In Comment

AI, Copyright, and Academic Research Production

In a significant policy decision, Australia’s Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has ruled out introducing a text and data mining (TDM) exception to the country’s copyright law—a move that would have permitted artificial intelligence (AI) developers to freely scrape and use copyrighted creative works for AI training without compensating rights holders. This proposal, initially floated by the Productivity Commission in its August interim report, was met with strong opposition from creatives, authors, journalists, and cultural institutions, who argued it would amount to the “theft” of intellectual and cultural property by big tech firms. The government’s rejection of the TDM exception has been widely celebrated as a victory for creators and a reaffirmation of the value of Australia’s cultural output. While the final Productivity Commission report—due in December—may still include the recommendation, the immediate decision, coupled with the reactivation of the Copyright & AI Reference Group (CAIRG) in late October, signals a shift toward a licensing-led framework for AI development. This approach emphasizes negotiated, consensual use of copyrighted materials rather than blanket exemptions. For the academic community, this decision carries both reassurance and complexity. On one hand, it upholds strong copyright protections that safeguard scholarly output, teaching materials, and research publications—many of which are protected under the same legal regime as creative works. This is especially important in an era where AI systems increasingly ingest academic content without attribution or compensation, potentially undermining the economic and moral rights of researchers and institutions. On the other hand, academics engaged in AI research or computational […]

Ibn Khaldun: The Visionary Who Anticipated the Modern Social Sciences

In the vast expanse of Islamic intellectual history, few figures have achieved the lasting significance of Ibn Khaldun, the fourteenth-century North African historian, philosopher, and jurist who lived a life as complex and eventful as the civilizations he studied. The 2016 article “A Review of Ibn Khaldun and His Scholarly Contributions” by Li Yanwei and Zhang Meimei, published in the Journal of Ningxia Normal University (Social Science), offers a sweeping account of his extraordinary journey and the timeless relevance of his ideas. Through their study, Ibn Khaldun emerges not merely as a chronicler of his age but as a thinker who understood the deep structures of history, power, and human society centuries before the birth of sociology or modern historiography. Born in 1332 in Tunis to a distinguished Andalusian Arab family, Ibn Khaldun’s early years were marked by privilege, rigorous education, and tragedy. Trained in the Qur’an, law, logic, and Arabic literature, he inherited both a rich cultural heritage and a profound curiosity about the world. When the Black Death swept through North Africa in 1348–49, claiming his parents, the young Ibn Khaldun turned to public service, beginning a career that would take him across the political landscape of the Maghreb and al-Andalus. He served as a court secretary, judge, diplomat, and minister, enduring imprisonment, exile, and repeated reversals of fortune in an age of political instability. Yet these experiences, far from embittering him, became the raw material of his insight into how societies rise and decline, how solidarity binds […]

Islam and Corporate Social Responsibility

Islam and Corporate Social Responsibility presents an insightful and timely re-examination of how faith-based ethics can enrich and redefine modern corporate conduct. In an era marked by growing public scrutiny of business practices, environmental degradation, and widening social inequalities, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a global priority. Yet, as this study compellingly argues, the ethical foundations that guide responsible corporate behavior are far from uniform—and Islam offers a deeply rooted and comprehensive moral framework for rethinking what it means to do business responsibly. At its heart, this work bridges two worlds: the modern corporate paradigm, with its emphasis on sustainability and stakeholder accountability, and the Islamic worldview, which integrates economic activity within a moral and spiritual order. By grounding CSR in the ethical teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith, the study demonstrates how principles such as zakat (charity), adl (justice), ihsan (compassion and excellence), and khalifah (stewardship) together form a coherent and actionable framework for ethical economic life. These principles are not ancillary to business—they define its social purpose, orienting economic activity toward human welfare and collective balance rather than mere profit maximization. Employing a descriptive qualitative methodology, the research carefully analyzes both Islamic textual sources and contemporary corporate practices, tracing how moral principles can be translated into practical strategies for governance, transparency, and sustainability. Through this approach, the study reveals how Islamic ethics naturally align with global CSR objectives, while offering a more integrated and spiritually grounded conception of responsibility—one that emphasizes accountability before […]

Reimagining Work

Reimagining Work offers a profound and timely exploration of one of humanity’s most enduring questions: what is the true nature and purpose of work? In an age when automation, financialization, and global inequality challenge the moral foundations of economic life, this study returns to first principles—reconsidering how civilizations have understood work as both a material and ethical force. At its core, Reimagining Work situates the concept of labor within a comparative dialogue between Ibn Khaldun—the fourteenth-century North African historian, philosopher, and founder of the science of civilization (ʿilm al-ʿumrān)—and leading Western economic thinkers such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Max Weber, and John Maynard Keynes. Through this dialogue, the study illuminates not only the intellectual lineage of economic thought but also the deep divergences that shape modern understandings of value, productivity, and human purpose. Drawing on the Systems Thinking Framework, the work challenges the reduction of labor to a mere factor of production. Instead, it presents work as a structuring principle—a force that organizes societies, sustains moral orders, and determines how wealth and meaning are distributed within civilizations. Ibn Khaldun’s pre-Enlightenment vision, which places work at the center of social and spiritual life, offers a striking contrast to the evolution of Western economic paradigms that increasingly separate capital from human labor. The study’s comparative approach reveals how, over time, Western thought progressively abstracted value from work—transforming it from a human act of creation and cooperation into an instrument of accumulation. In contrast, Ibn Khaldun’s conception of work as the original […]

