Islam Doesn't Slow Economic Progress?

Marcus Noland has released a study in which he promotes the theory that Islam does not slow economic development. I disagree.

Take out the oil wealth in many Islamic countries and what kind of economic structure do you find? Not much of one. It tends to be tribally developed and geared more towards tourism and religious pilgrimages than it does towards any kind of manufacturing or wealth creation. There is virtually no economic diversification and therein lies the root of the problem in the Islamic economies.

The centrality of religion in the Islamic world tends to squash any real efforts towards economic gain. People are not encouraged to live life so much as they encouraged to prepare for death. Christianity went through a similar spell during the Middle Ages. It wasn't until Europe experienced the Renaissance and Enlightenment that we truly began the process of creating wealth.

The Christians of the Renaissance realized that religion and wealth do not necessarily need to be mutually exclusive. Muslims have not reconciled the idea of creating wealth, which can in turn be used to honor Allah.

Islam, right now, is so pervasive in its host societies as to discourage and repress the spirit of capitalism. Mr. Noland is correct in asserting that Islam is not the only reason for the slow and backwards economies found in the Muslim world. But to ignore or dismiss the contribution of Islam to the backwardness is to deny that there is a problem.

Only a true critical assessment of Islam's overly pervasive role in the society can help to bring about the changes needed to improve the lot of the Muslim world.