Algorithms and Altruism: How Sikh and Islamic Principles of Justice Redefine Social Resilience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37253/combines.v6i1.12729Keywords:
Community Resilience, Algorithmic Divide, Faith-Based Ethics, AI Governance, Sikhism and IslamAbstract
The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into socio-economic and organisational systems is transforming how communities’ function and adapt. While AI offers significant benefits in efficiency and decision-making, it also risks reinforcing social inequalities, marginalising vulnerable populations and prioritising technological solutions over ethical and human considerations. Existing resilience frameworks largely emphasise technical adaptation with limited attention to justice, dignity and collective responsibility. This paper addresses this gap by examining how Sikh and Islamic ethical traditions can contribute to a more holistic understanding of community resilience in the AI era. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, the study analyses religious texts alongside contemporary literature on AI ethics and resilience. It focuses on key principles including accountability, seva (selfless service), ta'awun (collective responsibility) and communal stewardship, assessing their relevance in addressing algorithmic bias and digital inequality. The findings suggest that both traditions promote ethical accountability, social solidarity and equitable resource distribution, offering a counterbalance to purely technocratic models of resilience. By integrating faith-informed ethics with resilience theory, the study proposes a human-centred framework that supports responsible AI governance while strengthening social cohesion. The paper contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship by demonstrating how religious values can complement contemporary resilience thinking and provides practical insights for policymakers seeking to align AI innovation with social equity, ethical governance and the collective welfare of society.
Downloads
References
Alvesson, M., & Sköldberg, K. (2017). Reflexive methodology: New vistas for qualitative research.
Bhatia, H. S. (1996). Sikhism and Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Journal of Dharma, 21(4), 378–394.
Crawford, K., & Calo, R. (2016). There is a blind spot in AI research. Nature, 538(7625), 311–313.
Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating inequality: How high tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. St. Martin’s Press.
Folke, C. (2016). Resilience (republished). Ecology and Society, 21(4).
Gadamer, H.-G. (1989). Truth and method. Crossroad.
Gill, S. S., & Kaur, C. (2008). Gurdwara and its politics: Current debate on Sikh identity in Malaysia. Sari (ATMA), 26, 243–255.
Gran, A. B., Booth, P., & Bucher, T. (2021). To be or not to be algorithm aware: a question of a new digital divide?. Information, communication & society, 24(12), 1779-1796.
Guru Granth Sahib. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?S=y
Gunderson, L. H., & Holling, C. S. (Eds.). (2002). Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Island Press.
Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4, 1–23.
Joseph, J. (2013). Resilience as embedded neoliberalism. Resilience: International Policies, Practices and Discourses, 1(1), 38–52.
Kamali, M. H. (2022). Between separation and unity: The interplay of law and morality in Islamic jurisprudence. In Sharia law in the twenty-first century (pp. 21–46).
Kaur, C., & Kaur, A. (2015). The influence of Bollywood films on Punjabi Sikh youths’ perception of their religious identity. Malaysian Journal of Youth Studies, 12(2), 173–186.
Kaur, C., & