At first glance, MarhabaDefi project seems to be an attempt to bring a major social group into the cryptocurrency and blockchain community. This can be a significantly useful and important effort in fair distribution of the blockchain technology benefits among the communities. Some Muslims who have been excluded from the blockchain community due to their religious or sharia beliefs can become more active and more involved in the blockchain community with similar initiatives and projects.
According to Islamic law, Reba usury is forbidden-'Haram'. That is, Muslims are wary of taking interest in money. Therefore, some financial institutions and solutions are not among the options available to Muslims.
"Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, 'Trade is [just] like interest.' But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah. But whoever returns [to dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein. Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities. And Allah does not like every sinning disbeliever. Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give Zakah will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve. O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.'' [Quran 2:275-279]
In Iran, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the issue of what to do with banks based on attracting liquidity and money and giving interest and profits became controversial. The solution to this question was called Islamic Banking, in which depositors were randomly paid rewards for their deposits. Thus, 'Gharz al-Hasna' banks replaced conventional banking. However, these initial efforts caused the banks to open their way in the economy in the following years with reforms and changes over time.
Today, MarhabaDefi can break a major barrier to the expansion of the use of blockchain in the Muslim communities. Above that, knowing that many less developed countries are Muslim majority societies, this effort could somehow be the beginning of equal/fair distribution of blockchain technology's benefits in the southern world.
Yet, this approach can also have a dark-side. Blockchain project campaigns are often community-based, so overemphasizes identities. In participation or mobilization, apart from financial interests or cost-benefit calculations, identity and ideology and, of course, networking matter. Accordingly, these campaigns, in addition to emphasizing the potential financial benefits, somehow trying to create an identity-based community employing symbols, personalities or brands. This increases the feeling of belonging and loyalty to that identity-based group/community, and guarantees more participation in the campaigns and related mobilizations.
If MarhabaDefi and similar projects that seem to have a specific target group overemphasize religious, ethnic, or racial identity, on the other hand, they are likely to reinforce community divisions in the blockchain community. One of the fundamental and complex issues of today's societies is the polarization of societies, based on religion, ethnicity and race. Emphasizing identity distinctions can reinforce this polarization.
In the future, the MarhabaDefi marketing approach will determine whether this project will move towards the inclusion of more ethnic/religious groups into the blockchain community or towards the divergence of the community and even society.
