FOOD DEPENDENCY, MALNUTRITION AND EXPLOITATION IN THE POOR MUSLIM COUNTRIES — THE CASE FOR FINANCING MICRO LEVEL ENTERPRISES BY THE PROPOSED ISLAMIC COMMON MARKET (ICM) FUND

Islam being a revealed religion for humanity as a whole stands for justice and fairness. This can be achieved by way of establishing an exploitation‐free society. Exploitation is a very complex phenomenon that results from the interaction of multiplicity of forces encompassing economic, social, political and cultural, among others. The mutually interacting forces operate in the presence of dominance‐dependence relationship to perpetuate low productivity and low income, thereby giving rise to exploitation of the underpriviliged by the privileged in the society. The dominance‐dependence relationship works through the interrelated nature of production technology, financial allocation, marketing and distribution networks. Here comes the pivotal role of various institutions involved in dealing with the above mentioned networks. Given the highly centralized nature of administration, the role of head of state in Muslim‐majority countries in promoting appropriate institutions as well as mechanisms for ensuring growth with distributive justice can hardly be over emphasized.