DOHA: As opposed to Marxism which is against capitalism, Islam preaches a middle path between capitalism and socialism, says a prominent politician from Egypt.
Magdi Ahmed Hussein, general secretary of Egypt's Labour Party which toes the Islamists' line, told The Peninsula in an interview yesterday that the West misunderstands Islam and so misinterprets its teachings.
"Islam has much in common with Social Democrats," Hussein said, arguing that the concept of 'zakat' in Islam is meant to ensure equitable distribution of wealth.
"Islam is all about social justice. It does not want a poor to remain poor all his life. The concept of 'zakat' is meant to ensure socio-economic stability," he said. It seeks to the protect the right of the proletariat and that of the private sector at the same time.
His Labour Party has roots in a political outfit his father, Ahmed Hussein, founded in 1933. The party was renamed as Socialist Party in 1949 but disbanded by Gamal Abdul Nasser in 1953.
It was launched again with its current name (the Labour Party) in 1978. The party has been the largest opposition in the Egyptian parliament twice (between 1979 and 1984 and between 1987 and 1990). The party is now facing a tough time due to official restrictions imposed on political forces in his country, said Hussein.
The rate of unemployment is very high in Egypt and with many public sector units being privatised, workers are getting a raw deal, he said.
However, workers employed with cement companies, especially, in which foreign investors are buying equities are doing well. Industrial workers in Egypt total an estimated between 100,000 and 200,000, said Hussein.
He was here to attend the two-day conference on 'Islam and Arab nationalism' that ended yesterday.
© The Peninsula 2006
