Islam and basic income: exploring faith-based perspectives on a social policy proposal in Ontario

Abstract

This thesis explores how Islamic scholars in Ontario view the relationship between Islamic principles and the concepts of basic income. The literature review seems to suggest that there are affinities and tensions between Islamic teachings and a basic income policy. Through qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, this study not only explores these affinities and tensions expressed by Islamic scholars but also how they reconcile the affinities and tensions in the context of Ontario. Affinities identified include Islam’s emphasis on redistributive justice through established redistributive models such as zakat and sadaqah, the protection of human dignity, and a moral imperative to address poverty and people’s needs. The tensions identified were between the emphasis of work in Islamic texts and the absence of a work condition in a basic income policy. Participants viewed that this may lead to long-term dependency, and the absence of a work condition would mean that there is a lack of accountability for those taking unfair advantage of the system. The findings reveal that the Islamic scholars interviewed theoretically support the larger aims of a basic income, while at the same time providing work conditions that would disqualify such a policy from being accurately described as a basic income. However, despite this, there seems to be strong support for basic income when the theoretical tensions are then translated into basic income as a social policy in the context of Ontario. The support is mainly in response to social and financial challenges in Ontario, like housing and debt. The concerns about potential misuse seem to be set aside, viewed as rare, or not significant enough to outweigh the broader social benefits of the policy. This study contributes to emerging literature at the intersection of Islam and basic income. It offers insights into how faith-based understandings of justice and welfare can shape community perspectives as they relate to social policies and the value of engaging with diverse traditions, not only to better understand how these social policies may gain support, but also to identify the tensions that may arise.