The international health crisis (COVID-19 pandemic) that engulfed the world in a record time has shaken national, regional, and international structures. It has also prompted many dialogues and intellectual discussions to foresee the future of the world. A major topic in such conversations is: the time of coronavirus and what is next!
Inspired by the horrible outbreak of the virus, some predictions have attempted to imagine the features of the world after the time of coronavirus by providing possible scenarios. However, the crisis has provided researchers considering the matter from a scientific perspective, a scope to understand the ethical situation of the world. Besides, it has given room to examine many illusions and claims that shaped the philosophies of understanding the global reality. Regarding the pillars of the current international system, organizations, and regional bodies, the coronavirus pandemic raised many questions on the effectiveness of such components and the humanitarian dimensions of the social systems
Therefore, the moment being may lay the foundation for an emerging collective consciousness worldwide that makes up a new more useful reality and systems for humanity. Kuala Lumpur Forum for Thought and Civilization seeks to get involved in the process of forming the new consciousness through research papers consolidating several scientific approaches in a comprehensive, integrated one. The Forum aims to achieve this goal through different projects, including the Third Award for the Best Research Paper. The major theme of the Award is:
The International Health Crisis (COVID-19 Pandemic) and the Question of Ethics: Towards a New Humanitarian Charter.
Researchers are invited to carry out research into the forgoing themes following different research approaches:
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Topic One: The coronavirus crises: what does it mean?
The western philosophy, which was predominant in the last period, has claimed that it is based on ‘humanization’ that places a human being in the center of the universe, promoting man-made philosophical ideas that marginalize religion and doctrine. However, many calls to go back to religion have increased amid the coronavirus pandemic. The question, therefore, is: does coronavirus unveil humans’ need to return to religion?
The pandemic and subsequent psychological effects on people, furthermore, pose many questions to educational systems and agents of socialization about the extent to which such systems and agents can achieve psychological and spiritual security for people amid difficult conditions experienced by peoples and nations.
Given that the discourse dominated over the past decades was a human rights-based one promoting mottos that were the bases of the international ethical discourse, such as human rights, the rights of persons with special needs, and fighting discrimination based on race, the color of skin, gender, or age, the question now is: are such mottos still valid in the time or coronavirus?
The current situation has become a test for these philosophies and the extent to which they are successful in shaping life and helping a human being to realize the truth behind his/her existence. Additionally, the conditions examine the reliability of these values in protecting human rights from the western perspective. On the other hand, they question the ‘humanization’ values and sociological assumptions by research activities analyzing individual and collective practices characterizing the past era.
Topic Two: The international system and the question of effectiveness
The people of wisdom have stressed the necessity to restructure the international system on ethical pillars that lay the foundation for fairness and justice on the heels of failure in big tests, like covering the crimes of the Israeli occupation, turning a blind eye to terrorism exercised by countries and threats to the world’s stability and security, especially in the Arab world and Islamic Ummah, and silent complicity in assassinating democracy. Moreover, the current health crisis has unveiled how weak the international system is, given that the failure of the World Health Organization
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(WHO) in the first test is evident to this fragility. WHO, whose major job is facing off international dangers that go beyond the capabilities of countries, has not been up to the challenge in the battle against coronavirus.
Furthermore, international unions and organizations, such as the European Union, the African Union, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, have abandoned their responsibility and been very passive. Such bodies have failed in achieving necessary cooperation and collaboration to protect the interests of the member countries. As a result, some countries reconsidered the extent to which the international bodies that abandoned the members in the difficult time are useful and effective.
Meanwhile, radical calls for nationalism have spread rapidly, affecting the countries’ behaviors towards each other. Some practices were described as ‘international piracy’, moreover. Thus, the question is: to what extent can the coronavirus pandemic affect the international law and regulation? And to what extent can this period pave the way for a new consciousness leading to a new international charter?
Topic Three: The economic system and protecting humans
Nowadays, neoliberalism, which is predominant worldwide, has shown its most brutal face. Unveiling the fake claim that the economy’s goal is to serve humans, a human being has become and been seen an enslaved consumer. In the time of an excess supply of mobile phones and recreational facilities, hospitals and medical devices were overwhelmingly needed. This fact opens up a new discussion for experts about the need for a new economic system that is based on sufficiency economy philosophy emphasizing that the economy should serve the interests of humans, instead of captivating humanity to capitalism.
The current crisis has highlighted a serious problem in the budgets approved by countries in general. Hence, the question is, what are the required reviews in terms of priorities of sustainable developments?
On the other hand, should not we be very cautious to restructuring neoliberalism after the coronavirus pandemic in a way facilitating a strong comeback by nation- states and leading to establishing an international virtual market that exploits the easy access to the internet?
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Topic Four: Coronavirus pandemic and the socio-economic challenges in Islamic countries
The international health crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic has pressured the socio-economic capacities of the world’s counties and depleted the health facilities’ ability to battle coronavirus and possible dangers related.
Although quarantine was a procedure followed by the majority of the countries where the virus has outbroken, people have had different views on the impacts of move. This situation prompts another research into the social, economic, health, and human rights conditions in the time of coronavirus.
What are the weaknesses of Islamic countries and the possibility to achieve full, sustainable development that overcomes such defects?
Has not the pandemic doubled the weakness of the rule of law and encouraged dictator ruling, ignoring many political, social, and economic rights of citizens under the pretext of quarantine?
How have the Islamic countries experiencing exceptional circumstances due to coups, foreign interventions, civil war, and other horrible outcomes resulting from political transitions after the dictator ruling exposed their health systems, capabilities, and experts?
Topic Five: the Islamic world and possible future actions
The Islamic world with its spiritual wealth and scientific, human, and material capabilities, has participated in battling the coronavirus through individual efforts or endeavors made by scientific and scholarly bodies, which attempted to find a possible antidote for virus. But were the official bodies up to the challenge? What are the most important lessons learned? What are the possible future actions that would enable the Islamic world to be actively present and fulfill its responsibilities towards humanity? What are the major issues that should be handled by the elites and social powers of the Islamic world?
The world after coronavirus will probably witness changes beyond recognition. What are the most possible scenarios of these changes? And where will the Islamic Ummah be positioned in this new reality? What is the future of the major issues of the Islamic Ummah, on top of which is the Palestinian issue and democratic transitions?
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