Dr. Hossam Badrawi Official Website
Class is a concept that appeared strongly in Marxist literature, which went to deny its existence as a natural human interaction at the level of theory, and called for the abolition of differences between people at the level of application, and considered that this inequality calls for a struggle at the level of the individual and at the level of society, and decided that the class struggle is the ruling and controlling In human relations at all levels; Hence, she saw that this conflict is inevitable in societies, and that it must eventually lead to the demise of classes from those societies, and the rule of one class, which is the proletariat.
In this approach, communism and its affiliates decided that ownership should be general for this class, that everyone is equal in terms of social status, as everyone is employed by the state, and that individual initiatives should be the result of society and not the individual. Hence the extremes of application and hit the individual initiative in killing and creating a ruling class identical to the breath of society under the pretext of protecting the working class in which everyone is equal in the lack of private property and poverty.
As for capitalism, it dealt with this concept from another perspective. On the one hand, it acknowledged this disparity between classes at the level of theory, and worked to consolidate it at the level of application, so it released individuals their freedoms unconditionally, and made them the sole owners of what they earn, and others have no right to it except for those who Through tax systems that ensured that the rich paid a proportion of their profits to the whole of society, drastic precautions were taken against those who evaded these taxes. At the same time, the state forbade any interference in the behavior of individuals, and considered that the control of forces and wealth is the law that governs societies and relations between people. Capitalism, in its extreme American form, considered that its existence depends on the economic power of companies and individuals who protect this philosophy by also controlling the government, even if it takes the form of democracy, in which the power of money and economic interests control their capabilities to varying degrees.
The subject of class inequality and justice has preoccupied me since I was a university student in (1969: 1974) I interviewed communists and leftists from my colleagues, as their presence was influential in political life after a decade that witnessed an Egyptian political trend that leaned to the left and relied on the Soviet Union in the face of the pro-Israel capitalist West. And historically representative of the colonizer. At that time, I was and still is the product of five influences on my cultural, social and political formation. The first: being strongly influenced by the importance of the high level of education, skills, individual initiative and the private sector and their positive impact on development by virtue of my family formation. The second is the importance of the social dimension of wealth by virtue of the philosophy of my great father, may God have mercy on him, who established in my conscience the value of justice among people. The third is the effect of public education and the media on my cultural structure as a student in the Orman Public School and then a student at the Faculty of Medicine with colleagues from different strata of society without discrimination. Fourth, my young relationship with the football team of Al-Ahly Club and its fans of all classes. And the fifth is my research, passion, and readings for Professor Al-Akkad, Dr. Taha Hussein and Abdel-Rahman Al-Sharqawi, since the beginning of my life in high school.
In view of my passion for knowledge in the seventies and the beginning of the emergence of the political movement of Islam again side by side with the left political current, at that time, in the university, and my desire and curiosity in discussing them, I also researched the position of the Qur’an on the phenomenon of class inequality in order to know its position first, because I was confused. And second, because I wanted to use their reference in the discussion. This was enriching my mind and sentimental and exciting at the same time, as my convictions began to be formed and acquired through knowledge, coexistence and gaining experience.
As I used to, I kept my papers and notes about this period of my life, and when my son asked me to help him in a research, he had a research at the university twenty years later on the same subject from the standpoint of Islamic philosophy, (my son was at Duke University in the United States of America) and he asked for my help, so I returned to my papers and I I demanded and researched with a deeper maturity and retrieved many Qur’anic verses that had been collected by others, which alluded to the phenomenon of class disparity among people; Among that is His saying: {And do not wish for that by which God has preferred some of you over others} (An-Nisa: 32), and His saying, Glory be to Him: {And God has preferred some of you over others in provision} (An-Nahl: 71), and the Almighty’s saying: {See how we have preferred some of you over others. (Al-Isra: 21), and He, Glory be to Him, says: {We have divided among them their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others by degrees} (Al-Zukhruf: 32). These verses and the like confirm a reality, which is that God has preferred some people over others with various types of preference. Fadlhm sustenance, some of them are poor and some of them are rich. And preferred them to the body, some of them are strong and some of them are weak. And preferred them with reason, some of them are the world and some of them are ignorant. And he preferred them in form, so some of them were beautiful and some of them were ugly, and some of them were good in manners and some of them were bad in character. I refer to the verse that I love and my understanding of it changes as my knowledge, knowledge and intellectual maturity increase: “God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity, for it is what it has earned, and upon it is what it has earned.”
Therefore, the Holy Qur’an determines the phenomenon of disparity between people. And when he does that, he only does it for the wisdom he wants, and if all people were on one level of sustenance, no one would need anyone, and there is no longer a justification for the call to do good and do righteous deeds.
