Concepts of Justice and Equity in Islam

 Some of the recurring phrases one hears from Islamic advocates are words like "No Peace Without Justice" or "No Justice Without Equity."  In fact, justice and equity may be said to be synonymous, but it is a rather unusual conception of justice and even more unusual conception of equity.  Justice is seen as a kind of equalizer, always in favor of the oppressed.  That's not too far astray from Western conceptions, especially of social justice, in particular.  However, Muslims regard the opposite of tyranny as justice (in the West, the opposite of tyranny is freedom).  This means that there is no Western-like view of solace in freedom.  Instead, Islam urges constant battling in favor of the oppressed.  Further, their notion of equity is not merit-based, but closest in nature to being need-based (or entitlement-based).  Simply put, equity is conceived of as something which puts you ahead of the game; i.e., something which always progressively moves you forward toward your ultimate goal.  At root, this is a conception of equity as profit or constant advantage-seeking.  Misunderstanding these conceptions has caused the Western world to vastly underestimate the Muslim world's intentions when treaties, agreements, appeasements, or accommodations are made.  

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