Creation of the Islamic Self for Sustainability: Strategies for Parents, Education System and Entrepreneurs toward Meeting SDGs

Abstract

Purpose: The first part of this paper, titled "‘Creation of the Islamic Self for Sustainability"’ was published in the Journal of Islamic Business and Management Vol. 10, Issue 2. In the first part, the authors attempted to establish the relationship between Self-Image, Worth and Esteem (SIWE) and sustainable consumption habits, within the conceptual framework and praxis of the Islamic tradition. In the second part of the paper, the authors, now attempt, to trace the causes of a weak SIWE and what role Parents, Education and Muslim Entrepreneurs can play in (a) strengthening the SIWE of the next generation of Muslims, (b) Inspire them to become environmentally conscious consumers and producers. Design/Methodology/Approach: The analysis presented in the paper is based on an interpretive synthesis of a focused literature review. Findings: The paper explores the role which parenting and education in Muslim communities can play to develop environmentally conscious entrepreneurs equipped with a strong SIWE as well as how the environmentally-conscious Muslim entrepreneurs can pursue their businesses to transform their communities in an environmentally sustainable manner. Originality/Significance: This is perhaps the first paper which explores the critical relationship between the psychological outcome of Muslim parenting, education in the form of development of SIWE and environmentally conscious entrepreneurship. Research Limitations/Implications: The framework presented in the paper will require further substantiation when practically applied within Muslim families, educational institutions and market place. Practical and Social Implications: The paper can provide insights to parents, policy makers in the education system, and concerned entrepreneurs.

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“…Today, there are multiple layers in this bigger picture (Javaid et al, 2021). Each employee's output contributes to the institutional output as per the system and logic of a specific institutions.…”

“…The modern education system: The system of education was originally created to psychologically disconnect individuals from their kinship networks and prioritize their commitment to the institutions they will work for. The education system also aims at imparting the skill of reading and writing, to turn students into obedient servants in an institution built on bureaucratic logic (Javaid et al, 2021). The expected outcome is rational individuals, concerned about their self-interest, and unconcerned about the big picture while working in a corporate or state bureaucracy, obediently focusing on the tasks or processes assigned to them by an authority (Mitra, 2015).…”

“…The education system, therefore, employed a process that conditions students to compete with each other for grades Kohn (2006); the teachers lecture students for an hour or less even if they are not interested, while students are expected to shift their focus to another subject as soon as the bell rings, several times in a day (Gatto, 2010); the knowledge is compartmentalized into disciplines to the extent that the big picture is obscured in the process (Gatto, 2010); the teachers are often told by some authority what exactly needs to be taught in the class irrespective of what teacher's or student's curiosity may aspire at any given moment (Grusky, 2019); the students are required to remain obedient to the demands of the teacher throughout their educational experience even if these demands make no sense to the students (Javaid et al, 2021). Such a system has been considered inapt by experts (Semler, 2007) for developing students who are, for example, visionary, self-aware, self-learners, collaborative, self-driven, creative, intuitive, and entrepreneurial, simply because the internal processes within this British-made education system are designed to do the very opposite, that is, to turn students into obedient workers of a bureaucracy (Fukuyama, 2011;Mitra, 2015).…”

“…Educational institutions likewise are tied not just vertically but laterally as well with the industry, more so when they are privately managed, as depicted in Figure 1. So, to keep a particular institution relevant within the giant web of institutions the employees cannot risk making changes in the structural components, let alone have the necessary qualifications to do so (Javaid et al, 2021;Spector, 2018).…”