From a philosophical point of view, life cannot be straightened without this disparity. This is because disparity is necessary for the diversity of roles required for the construction of this land. And if all people were duplicates, it would not be possible for life to function as required, and there would still be many works for which we do not find anyone to perform them. And He who created life and wanted it to survive and grow, created the competencies and preparations of varying degrees of disparity in the roles required to be performed.
Although the Qur’an acknowledged this human phenomenon, it was not satisfied with that, but rather sought to reduce this disparity as much as possible. At the level of economic disparity among people, the rich were asked to spend on the poor, and to extend a helping hand to him, as the Almighty said: {And spend from what We have provided you with} (Al-Munafiqun: 10). and he is on
At this level, he did not seek to work to combat the inequality and difference that God created for people, and did not seek as well, as some sects did, and as a number of politicians do now in Egypt, to provoke one class against another, but rather took a balanced position to establish society on the basis of a balance between its layers. It is not intended to impoverish the rich, but rather to help the poor and secure their needs and get them out of the cycle of poverty.
On the other hand, he asked the poor not to wish for what God has bestowed on other people, as the Almighty said: {And do not wish for what God has given some of you over others.} He praised the chaste of the poor, and said: {The ignorant thinks them to be rich because of selfishness, you know them by their mark, they do not ask people out of curiosity} (Al-Baqarah: 237). He also asked people to strive for sustenance and toil in order to obtain it. The Almighty said: {It is He who has made the earth subservient to you, so walk in its paths and eat of His sustenance} (Al-Mulk: 15).
On the level of intellectual disparity, the Qur’an asked the scholar to reveal his knowledge and not conceal it from the people, and he threatened those who do so with the most severe warning. The Almighty said: {Indeed, those who conceal what We have sent down of clear proofs and guidance after what we have made clear to people in the Book are those who are cursed by God and cursed by those who curse.} (Al-Baqarah: 159). The scholar is required to know other than him, and he does not hide his knowledge in his chest.
On the other hand, the Qur’an exhorts the uneducated to seek knowledge, and distinguishes between the scholar and the non-scientist, which benefits the praise of the first and the disparagement of the second, as the Almighty said: {Say: Are the blind and the sighted alike? Will you then not think?} (Al-An’am: 50), and the Almighty said: {Say: Are those who are equal? Those who know and those who do not know” (Az-Zumar:9), and he asked the uneducated to ask the scholar, the Almighty said: {So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know} (An-Nahl: 43).
The philosophy of the Qur’an, as I understood it, determined that the cosmic life is based on the principle “And from everything We created a pair” (Al-Dhariyat: 49), and on the basis of this universal rule in building this universe, God created people male and female, and He made the beginning of man a man and a woman a woman; Each of them deposited its own distinct characteristics; Each of them performs certain functions. Not for his own account, nor for the sake of the sex of the same. But for the sake of this human life that is established, organized, fulfills its characteristics, and achieves its goal through this diversity of genders; Diversity in characteristics, diversity in functions. Through this diversity, a diversity of costs, a diversity of shares, and a diversity of positions arise, for the account of that great institution, which is called life.
Therefore, the philosophy of Islam established social life on the basis of inequality between people. It has never occurred, even in artificial societies governed by oriented sects, that all individuals be equal in this provision at all. And the wheel of life, when it turns, inevitably makes some people mock one another: {And We have raised some of them above others in degrees so that they may take others for mockery} (Al-Zukhruf: 32). And (subjugation) – according to the Qur’anic perspective – does not mean the superiority of one class over another, or the superiority of an individual over an individual, since all human beings subjugate each other not in the concept of slavery, but in the concept of the nature of needs, abilities and skills because life continues and is managed by everyone, where they make use of each other in every situation. , and in every circumstance. The one who is destined for sustenance is subjected to the one who is pleased with him in sustenance. And the opposite is also true. This is subjugated to invest money, and create jobs, so that others work and earn a living, and the disparity in livelihood is the one that harnesses this for that, and that is harnessed for this in the life cycle. The worker is subjugated to the engineer, and subordinated to the employer. And the engineer is harnessed to the worker and to the employer. The employer is subservient to the engineer and the worker alike. All of them are subjugated to the caliphate on earth with this disparity in talents and preparations, and disparities in work and livelihood.
And the Qur’an, when it establishes this inequality between human beings, does not call for the consolidation and regulation of this inequality. Rather, the point of the matter is that it establishes the eternal truths in the nature of this existence. Even the difference in religion, nature, cultures and language is part of the constants of human existence, and everyone who tries to remove this diversity and make society one copy of its ideas and customs and defines its culture is fighting human nature and preventing psychological and mental development that diverse societies such as Egypt enjoy.
I would like to state that, according to my understanding, the philosophy of the Islamic religion has acknowledged the phenomenon of disparity between people, and considered this as one of the requirements that are inseparable in the continuation of this life. At the same time, it called for reducing this disparity as much as possible, but it did not seek to abolish it; Because that cancels a year of life.
