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Islamic socialism is a term coined by various Muslim leaders to meet the demand for a more spiritual form of socialism. Muslim socialists believe that the teachings of the Qur'an and Muhammad are compatible with principles of equality and the redistribution of wealth. Some orthodox Islamic scholars declare various socialist practices, such as the confiscation of private property, to be oppressive and against Islamic teachings.

[edit] History

The first experimental Islamic commune was established during the Russian Revolution of 1917 as part of the Wäisi movement, an early supporter of the Soviet government. The Muslim Socialist Committee of Kazan was also active at this time.

Muammar al-Gaddafi, who seized power in Libya with a military coup in 1969, called his ruling ideology "Islamic socialism". However, the extent to which Gaddafi's regime fulfils the socialist mandate is highly questionable.

Other notable Muslim socialists include:

Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Indian politician and cabinet minister from 1947-1954
Haji Misbach, Indonesian nationalist and anti-Dutch preacher of "Islamic Communism"
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Siad Barre

[edit] Islamic Marxism

Islamic Marxism is a term that has been used to describe Ali Shariati (in Shariati and Marx: A Critique of an "Islamic" Critique of Marxism by Assef Bayat). It is also sometimes used in discussions of the 1979 Iranian revolution, including parties such as the Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization.^[1]