Faith as a Journey in Islam

Ibrahim and the Discovery of the Self Abstract Faith (īmān) in Islam is not a static possession but a transformative process—a journey of questioning, discovery, and surrender. The Qur’anic narrative of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) presents the archetype of faith as existential movement rather than inherited belief. As the one who first called his followers muslimūn (those who surrender) (Qur’an 22:78), Ibrahim situates Islam’s origins in personal discovery rather than social conformity. His life traces a profound trajectory—from youthful rebellion against idolatry to the mature submission that defines tawḥīd, the oneness of God. This paper explores Ibrahim’s journey as an allegory of faith in Islam: beginning with negation (lā ilāha), the rejection of false gods and imposed beliefs, and culminating in affirmation (illā allāh), the realization of the transcendent source of all meaning. Faith, in this sense, is not inherited but found; not imposed but realized through the freedom of the self to say “no.” Introduction: Faith as Movement, Not Possession Within the Islamic tradition, īmān is not understood merely as the acceptance of dogma, but as an evolving act of becoming—a perpetual unfolding of consciousness toward the Divine. The Qur’an repeatedly frames belief not as static certainty but as a journey marked by doubt, inquiry, and testing. The life of Ibrahim, regarded as abū al-anbiyā’ (the father of prophets), provides the paradigmatic model for this journey. The Qur’an explicitly identifies him as “the one who named you muslimūn before” (22:78), situating the very identity of Islam within his spiritual […]

Ibn Khaldūn—The Silent Architect of Systems Thought

Long before the rise of complexity theory, long before the word “system” took on the depth it holds today in the worlds of science, governance, and ecology, a North African scholar sat in exile and wrote a monumental introduction to history—al-Muqaddima. Ibn Khaldūn, who lived most of his life in the 14th century, had a mind operated with a clarity and pattern-seeking instinct that today would mark him as nothing less than a systems thinker of the highest order. To describe Ibn Khaldūn merely as a historian is to miss the revolutionary scope of his vision. He did not simply record events; he dissected the forces that made those events possible. He asked the most critical questions that transcended time and culture, and his answers were never simple. They were not linear cause-effect explanations of isolated incidents, but rather sweeping accounts of human society as an interconnected web of influences—psychological, economic, political, environmental, and moral; the outcome of the seen and unseen forces that shape our world—rather our universe. He observed how nomadic tribes, unified by strong group solidarity—what he called ʿasabiyya—could rise to power and conquer sedentary societies. He observed that power bred luxury, luxury bred complacency, and complacency eroded the very solidarity that enabled their ascent. The cycle would begin anew with another tribe, another force, another dominant culture leading the human collective—the civilization, and another rise and fall. He saw the feedback loop centuries before that term existed in academic vocabulary. Ibn Khaldūn saw patterns not in […]

The Other Capital

Ibn Khaldun and the Enduring Power of Jaah as Social Capital This essay revisits Ibn Khaldun’s 14th-century concept of jaah—a form of social capital rooted in prestige, reputation, and moral authority—as a powerful counterpoint to conventional understandings of capital as purely financial. Drawing on his Muqaddima, the essay argues that jaah constitutes a resilient, intergenerational, and often more enduring form of power than material wealth, as it cannot be seized by the state, purchased with money, or easily eroded by time. By highlighting the asymmetrical relationship between financial resources and social influence, the article underscores Ibn Khaldun’s enduring relevance to contemporary debates on power, legitimacy, and the multifaceted nature of capital. When the term capital is invoked in contemporary discourse, it is most commonly associated with financial assets—money, gold, real estate, or even digital currencies such as Bitcoin. In this conventional understanding, capital functions as the engine of markets, the foundation of empires, and the medium through which influence is purchased and exercised. Yet such a narrow conception obscures a more expansive and historically grounded understanding of capital as a multifaceted form of power. Indeed, capital, in its broadest theoretical sense, encompasses not only economic resources but also the social, cultural, and symbolic assets that enable individuals and groups to exert influence, secure loyalty, and shape collective outcomes. Centuries before the advent of modern sociology or economic theory, the 14th-century North African historian, philosopher, and statesman, Ibn Khaldun, articulated a sophisticated understanding of non-material capital in his seminal work, al-Muqaddima. […]

