Why isn't there a powerful, non oil rich Muslim country?

I have been asking many people this question lately…and nobody has been able to give me an answer. Every Muslim state in the world, depends on the export of oil…unless they are poor, war torn and suffering.

Is there an exception? Why is this, do you think? China is an Atheist state…and it’s very hard to argue their financial success. India is Hindu…and while they have a multicultural country, the largest population block is Hindu.

Is it because Sharia law, by and large, conflicts with basic human rights, women’s rights and equality? Or is there something else going on?

Answer #1

What about Turkey? Although I don’t think it’s any coincidence that it’s the most secular Muslim country

Answer #2

dont surpose you can class the UK as 1 can ya?

Answer #3

It depends, I think, on what you define as “powerful” There are hardly any powerful Muslim countries, oil or not, that can stand up to American power.

If what you actually mean is a decent standard of living…well there’s Malaysia. There’s still significant poverty there but generally people have enough to eat and enough money left over to buy a consumer good here and there. And it is Muslim…about half the population practice Islam.

Answer #4

I sou on TV that there are making some Oil that is good for the Air and good for people save a lot off money too,and it will be good for the Economy too.

Answer #5

china is not a Atheist state, the government just has no religion stated as its offical. but the people there are buddhist, christian, muslium, taoist. And the reason that is seems like that, is b/c: Islamic states (meaning the country runs under lslamic laws) happen to being in oil rich areas (middle east), while other countries (non-lslamic states) with high populations of musliums dont live in reasource rich areas. like eastern europe, africa, and the south pacific. Also if they follow Islamic law they can not charge interest rates on loans, which doesnt help them with the world market. theres also more to it but that has to do with the development of the country and education level of its people, etc…

Answer #6

Let’s see: the UK King…created protestantism (by divorce, as he couldn’t get a papal decree).

Doesn’t qualify…thus, the expression, God save the queen :) Not, “Allah save the queen”. Right?

Answer #7

You’re assuming that the religion caused the poverty and suffering, not the other way around… Perhaps the lack of power, education and wealth has caused an uprise in fundamentalism. And plus, you’ve got very poor African and Latin American nations. With terrible human rights laws, terrible corruption, constant wars, and ridiculous amounts of poverty. Would you blame skin color for that? Or culture? I think it’s a simplistic way of looking at complicated issues. Is the fundamentalism problematic, absolutely. But I dont see how a particular religion can be blamed. Especially since there are countries that are far worse off that are Christian.

Answer #8

You could ask that same question in regard to any theocracy. Theocracy just isn’t conducive to wealth generation, although it does rather well at concentrating whatever wealth there is among the powerful.

Answer #9

What do you mean by “oil rich”? Does that mean the country has oil underneath it, or does it mean the oil industry itself (not necessarily having oil underneath its surface) make it rich?

Answer #10

It’s mostly because most Islamic states happen to be in the middle east, which also happens to be where a lot of oil is. When the oil industry was booming, in the mid and late 20th century, most countries in the middle east foolishly built their entire economy on the oil industry, assuming that they would have it forever and now they are at the will of their oil.

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