The Annual World Conference On Riba – Reflections & Possibilities!

By Tom J. Kennedy

Finding a focal point to advance the UsuryFree Resolution during the Year of UsuryFree Living is the current challenge of The UsuryFree Network.

After having attended the 3rd Annual World Conference On Riba at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 26^th and 27^th, 2012, it occurs to me that the forthcoming 4^th Annual World Conference on Riba may very well become the key focal point to optimally advance the UsuryFree Resolution during the Year of UsuryFree Living.

Let’s clarify the meaning of the word “riba.” In Islamic finance, the word “riba” means “interest” or “usury.” Many people in the western world have never heard the word “riba.” Nor do the majority of Westerners have any real understanding of the word “usury.” If I ask 10 people to define the word “usury,” 9 of them will have never heard the word. Apparently, the word “usury” got too heavy and it was shelved or buried and replaced by the word “interest.” Now in this 21^st Century, most people have been conditioned to accept that “interest” is an essential component of our orthodox, debt-money system  A little research proves that “interest” ought to be correctly called “usury.”

In summary, “riba,” “interest,” and “usury” - are three different terms for the design flaw in our orthodox, economic system of debt money. Specifically, it is this design flaw of usury that is the killer machine that keeps debtors in financial servitude to creditors (bankers) for generation after generation.

While attending the 3rd Annual World Conference on Riba at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 26^th and 27^th, 2012, I had the opportunity to meet and network with informed and wise people with experience in Islamic Finance. I surprised to find out that the majority of Islamic Banks are ignoring the Quran's teaching on "riba" - just as our western banks are ignoring the Christian Bible's teaching on "usury."

In fact, any fee on money above zero percent is correctly defined as “riba” or “usury” – and yet most debtors willingly sign impossible contracts with creditors agreeing to repay both the principal plus the “interest” – when only the principal is created and issued into circulation by the creditor.

Using a micro example explains it best - "If there is only $10.00 in existence and you borrow it from someone under conditions that you repay the $10.00 plus $1.00 (usury) you are agreeing to the impossible." These ideas mentioned above are presented with more detail with a clear and concise approach in a book War Cycles/Peace Cycles authored by Richard Kelly Hoskins.

Two wise statements from old Socreds here in Canada, clearly define “interest” or “usury.” (1) Interest or usury is theft and (2) Money cannot have babies. Likewise, riba is theft and neither can money in Islamic finance have babies.

Why and how is it that the majority of debtors in (a) Islamic Finance and (b) Christian finance have never heard of the first three conferences titled “The 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Annual World Conferences On Riba?”

Could it be that since the organizers of these Annual World Conferences On Riba dare to talk the “truth” about “riba”, they commonly get ignored by the mainstream electronic and print media, politicians and the giant corporations – banking or otherwise? The likely answer is “Yes!”

We are talking about a world, class conference hosted in five-star hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This Annual World Conference On Riba has become the premier conference that dares to link “riba” (usury) to the problems of war, violence, poverty scarcity and lack – this includes most aspects of the human problems that must be addressed in this 21^st Century.

This Annual World Conference On Riba attracts a wide variety of participants, namely academic scholars, practitioners, business leaders, students, usuryfree creative as well as awakening members for the general public from within Malaysia and from all over the world.

Specifically, the objectives of the 3^rd Annual World Conference On Riba were as follows:

- 1. To forge links with individuals, organizations, societies and governments worldwide that would enable concerted efforts to be implemented in fighting riba.

- 2. To continue exposing the pitfalls of the current economic and financial system both at the micro and macro level.

- 3. To persuade authorities worldwide in implementing steps that are practical and sustainable to remedy their individual economies.

- 4. To encourage religious scholars to have a holisitic approach in understanding and fighting riba.

- 5. To formulate strategies to educate the public on riba.

- 6. To chart systematic ways to move forward heron, to achieve the point where people can have the choice of a life without riba, RIFCON

During 2012, the organizing committee for these Annual World Conferences On Riba (Usury) launched RIFCON – a website dedicated to web-resourced re-education that will expedite the deliverance of the world from the bondage of riba-based (usury-based) debt money – irrespective of colour, race, gender, nationality or religion.

It is time now to “rally the troops” electronically-speaking and get usuryfree creatives aware of this rare gem – the Annual World Conference On Riba. Debtors everywhere are encouraged to become usuryfree creatives (riba-free creatives) and help to re-educate and motivate others, so that more debtors seeking the “truth” about modern money creation will flock to the doorstep of the forthcoming 4^th Annual World Conference on Riba.

The UsuryFree Network recommends that the 4^th Annual World Conference on Riba be scheduled to take place during the 9^th Annual UsuryFree Week – between November 13^th and 19^th, 2013.

Why? Simply, because, UsuryFree Week has an eight-year track record of attracting, and re-educating people to become active, usuryfree creatives and the Annual World Conference On Riba similarly, has a three-year track record. The timing is perfect to connect those opposed to “usury” and those opposed to “riba.” Together, we will have more impact and reach a much bigger audience. It has been said by mathematicians that 3% is the magic number. When 3% of the population, support an idea, the tipping point is reached and the other 97% soon follow.

A brief history of UsuryFree Day and UsuryFree Week is appropriate for readers who are unaware of its evolvement. Having experienced a 34 year career as an elementary school teacher, I was fully aware that early in the the 1970’s, Earth Day was scheduled every year on April 22^nd – which later gave birth to Earth Week (April 16^th to 22^nd). Each year during Earth Week, events and activities are focused on environmental issues. Now every year, in this 21^st Century, over 500 million people recognize and celebrate Earth Day and Earth Week in approximately 175 countries, and schools everywhere actively participate.

