Aid or Influence?US Foreign Assistance to Indonesia in Islamic Point of View
Keywords:
Islamic Worldview, Islamic Political Economy, Islamic International Relations, US foreign AidAbstract
Drawing on critiques from Islamic Political Economy (IPE) and Islamic International Relations (IIR), this study analyses the political, economic, and geopolitical implications of United States foreign aid to Indonesia through the lens of the Islamic worldview. Using a philosophical approach, the research interprets the spiritual and ethical dimensions of the Islamic worldview through foundational sources such as the Qur’an, Hadith, and classical Islamic scholarship. The findings reveal that US foreign aid has minimal impact on economic growth. Instead, it predominantly promotes Western-style liberalization, democratization, secularism, and strategic geopolitical objectives, particularly as a counterbalance to China’s influence. This study highlights the misalignment between secular aid strategies and Islamic principles, advocating for policies grounded in the Islamic worldview. By integrating faith-based principles into the analysis of political economy and international relations, the research offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how Islamic ethics can shape governance, international relations, and economic behaviour. As a library-based exploratory study, the findings emphasize the need for further empirical validation through qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This research provides valuable insights into aligning Islamic ethical frameworks with contemporary political and economic practices.
References
Adiong, M. A. (2019). Islam in international relations: Politics and paradigm. Taylor & Francis.
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (1978). Islam and secularism. Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia.
Alias, M. S., & Hanapi, M. S. (2017). The ontological aspect of Ibn Al-Haytham's scientific research philosophy. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(2), 700. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i2/2677
Anwar, D. F. (2018). Foreign policy, Islam and democracy in Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.14203/jissh.v3i1.45
Arvin, M., Cater, B., & Choudhry, S. (2000). A causality analysis of untied foreign assistance and export performance: The case of Germany. Applied Economics Letters, 7(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/135048500351465
Awaluddin, F. A. (2024). Relational concept of ma'rifah, 'ilm, and wahy. Jurnal Al-I'Jaz.
Awang, R. (2012). Simbolisme sains dalam wahyu keserasian antara ayat maqru'ah dengan ayat manzurah. Jurnal Teknologi. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v38.513
Azam, M., Emirullah, C., Prabhakar, A. C., & Khan, A. Q. (2013). The role of external debt in economic growth of Indonesia: A blessing or burden? World Applied Sciences Journal, 25(8), 1150–1157. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.wasj.2013.25.08.11760
Bernstein, R. J. (2011). Beyond objectivism and relativism: Science, hermeneutics, and praxis. https://doi.org/10.3817/0385063223
Bouzarinejad, Y., Zarpeyma, S., & Marandi, E. (2017). Sayyid Qutb and political Islam: Islamic government from the perspective of Sayyid Qutb. Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v5i4.587
Chapra, M. U. (1992). Islam and the international debt problem. Journal of Islamic Studies.
Chomariyah, & Sudirman. Conflicts between Chinese and Indonesia in North Natuna Sea. Palarch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 17.
Choudhury, M. A. (2019). Introduction: Fundamental precepts of this treatise. In Meta-science of tawhid. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21558-3_1
Cohen, M. A. (2013). Giving to developing countries: Controversies and paradoxes of international aid. Social Research, 80(2).
Fleck, R. K., & Kilby, C. (2010). Changing aid regimes? U.S. foreign aid from the Cold War to the War on Terror. Journal of Development Economics, 91(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2009.09.011
Fouz Mohamed Zacky, M., & Moniruzzaman, M. (2024). "Islamic epistemology" in a modern context: Anatomy of an evolving debate. Social Epistemology, 38(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2023.2227945
Hamilton-Hart, N., & McRae, D. (2015). Indonesia: Balancing the United States and China, aiming for independence.
Hanapi, M. S. (2013). The conceptual elements of the development worldview in the Qur'an: A study of thematic exegesis. American International Journal of Social Science. www.aijssnet.com
Hasan, Z. (2008). Markets and the role of government in an economy from Islamic perspective. Encyclopaedia of Islamic Economics, 4.
Hassan. (2011). The human intellect, divine revelation and knowledge based on Al-Qaradawi's work: Al-'Aql wa al-'Ilm fi al-Qur'an al-Karim. Revelation and Science.
Hassan, M. H. (2007). War, peace or neutrality: An overview of Islamic polity's basis of inter-state relations.
Ismail, N., & Dewi, B. R. (2015). Maqasid Shariah's view and its solution on foreign debt in Indonesia. Global Review of Islamic Economics and Business, 1(3), 229. https://doi.org/10.14421/grieb.2014.013-06
Kahf, M. (1994). Budget deficits and public borrowing instruments in an Islamic economic system. American Journal of Islam and Society, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v11i2.2428
Kaminski, J. J. Islam, liberalism and ontology: A critical re-evaluation.