Membayangkan Kembali Kontribusi Sosial melalui Pandangan Ibn Khaldun tentang Pekerjaan

Pertanyaan tentang apa yang membentuk nilai dan bagaimana masyarakat seharusnya mengukurnya telah lama menyibukkan para pemikir lintas peradaban. Bagi Ibn Khaldun, yang menulis pada abad keempat belas, pekerjaan adalah sumber fundamental nilai dalam seluruh kehidupan ekonomi dan sosial. Pemikirannya, yang dikaji kembali dalam The Bridge of Becoming: Reimagining Work and Capital through Ibn Khaldun and Western Economic Thought, mendahului perdebatan Barat tentang teori nilai tenaga kerja sekaligus menempatkan kerja dalam kerangka moral dan peradaban yang lebih luas. Tidak seperti pendekatan yang meninggikan modal, hak istimewa, atau kepemilikan sebagai sumber kekayaan yang berdiri sendiri, Ibn Khaldun menegaskan bahwa setiap bentuk penghasilan—baik pertanian, kerajinan, perdagangan, maupun administrasi—pada akhirnya bertumpu pada kerja manusia. Tindakan mengubah bahan mentah menjadi barang yang dapat digunakan, atau menyusun masyarakat ke dalam keteraturan yang fungsional, adalah fondasi tak tergantikan dari nilai itu sendiri. Wawasan ini tidak hanya terbatas pada urusan manusia tetapi juga dapat diperluas ke dunia alam. Pada tingkat paling dasar, kehidupan di bumi dipertahankan oleh kerja dalam bentuk transformasi energi. Tumbuhan melakukan fotosintesis, bekerja menangkap sinar matahari dan mengubahnya menjadi energi kimia. Proses ini menopang seluruh rantai makanan, memastikan bahwa energi tersedia bagi herbivora, karnivora, dan manusia. Tanpa kerja mendasar dari tumbuhan ini, materi bumi akan tetap tidak berguna, tidak layak menopang kehidupan. Demikian pula, kerja ekosistem yang tak kasat mata—lebah yang menyerbuki tanaman, lahan basah yang menyaring air, mikroba yang menguraikan materi organik—membentuk jaringan besar kerja yang menjaga keseimbangan dan kesinambungan biosfer. Bahkan proses geologis dan iklim, seperti siklus air atau pembentukan tanah secara perlahan, […]

Reimagining Social Contribution through Ibn Khaldun’s Views on Work

The question of what constitutes value and how societies should measure it has occupied thinkers across civilizations. For Ibn Khaldun, writing in the fourteenth century, work was the fundamental source of value in all economic and social life. His reflections, revisited in The Bridge of Becoming: Reimagining Work and Capital through Ibn Khaldun and Western Economic Thought, anticipate later Western debates over the labor theory of value while also embedding work within a broader moral and civilizational framework. Unlike approaches that elevate capital, privilege, or ownership as autonomous sources of wealth, Ibn Khaldun insisted that every form of earnings—whether agricultural, artisanal, commercial, or administrative—ultimately rested on the labor of human beings. The very act of transforming raw matter into usable goods, or of organizing society into functional order, is itself the indispensable foundation of value. This insight is not merely confined to human affairs but can be extended to the natural world. At its most elemental level, life on Earth is sustained by work in the form of energy transformations. Plants engage in photosynthesis, laboring to capture sunlight and convert it into chemical energy. This process underpins all food chains, ensuring that energy is made available to herbivores, carnivores, and humans alike. Without this foundational work of plants, the materials of the Earth would remain inert, unfit for sustaining life. Similarly, the unheralded labors of ecosystems—bees pollinating crops, wetlands filtering water, microbes decomposing organic matter—constitute vast networks of work that maintain balance and continuity in the biosphere. Even geological and […]

Work and Wealth–A Khaldunian Perspective

The article discussed here explores contrasting perspectives on work and capital, primarily through a comparative analysis of Ibn Khaldun’s pre-Enlightenment thought and key Western economic thinkers like Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Max Weber, and John Maynard Keynes. It argues that while Western economic theories increasingly prioritize capital accumulation and view labor as a commodity, Ibn Khaldun emphasizes work as the fundamental source of value, production, and moral order. The author asserts that the State plays a determinant role in shaping economic worldviews and argues for a re-evaluation of systems towards a more human-centered model based on Ibn Khaldun’s insights. The discussion also critiques the linear progression of Western economic thought, highlighting its underlying assumptions and historical context. Listen the Podcast: Work and Wealth–A Khaldunian Perspective _______ Source: The Bridge of Becoming: Reimagining Work and Capital through Ibn Khaldun and Western Economic Thought | (Dr. Ahmed E. Souaiaia (Author) URL: https://islamtodayjournal.org/index.php/itj/article/view/22

1 2 3