354 chapter nine
Muslim Students Associations
Despite what could be thought of as minor bodies with no distinc-
tive academic arms, Muslim Student Associations have proved to be
effective in the publication of Islamic writing on Islamic economics.
Either nationally or internationally some associations have been
notably productive. For example, we find the Cultural and Religious
Committee of the Students Muslim Association, Faculty of Engineering
of the University of Cairo producing an interesting research on the
“Property and Ownership in Islam”, 1972, under the Committee’s
name (Siddiqi, 1980). For a student association of a faculty of engi-
neering to produce an Islamic economics research paper, this must
indicate a high religious motivation, as the topic is beyond the cur-
ricula of study. In another association within the same university,
though nearer to the subject of study, we see the Society of Islamic
Studies, Faculty of Commerce, University of Fouad I (the old name
of Cairo University before it was changed after the 1952 Revolution),
producing research on “Economics in the Light of Islam”, 114 p., in
1951, under the patronage of the Society (ibid.). Producing a mono-
graph on economics in Islam, in as early as 1951, reflects an early
interest in Islamic economics in Cairo university circles.
The Muslim Students Association (MSA) of US and Canada, the
name of which was changed later to the Association of Muslim Social
Scientists, was active in encouraging research and publication on the
subject. A list of the MSA publications includes: Kahf, Monzer, “A
Model of the Household Decision in Islamic Economy”, 19–28 p.,
1974; Cotemporary Aspects of Economic and Social Thinking in
Islam”, 1973 which is a proceedings that included high caliber
researches such as Abdul Hamid Ahmad AbùSulaiman’s, “the Theory
of Economics of Islam: the Economics of Tawheed and Brotherhood;
Philosophy, Concepts, and Suggestions”, (ibid.).
Dedicated Publishing Houses
In modern times, without publishing houses it would be difficult, if
not almost impossible, for academic work to grow and flourish.
Differentiated from preachers in houses of religions, writers and aca-
demics rely on publishing houses for seeing their work spread, their
ideas travel, their message reaching far, and their mission continued.
Publications provide an effective means to achieve these goals, and
without publishers publications would not be. For Islamic studies in