Khatab, S. (2006). The political thought of Sayyid Qutb: The theory of Jahiliyyah. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203086438
Komarudin, M. (2021). Foreign debt in the perspective of Tafsir Fii Zilaal Al-Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb. El-Qish: Journal of Islamic Economics, 1(1), 41–55. https://doi.org/10.33830/elqish.v1i1.1510.2021
Maghraoui, A., & US Institute of Peace. (2006). American foreign policy and Islamic renewal. www.usip.org
Marlina, R., Juliana, J., Adila, N. A., Bilal, M., & Muttaqien, K. (2019). Islamic political economy: Critical review of economic policy in Indonesia. Review of Islamic Economics and Finance.
Milner, H. V., & Tingley, D. H. (2010). The political economy of U.S. foreign aid: American legislators and the domestic politics of aid. Economics and Politics, 22(2), 200–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0343.2009.00356.x
Oatley, T. (2003). [Review of the book International trade and political conflict: Commerce, coalitions, and mobility, by M. J. Hiscox]. Perspectives on Politics, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592703950420
Paty, M. (2017). From the reasons of light to the lights of reason: Remarks on Ibn al-Haytham's and Albert Einstein's respective approaches of light as conceived physically. In Light-based science: Technology and sustainable development: The legacy of Ibn Al-Haytham. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315155081
Purwono, A. (2017). Islam in foreign policy: Promotion of moderate Islam in Indonesia foreign policy 2004-2014. Indonesian Journal of International Relations, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.32787/ijir.v1i1.10
Qadir, J. (2018). The Islamic worldview and development ideals. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3015107
Rashed, R. (2023). Ibn Al-Haytham: Between mathematics and physics. In Mathematics and physics in classical Islam. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004513402_005
Reza, F. (2017). The analytical study of anthropological foundations of health from Islamic teachings points of view. Bioethics.
Schwandt, T. A. (2023). The SAGE dictionary of qualitative inquiry. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483398969
Shepard, W. E. (1987). Islam and ideology: Towards a typology. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 19.
Simbar, R. (2008). The changing role of Islam in international relations. Journal of International and Area Studies, 15.
Sirageldin, I. (1995). Islam, society, and economic policy. The Pakistan Development Review, 34(4).
Sirageldin, I., & Anwar, M. (1995). Islam, society, and economic policy [with comments]. The Pakistan Development Review.
Subhan ZA, M. A. (2016). Konsep distribusi pendapatan dalam Islam. JES (Jurnal Ekonomi Syariah), 1(1). https://doi.org/10.30736/jesa.v1i1.7
Taqiyuddin, M. (2020). In search of Islamic definition of worldview: Elements, and its characters. Zawiyah: Jurnal Pemikiran Islam, 6(2).
Turner, J. (2012). Uncovering an Islamic paradigm of international relations. In Muslim minorities (Vol. 11). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004231030_003
Turner, S. (2009). Russia, China and a multipolar world order: The danger in the undefined. Asian Perspective, 33(1), 159–184. https://doi.org/10.1353/apr.2009.0029
Turner. (2009). Islam as a theory of international relations? E-International Relations.
Turner. (2024). Islamic insights on religious disagreement: A new proposal. Religions.
Valk, J., & Selçuk, M. (2016). An Islamic worldview: Ethics in a modern, democratic and secular state. Turkish Journal of Bioethics, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.5505/tjob.2016.79664
Wahyudi Askar, M. (2015). Foreign aid and economic development in Indonesia. JIAP.
Williams, L. The changing winds of aid: An exploration of aid disbursements to Muslim countries.
Younas, J. (2008). Motivation for bilateral aid allocation: Altruism or trade benefits. European Journal of Political Economy, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2008.05.003
Zarkasyi, H. F. (2013). Worldview Islam dan kapitalisme Barat. http://www.investorwords.com/713/capitalism.html
Zarkasyi, H. F. (2018). Appraising the moderation Indonesian Muslims with special reference to Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama. ADDIN.
Zarkasyi, H. F. (2024). Developing an Islamic human resource development mode (IHRD) to strengthen the organization's sustainable development goals (SDGs). Journal of Lifestyle and SDG's Review.
Zarkasyi. (2012). Misykat. INSISTS-MIUMI.
Downloads
Submitted
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
All articles in this proceeding are open access, the articles published in them are immediately and permanently free to read, download, copy and distribute. Each volume is published under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 user license.
