Monsanto Company is the world’s
largest seed company which it is specializes in biotechnology or the genetic
manipulation of organism. They are trying to modify crops i.e. by inserting new
genes etc. in order to meet certain aims such as higher yield, surviving during
drought, ward of weeds etc. Monsanto’s
genetically modified (GM) seeds have increased the quantity and availability of
crops which helps farmer worldwide increase food production and revenues
Mosanto, despite being very
successful in its field have had some serious issues with different
stakeholders. The problems encountered could be broadly summarized into few
categories: Environmental /health problems with Mosanto’s products , bribery issues and legal issues. To
know further about Mosanto’s case study, you can refer to this site http://www.scribd.com/doc/61268487/Monsanto-case-study
and also this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto.
What I’m trying to write here is about how Islam, based on my understanding, solves
Mosanto’s problems. We want to try to apply Tawhidic Paradigm and Maqasid syari’ah
into this case.
According to Tawhidic Paradigm, everything in the universe is
created by God. We are God’s vicegerents on the earth; it has been given us in
trust. Just as we are not the lords of nature and the world, so the world is
not our property which we can dispose of as we wish or as we are able. Nature
was created by God and it belongs to God. Everything in nature is a sign of
God’s existence; that is, a token or missive. Our duty, therefore, as God’s
vicegerents and trustees, is to show respect for the trust, and to preserve it
carefully, in no way wasting its natural resources when using or consuming them.
Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant has said, “Agriculture intersect the toughest
challenges we all face on the planet. Together, we must meet the needs for
increased food, fiber, and energy while protecting the environment. In short,
the world needs to produce more and conserve smarter.”
We can see from above statement that Monsanto seems to implement a Mashlahah
for human kind, for instance they
added more than 100 million tons to worldwide agricultural production in a ten
year period and also increasing the farmer’s income. But if their product
create bad implication for health, meaning that Mosanto has doing Mafsadah
. according to Qawaid fiqhiyyah, dar'ul mafasid
muqaddamun 'ala jalbil mashalih”,
it means rejecting fasad first rather than taking the Mashlahah.
Based on that Qaidah Fiqhiyyah, Mosanto should solve all those problem first before
giving a ‘Mashlahah’ to the others, such as conducting R&D to find out the
solutions.
Another issue is about
bribery. Bribery is a big sin in Islam. it is Haraam
based on the qur’an and sunnah. Allah says:
وَلا
تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى
الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقاً مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالإِثْمِ وَأَنْتُمْ
تَعْلَمُونَ
“And eat up not one
another’s property unjustly, nor give bribery to the rulers that you may
knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully.” (Aayah No. 188, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter No. 2, Holy
Qur’an).
Abdullah bin Amur who said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Allah cursed the briber
(rashi) and bribe-taker (murtashi).” Ahmad narrated from Tawban who said: “The
Messenger of Allah (SAW) cursed the briber, bribe-taker and the mediator
meaning the one who walks between the two.” [Ahmad,
Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and ibn Majah]
Related
to Legal issue, American antitrust institute said that Mosanto is hindering
competition, exerting too much power over the transgenic seed industry, and
limiting seed innovation. According to our opinion, if what Mosanto has done is
a good things for human kind, we have to do fastabiqul khairat
, striving together (as in a race)
towards all that is good based on Surah
Al-Baqarah 2:148
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