MEHMET GÖRMEZ SPEAKS AT THE OPENING LECTURE OF THE 5TH CODE OF CONDUCT COUNCIL
Mehmet Görmez Speaks at The Opening Lecture of the 5th Code of Conduct Council
Mehmet Görmez spoke at the opening lecture of the 5th Code of Conduct Council hosted by Writers Union of Turkey and HAK-IS Trade Union Confederation. Görmez emphasized that it is essential for the Muslims to construct a business structure which is based on compassionate justice, applies a legal system based on ethics, does not separate the ethical from the economic, and is basically dominated by ethics, instead of struggling for the necessities of the global market.
Mehmet Görmez discussed in terms of usul and methodology the subject of “code of conduct and business life”, which was the main theme of the council.
Görmez first mentioned the integrity of the deeds and ethics in his speech. He explained that Islam, according to the concept of monotheism (tawhid), does not distinguish the good deeds which we do to go to heaven from the deeds which we do for a living, and he asked all of us to turn all our worldly deeds into the good deeds. He emphasized that, when we look at the integrity of deeds and ethics in Islam, there cannot be a code of conduct in the workplace that is independent from general ethics. He pointed to the holistic and conceptual framework of the Qur’an regarding the code of conduct and business life.
Secondly, he raised attention to the misconception of grounding the matter solely on employer-employee relationship without constructing on justice, ethics, and compassion the spheres related to ethics such as the balance of production and consumption, the relationship between capital and labor, the issue of luxury and waste, and the endless matter of profit and income. He also stated that Islam does not accept working only for economic purposes as a virtue, and a Muslim’s business life should be in accordance with the purpose of their existence and the hikmah of their creation.
Görmez continued his speech with the title of “a legal system based on ethics; a business life full of compassion”. He stated that promise (ahd), which is one of the fundamental elements of ethics, is at the heart of Islamic business structure and added that there lies at the center of this structure a law that guarantees the ethical method, and this law is built by the contracts (aqds) which surround the human life with justice and mercy and determines the relationship of people with Allah, the existence, the other people, and themselves. The Contracts (aqds) are not only a contract between the employer and the employee, but they also have an aspect that cares for God’s approval, and this aspect is mentioned in the Qur’an as agreement (misaq). He stated that the condition of a Muslim’s promises (ahd) and contracts (aqd) hinges on its suitability for this agreement (misaq).
To properly perform the Islamic business structure, Görmez emphasized that it is important for the Muslims to construct one which is based on compassionate justice, applies a legal system based on ethics, does not separate the ethical from the economic, and is basically dominated by ethics. He drew attention to the fact that Islamic ethics does not only consider the employer and the employee responsible to each other, but it also considers both sides responsible to the job itself. He stated that the violations between the employer and the employee might lead to the violation of the rights of other people, and these violations eventually lead to breaking the law of Allah and all of these move us away from the halal income.
He mentioned the global market, which charges for and commodifies everything, puts humanity against a global economic morality crisis and today, even though Muslims develop important Islamic economic theories against capitalism and neoliberalism, he emphasized that it is wrong to try and apply the rules of the business structure and styles of production and consumption, which have been established by capitalism and neoliberalism, to these theories. He expressed that it would be a more accurate way to start by founding our business structure, production system, and consumption style upon fair share. He stated that instead of focusing on halal food, we must try to plant the idea of halal work-halal income in every Muslim’s life.
He also mentioned the great Qur’anic poet, Mehmet Akif Ersoy and the fact that he was not indifferent to this bleeding wound of the ummah and attributed meaning to the concept of “work” via the “viewpoint of action”, and the Qur’an shows a way out to the ummah by centering the concept of effort (sa’y) and the great social effort for work.