ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to explore if 'liberation' from the dominant Western worldview is really an answer to developmental problems for a faith-based country like Pakistan, withholding the fact that the spiritual-financial solution Akhuwat came up with has proved to be successful locally in its local albeit spiritual context. Akhuwat was the struggle to create a society, where there is no deprivation and exploitation of the poor and where, in place of rapacity and temptation, the ethos of benevolence and sacrifice rules. Integral development aspires to make development fully relevant to human life. To live up to this goal, it is concerned with all aspects of human life and hence looks at development, in holistic fashion, from multiple perspectives. The 'Western' and 'Northern' perspectives on development dominate the global scene, while 'Southern' and 'Eastern' perspectives are either neglected or not authentically expressed.
