Virtue Ethics in Policymaking 

In today’s increasingly globalised and interconnected world, policymaking inspired by faith is often viewed as out of touch or even regressive. There’s a broader societal trend of sidelining religious thought in favour of secularism when addressing complex issues. Part of the reason for this shift is that people from faith backgrounds have struggled to present a compelling, positive case for the relevance of their perspectives. 

But faith-inspired policymaking can provide a unique framework that harmonises spiritual and ethical values with practical governance. This approach to policymaking would not be merely an attempt to infuse religion into the public sphere, but rather, offers a refreshing thought process, providing a renewed impetus to promote justice, equity, dignity, prosperity and human flourishing for all citizens, irrespective of any other factor.  

From a believer’s perspective, the starting assumption here is that today’s policymaking is not devoid of God’s influence: the public sphere is still bound by God’s adjudicative gaze – in other words, a believer considers God is most Compassionate and most Just to all people, equally, in His Wisdom, regardless of belief in Him. God has given human beings an incredible ability to recognise good and bad, whether through logic, experience, socialisation or predisposition. All that is good in faith (being kind, compassionate, fair, reasonable etc.) is endearing and appeals to us human beings generally. These viewpoints are not an attempt to give religion political legitimacy framed in contemporary secular liberal vernacular, but humble reminders in the Qur’an. Perhaps believers haven’t developed the language to  make it relatable and to bring it to life.  

The Qur’anic approach to policymaking is rooted in a simple set of core principles.  

The first of these principles is virtue ethics. This is the idea of making policy that embody virtues such as justice, honesty, and compassion. These are not merely end objectives to pursue at any cost; they also serve as guiding principles for how society should approach and achieve them.  

• On justice, the overriding Qur’anic dictum is, “…be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for God, even if it be against yourselves or your parents and relatives” (Qur’an 4:153). This means upholding fairness, being reasonable and balanced, providing equitable treatment for all, protecting rights, rectifying wrongs without self-bias or favouritism, and so on. 

• Honesty in policymaking entails addressing matters with full transparency, clarity, completeness and accountability to the public. It demands that policies be founded on factual insights and that decisions are both grounded in established knowledge and adaptable. 

• Compassion is about being fair, building checks and balances, especially for vulnerable populations – the old, the young, groups that are being left behind, and so on. It includes simplifying processes, alleviating unfair obstacles, and enabling individuals to reach their potential based on merit and work ethic. It is also about ensuring responsibilities and rewards reflect each individual’s or group’s (e.g. profession, skillset etc.) relative position in, and contributions to, society.  

The second principle is inclusivity. In the Qur’anic narrative, every prophet that came to a society was inclusive in consultation – a principle which encourages policymakers to consult diverse stakeholders in decision-making processes. This inclusivity not only fosters transparency but also ensures that policies reflect the needs of the communities they are meant to serve.  

The third Qur’anic principle is public interest, the idea being that policies should focus on the well-being and welfare of people, where policymakers make decisions that promote the common good. 

The fourth principle is environmental stewardship. The Qur’an teaches that humans are stewards of the earth, responsible for protecting its natural resources and ecosystems, and generally eliminating excess and waste in all things. Faith-inspired policymaking encourages sustainable practices, protecting water resources, and conservation efforts and so on. 

In all of this, there is a moderate realism involved in Islam. That is, a practical way of understanding the world leading to solution-orientated praxis. 

In a predominantly secular society like ours in the UK, the concept of faith-inspired policies tends to face resistance. It would help if Muslim policymakers can demonstrate that Islamic principles promote universal values like justice, compassion, liberty, human flourishing, human dignity, and inclusivity, which, thank God, resonate across political divides in the UK. The question is, can Muslim policymakers and those in public policymaking bodies live up to what Muslims believe God asks of us all? 

Dr. Mamnun Khan, author of “Being British Muslims: Beyond Ethnocentric Religion and Identity Politics”, is a British Muslim thinker who explores identity, Islam, and the social integration of Muslims in contemporary Britain, advocating for a balanced, God-centred approach. With over 20 years of experience in corporate management and strategy in the science and tech sector, he also advises UK organisations on projects and strategy. 

The views expressed in Equi Comments pieces reflect the author’s perspective and do not necessarily represent the views of Equi. We provide this platform to encourage dialogue on broad themes related to our work, from diverse perspectives.