maruf said.
ECONOMIC MODEL IN GOLDEN AGE
Stating that Islam covers the whole of life, "It cannot be expected that a religion that covers the whole life will not have principles and rules regarding the economy, which is one of the most important dimensions of life," Dr. Maruf added.
“Islam is a religion that covers the whole of life and determines the principles related to all dimensions of life and the boundaries that should not be crossed. It cannot be expected that such a religion that encompasses all life does not have principles and rules regarding the economy, which is one of the most important dimensions of human life. Islam allows Muslims to implement systems that will meet the needs of their time and society, without crossing the boundaries drawn by these economic principles. In this framework, since the Golden Age, Muslims have implemented economic models that will meet the needs of their time and society. The establishment of the Medina Market and the determination of the principles to be applied in the market such as the end of the unethical economic and commercial practices of the Ignorance period, especially interest, and the principles determined by our Prophet (saas) regarding property can be expressed as examples of economic applications. For example, the principle that ‘the price of a product should be determined by the market without the influence of any power’, which is foreseen for a healthy market today, is one of the basic principles determined for the Medina Market in the time of our Prophet. In the next period, especially during the His holiness Ömer period, important regulations were made in the economy and trade, which constituted a source for the jurisprudence made in the following periods. In the following period, Muslim states implemented different models based on Islamic principles in the geographies they ruled,” he said.
THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS EXPLOITING MOSTLY WOMEN
Emphasizing that women are the most exploited people in the current system of exploitation, Dr. Maruf stated that women and families will play a vital role in the construction of the Fair Order:
“Women have an exceptional place in our faith and civilization. In terms of Islamic societies, the woman is an architect who reconstructs the society. Women are the most exploited people in the current system of exploitation. In this current system, the woman is far from the position she should be, and she is crushed between the wheels of exploitation. When women are in this situation, the family institution, which is the main pillar of the society and the most important source of the power of Muslim societies, has also been deeply injured. Already in the process of modernism, the most intense attack in Islamic societies was made on the institution of the family. We said that an economic system that is suitable for the nature of human is the fair economic order. In Muslim societies, it is essential for women to be raised to a happy and dignified position that fulfills the duties they should undertake in terms of society in accordance with their nature. Fair Order is an ideal system for us. But good systems can be run and maintained by good people. Women and families will play a vital role in the construction of a good society in which the system will be implemented,” he added.
We ended our interview with Dr. Maruf with the wish of Maruf on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of our Milli Gazete:
"Thank you. On this occasion, we have been operating as the loud voice of the Lord since 1973. I congratulate the 50th anniversary of our Milli Gazete. I hope that it will continue its stance that opens the horizon and shows the direction in the second 50 years…” he said.