I refer to M Bakri Musa's column titled 'Free market as an Islamic tradition?' (Nov 26) and Cheah CK's response in 'US should practise what it preaches' (Dec 3).

I strongly disagree that Islam encourages free trade. To justify his stance, the writer has used quotes from the Quran and Ibn Kaldhun totally out of context. As one can justify almost anything when quoted out of context, I will not dwell on it except to say it was this rampant 'free' trade that Islam came to replace.

Oppression and social injustice are the result of inequality among men. Some are rich and powerful, others are not. The powerful and the wealthy believe they are superior to the weak and the poor. They oppress others with impunity, thinking their elevated position is enough to safeguard them from retaliation.

The Prophet said according to al-Bukhari, "God said: I will become a claimant against three persons, one of these being a person who engaged a labourer, made him labour fully, but did not pay the wages." (Mishkat al-Masabih, 2/899).

As Muslims we are required to pay for our dues to society. Zakat is a symbol of the rights of others on our wealth. These sentiments are deep-rooted in Islamic economic law, and one begins to regard one's own wealth as belonging, partly to others, and ultimately to God.

Does this sound like free trade to you?

One very wrong way in any social set-up is to live in expectation of worldly gain from the services rendered to others. An example is lending money and earning interest from it. Rampant exploitation by subjugating others is vehemently opposed in Islam. Yet it is this system in which free trade and free flow of money is based.

Umar the second Caliph imposed limits on profiteering in the markets. He disallowed price-cutting to safeguard the rights of the small trader who is unable to compete in a price war with the bigger trader. Surely the proponents of free trade will disagree with this principle.

This is why Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) wrote in one of his letters on social justice: "If ever any religion approached this equality in any appreciable manner, it is Islam and Islam alone."

Free trade is only about one thing, making money out of other people's misery. Free trade is about greed, money hoarding, and about power. And this is why this idea must be rejected and opposed.