From here, I return to the concept of social justice, which politicians and revolutionaries are talking about these days with an undefined ambiguity about the distribution of income and an implicit accusation of dishonesty to those who make a profit and a tendency to public ownership and a return to the public sector even if losses are achieved through a desire for equality in poverty in order to achieve justice among people!!
Therefore, we must have a philosophy and a vision of justice before going into sub-measures that may lead to the impoverishment of the whole society on the way to achieving this justice, and public spending and tax policies are one of the means of society to achieve the goals of achieving justice in society in a balance between the survival of the incentive for success and profit and spending needs The year I will explain in the next lines.
I see that there are two different philosophies dealing with social justice: the first philosophy deals with social justice as a result that must be reached regardless of the justice of the means, as did communism and as some politicians claim in Egypt now, and the second philosophy deals with social justice as the justice of opportunity and reward for effort. At the same time, providing certain services and rights to all, such as education, health care, public transportation, sanitation, and clean water, for example, regardless of income disparity, in addition to spending on justice institutions (the judiciary), the foundation for the defense of the homeland (and the army) and law enforcement institutions (the police), which is the philosophy closest to my mind and conscience. In achieving a known limit of rights and at the same time rewarding work and recognizing the diversity and diversity of abilities and livelihood.
Studies have proven and
Experiences that economic policies that support investment in manpower and equal opportunities contribute to supporting economic growth, employment and achieving social justice more than simply taking from the most capable of distribution at least ability… with the exception of transitional or direct social policies that must target marginalized groups such as the disabled, the elderly and the sick. And orphans, as well as remote geographic areas that do not have development resources, public spending policies on empowerment and equal opportunities must be the main policies to include all groups of society in economic growth, employment and income growth.
Economic policies, with their differences, since Adam Smith, “the father of modern economics,” assert that “work, production, and efficiency” is the root of realizing income redistribution. International experiences indicate that public spending policies are the first tool for redistributing income towards achieving more equitable employment-based economic growth, because they are the tools that achieve equality and transparency of opportunity among human forces. Equal opportunity is achieved through spending on a basic education system that does not differentiate between the rich, the poor or the marginalized, a basic health services system that does not discriminate between classes, dignified public transportation to work through investment in infrastructure, and a transparent business climate that prevents monopoly and protects and guarantees small business owners In the productive process and in creating decent job opportunities and generating income for their families. If the government plays its role in laying the brick of equal and transparent opportunities for all, everyone contributes through their work to achieving economic growth – increasing the size of the pie – and income growth for all workers by reaping the fruits of economic growth in which all workers contribute – that is, a larger share of the cake for every diligent person. Through the fruits of this growth, the opportunity to redistribute a proportion of it to the marginalized, as they have been defined. Here, we have to understand the realization of social justice in this concept. It falls on the state as an organizer and guarantor of rights, and on the citizen who is able to use his money to create new job opportunities and the worker with his effort and mastery of his work to achieve more income and well-being for himself, his family and society, in accordance with the Quranic verse “God does not waste the reward of the best work.” . The positive philosophy of action is manifested again in the Qur’anic verse “God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves,” which places the burden of changing the situation on the individual and his effort, not on the Lord, let alone the state.
Such policies directed to achieving economic growth and social justice need huge resources, efficient management, and a clear vision for the state and policy makers. Here comes the role of the second corner of public finance policies, which is tax policies. Once again, economists face the problem of achieving economic justice through a system that is also fair to its payers and the effort of their work. Establishing an efficient and equitable tax system faces several challenges in developing countries where small businesses and informal businesses that do not contribute to paying taxes the largest share of the economy, in addition to the evasion of many self-employed people in light of a weak tax system that is not possible and therefore unable to limit and collect official through receipts. For example, we will find in Egypt that less than ten percent of institutions pay more than eighty percent of taxes, not only because the collection system is inefficient, but because these individuals and small enterprises are outside the scope of the regulation and follow-up radar.
The most important thing for achieving justice is the efficiency of the tax collection management system, which is something that has begun to take place since the legislative amendment of 2005, which I began to notice in recent years and the return of pressures from tax collectors that had begun to disappear at the beginning of an era of trust between the tax authority and citizens, which will leak a lot Which is paid outside the legal framework of the state.
Social justice is achieved by providing citizens’ rights from public services, as I said, in education, health care, public transportation, infrastructure, law enforcement for all, and equal opportunities for every citizen based on his abilities and skills, not just his presence. Everything I mention here needs funding from the community, efficient management from the government, and oversight of public spending in order to achieve its declared goals. If a government comes and installs excess labor or spends unrealized profits or arbitrarily to close a factory or production unit, then even if it satisfies a group of society, it has definitely violated the philosophy of social justice for all for the benefit of a group, even if it has a right from its point of view.
Through this article, I am not a specialist and I speak the language of the citizen who studies and scrutinizes what is being circulated politically. How many crimes are committed in the name of social justice in Egypt.
