Economic blocs are considered a formidable strength in the world, and there is no better time for Islamic countries, after experiencing fragmentation and weakness, to come together and put their natural, economic, and human resources together. With proper preparation and qualification, they could form a strong economic bloc capable of standing against other blocs to defend their interests.
Economic integration offers the Islamic Ummah substantial potential that far exceeds its current capabilities, let alone the potential of each country individually.
In an interview with “Al-Mujtama,” Moroccan experts and academics emphasize the opportunities for successful integration, acknowledging the challenges and obstacles that cannot be denied but can be overcome with willpower and determination and prioritizing the interests of the people above all.
Dr. Mohammed Boubouche, a Moroccan professor of international relations, highlights that economic unity among the vast Islamic world has become an urgent necessity in a world that does not recognize small, weak entities. Economic and political alliances between countries have become indispensable to withstand the sweeping tide of globalization, where survival is for the fittest economically.
He adds that it is evident that the Islamic countries collectively possess enormous economic wealth and vast human resources today. If integrated and optimally utilized, they would undoubtedly form a massive economic bloc and an international power capable of standing alongside the world's major economic blocs.
Dr. Boubouche: Islamic economic unity is an urgent necessity in a world that does not recognize small entities
Dr. Mohssine Nadoui, Head of the Moroccan Center for Strategic Studies and International Relations, lists the components of economic integration between Islamic countries, including productivity, geography, and ideology.
He highlights that these Islamic countries possess diverse natural resources in terms of agricultural resources (both plant and animal), covering 20% of the world's agricultural area. Additionally, they have significant human resources, with the population of the Islamic world exceeding one billion people and growing annually at a rate of 5%. Furthermore, they possess mineral resources such as diamonds, gold, sulfur, phosphate, copper, iron, aluminum, coal, rubies, and others. Not to mention oil, which is found in 35 countries (45% of global production), natural gas in 25 countries (80% of global production), phosphate (70% of global production), and aluminum (23% of global production).
He notes that Islamic countries span four continents, covering an area of 32 million km², which is a quarter of the world's land area. They are located on the most important global sites, including seas, oceans, and maritime straits, and they also have rivers. The geographical and demographic components are characterized by a vast and growing human resource, as the population factor is crucial to development. Besides, the ideological components are rooted in Islam, which encourages integration, inclusivity, unity of the Ummah, and Islamic brotherhood.
Benefits
Nadoui points to the benefits of Arab and Islamic self-sufficiency in wheat and food and reducing dependence on the outside world for importing goods necessary for the local market across all areas of activity, including food, pharmaceuticals, and both light and heavy industries, especially in the fields of security and military defense.
He emphasizes the need to leverage the production capacities of participating countries, thereby establishing specialized industries among member states. This would lead to improved production in terms of quantity and quality, ensuring the availability of goods in the markets with the best standards.
Dr. Nadoui: Islamic countries possess vast natural and human resources, along with geographic and intellectual assets
One of the most crucial measures to be taken is to support the positions of Islamic countries in the face of international competition in global trade, enabling them to establish their presence internationally. This involves expanding production fields and diversifying methods to meet market needs in member countries and create job opportunities for Arab and Muslim youth.
He emphasizes the importance of covering the market needs in member and friendly countries, then exporting the surplus abroad through a system of commercial exchange with global markets based on mutual cooperation grounded in justice and mutual respect among the involved parties. Additionally, there is a need for the division of international Islamic labor, which entails establishing large-scale production projects based on specialization and comparative advantages. This leads to increased production efficiency and reduced costs, benefiting both the producer and the consumer.
Furthermore, he stresses the importance of increasing investment opportunities and volumes under economic integration, which leads to heightened economic activity and increased incomes, thereby boosting savings that facilitate further investments. This also enhances the bargaining power of Islamic countries within economic integration, improving the rate and efficiency of trade exchanges with external countries. Consequently, this mitigates the price fluctuations of exports and imports in Islamic countries caused by cyclical fluctuations in employment and production levels in advanced industrial nations.
Challenges
Moroccan economic expert Dr. Said Saddiki believes that the Islamic world is geographically, demographically, culturally, and linguistically diverse. Despite bilateral economic relations between most of its countries, it lacks an effective economic organization. As to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, it remains a political forum and is not effective in enhancing economic cooperation among its members.
He points out the absence of common economic policies, the historical ties of these countries with competing blocs, differences in legal systems of economic activities, numerous international and regional crises, and the conflicting positions of Islamic countries on these issues. All these factors cast a shadow on relations between Islamic countries and prevent them from developing their economic cooperation, including the optimal utilization of the natural resources abundant in the Islamic world.
Dr. Saddiki: The absence of common economic policies negatively affects relations between Islamic countries
Dr. Mohssine Nadoui highlights the obstacles to economic integration, including significant backwardness, dependence on others, and the low level of trade between Islamic countries, with intra-Islamic trade constituting only 8.3% of their total foreign trade. The industrial backwardness is evident, with the industrial sector contributing only 30% to the GDP. Not to mention poverty, debt, rampant administrative corruption, and problems in the agricultural sector leading to reliance on imports from foreign countries to meet needs.
He considers the political factor to be crucial for the completion of any economic project, from a free trade area to full economic integration and unification. The reality shows political instability among Islamic countries due to a lack of trust and differences in their policies, ideologies, and political systems. Economic integration among Islamic countries and the establishment of a common market have become urgent necessities to push forward comprehensive development in various Islamic countries.
Dr. Mohammed Boubouche emphasizes that while economic integration plays an important and pivotal role in advancing economic development in the economies of the Islamic world, reality, in general, presents a bleak picture of trade among Islamic countries and the rest of the world. The volume of this trade is minimal compared to the overall trade volume, which does not match the high aspirations held for the Islamic world.
He adds that there are both internal and external factors that pose significant challenges to achieving economic integration among Islamic countries. Internal issues include political border disputes, political conflicts, differences in governance systems, and weak intraregional trade. External factors arise from a mix of foreign elements opposed to Islamic integration, aiming to impose dependence on Islamic economies and fight any efforts toward economic independence, ensuring they remain tethered to the capitalist economic system.
Therefore, he concludes that serious efforts are needed to activate Islamic economic integration by adopting integrative strategies that lead to the rational use of the vast and untapped Islamic resources. This includes enhancing intra-Islamic countries trade and initiating sectoral integration (agricultural, industrial, petroleum, etc.). Additionally, it is crucial to establish an Islamic investment institution dedicated to developing necessary programs to maximize and increase investment opportunities within Islamic countries.
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