Ethics and Corruption in Muslim Countries: Fact versus Fiction?

Muslims always pride themselves in their emphasis on akhlaq (ethics) and always seem to think that Muslim countries are much more ethical that non-Muslim countries. Is this fact or is it fiction?

The 2006 survey from Transparency International was released very recently. The 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index is a composite index that is based on multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptions of public sector corruption in 163 countries around the world. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption. Significantly, a strong correlation between corruption and poverty is evident in the results of the CPI 2006. Almost three-quarters of the countries in the CPI score below five indicating that most countries face serious perceived levels of domestic corruption.

Are Muslim countries an exception and less corrupt domestically? The results are quite shocking. No Muslim country ranked in the top 25. The top 5 most ethical countries in the world are in order: Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore. United Kingdom ranked 11, Japan ranked 17 , France ranked 18 , the United States ranked 20, and Israel ranked 34. The table below lists the rankings of Muslim or Muslim-majority countries or countries with substantial Muslim populations; I included Israel (a non-Muslim country) as a benchmark against which Muslim countries can compare themselves. The term “range” below refers to the confidence range.

Source: Transparency International. The remainder of the rankings can be looked on the Transparency International website.

With such high levels of domestic corruption, the workplace within the abovementioned countries is bound to be affected. Muslims will have tremendously difficulty abiding by the high moral standards that the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) wish us to live by. On a global macro-economic level, there is likely to be flight of capital and of foreign direct investment (FDI) from these countries. The cure is simple: restore an ethical climate based on Islamic principles. The cure works. Look at the transition of the Arabian Peninsula from Jahiliya to the time of the 4 rightly guided Caliphs, and what levels Muslims reached. Nowadays, look at Singapore: it used to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world until one man determined that enough was enough, and turned the country back towards ethical behavior. By the Grace of Allah, it is one of the most prosperous countries in the world, and ranks #5 in the world among the least corrupt countries.

Since the survey results also indicate that corruption is significantly correlated with poverty, it is clear that a major portion of the responsibility for the unethical climate prevailing in most Muslim countries rests squarely on the shoulders of their leaders.  In this regard, Kasule (1998) emphasizes that leaders are servants of their followers (sayyid al qawn khadimuhum). They are to seek the welfare of their subjects, and guide them toward what is good. In a hadith reported by Abu Malih in Sahih Muslim (1:82), the Prophet (s) said:

A ruler who has been entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims, but makes no endeavor (for their material and moral uplift) and is not sincerely concerned (for their welfare) will not enter Paradise along with them.

Simultaneously, leaders and those in positions of power in Muslim countries are ultimately accountable to their Lord and Creator. In another hadith (#847) narrated by Adi ibn Amirah al-Kindi in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (s) said:

Whoso from you is appointed by us to a position of authority and he conceals from us a needle or something smaller than that, it would be misappropriation (of public funds) and [he] will (have to) produce it on the Day of Judgment.