Ideology, Environment and Entrepreneurship : Typologies from Islamic Texts and History

Abstract

Are some religions more conducive to creating entrepreneurial personalities than others? The question has been long debated with reference to the principal religions of the world. Most works discussing this issue have confined themselves to analysing the basic tenets of concerned religions; few have drawn on historical data, indicating the actual behaviour pattern of the followers of these religions. This paper looks at the ideology of Islam as well as the historical experiences of Islamic societies to dispel the popular notion that the Islamic tenets are inherently anti-entrepreneurial.