Knowing how popular Earth Day and Earth Week has become since the early 1970’s, I projected that if UsuryFree Day was declared, then UsuryFree Week could be birthed and in a few years, hopefully millions of people in hundreds of countries would be re-educating themselves on usuryfree economic solutions as they seek to throw off the yoke of usury and experience the usuryfree lifestyle.

So in 2005, after 25 years of researching the devastating effects of the design flaw of usury on our orthodox, economic system of debt money, and inspired by the growth and development of the usuryfree community currency movement, The UsuryFree Network called for a re-educational teach-in – a special day – UsuryFree Day – to be held each year on November 13^th. The following week from November 13^th to 19^th has been designated as UsuryFree Week – where communities everywhere are invited to schedule events/activities focused on usuryfree economics.

Active usuryfree creatives in co-operation with the UsuryFree Network and the Family LifeFoundation have been hosting various workshops and seminars in locations in Ontario and Quebec, Canada each year since 2005 – when the first UsuryFree Day was declared in Tamworth, Ontario, Canada.

UsuryFree Week begins each year on UsuryFree Day, November 13^th and ends one week later on November 19^th. Each year, during UsuryFree Week there is much focus on relevant and timely financial information – both personal and business related. Re-education is the preferred term for this process because the information is missing (by design or by accident) from our mainstream educational institutions.

Who are these usuryfree creatives who have been re-educating others during UsuryFree Week each year? To better understand who are these
usuryfree creatives permit me to refer you to the website for 
Cultural Creatives.

 where it is written:

 

”While Cultural Creatives are a subculture, they lack one critical
ingredient in their lives: awareness of themselves as a whole people.
We call them the Cultural Creatives precisely because they are already
creating a new culture. If they could see how promising this
creativity is for all of us, if they could know how large their
numbers are, many things might follow. These optimistic, altruistic
millions might be willing to speak more frankly in public settings and
act more directly in shaping a new way of life for our time and the
time ahead. They might lead the way toward an Integral Culture.”



UsuryFree Creatives often see themselves as a subgroup within the
larger group of Cultural Creatives. The focal point of usuryfree
creatives is to re-educate our fellow citizens that Life Without 
Usury (interest or riba) is possible again in this 21st Century as it was in
the Middle Ages.

UsuryFree Creatives are commonly found as active
 participants within the growing movement of local communities that are 
launching usuryfree community currencies to use as a complement with 
their diminishing amounts of paper notes of federal cash.


To qualify as an active usuryfree creative one must be aware of the
design flaw of usury and know that it functions as the killer machine
in our orthodox system of economics. As a usuryfree creative one also
supports the growth and expansion of the usuryfree time currency
movement as our last, best alternative that will aid us in setting up
our 'economic lifeboats' in our respective local communities so that
we-the-people can negotiate trades when the Titanic of usury-based
debt money goes down.



These gatherings of usuryfree creatives in mid-November each year, commonly
begin with a brief history about the evolution of UsuryFree Day and
Week from its birth in a small town (Tamworth) in economically
depressed, rural, eastern Ontario, Canada to its present state – where it is gaining international recognition.

At the meetings hosted during UsuryFree Week, there are presentations by
pioneering usuryfree creatives who have been blazing trails for others
to follow.
Part workshop, part seminar, part re-education, part brainstorming,
the events of UsuryFree Week have been co-hosted by
the UsuryFree Network in co-operation with the Family Life Foundation.

Active and prospective usuryfree creatives are
attracted to these events and to the usuryfree community currency
movement.

 UsuryFree Week events offer an opportunity for people from
anywhere/everywhere to communicate and interact with 
usuryfree-thinkers and charge or re-charge their alternative economic
 batteries.

And each year during UsuryFree Week, Winged Lion Awards are presented to usuryfree creative who have earned them for their work during the year, towards ushering a New Age of UsuryFree Living.

This Ninth Annual UsuryFree Day/Week is expected to draw the largest
numbers of usuryfree creatives ever because in this 21^st Century, it is nearly impossible to
be ignorant of what’s been happening in the orthodox world of
usury-based debt money.


It is the hope of usuryfree creatives that awareness of the problems
associated - either directly or indirectly - with usury (riba) as exacted by
creditors will motivate debtors to action. Rather than withdrawing and
throwing in the towel and portraying a defeatist attitude, debtors are
encouraged to follow self-imposed courses of study, then seek and implement strategies that will eventually permit them to experience a
usuryfree lifestyle.


Another Canadian group – the NonViolence Festival – from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada has been hosting the “Economic Forum” in the month of November for the past five years. This “Economic Forum” has frequently been scheduled during UsuryFree Week.

And more recently, in 2012, the active usuryfree time currency advocates from Colorado, USA (and elsewhere) have been hosting special events to re-educate the public about the problems associated with usury and the solutions as offered by the usuryfree time currency movement.

The UsuryFree Network hereby invites each of the above-mentioned organizations – in addition to any other groups/organizations that may choose to participate – to consider scheduling simultaneous events during the 9^th Annual UsuryFree Week – November 13^th to 19^th, 2013.

Depending on what area of the world these events are to be held, the focus would be either “riba” or “usury.”

Having simultaneous events in Canada and beyond the borders of Canada would make the 9^th Annual UsuryFree Week a truly international event. Given the ease of modern technology there could be live streaming of these simultaneous events and the presentations of some speakers could be shared.

Assuming that the 4^th Annual World Conference on Riba will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a speaker from Malaysia could give a presentation at a specific time and it could be viewed, by attendees gathered at another location, in another country.

Likewise, a speaker from Canada or the United States could have his/her presentation viewed by attendees at the 4^th Annual World Conference On Riba, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at a mutually convenient time.

Something to think about! Comments and feedback welcomed!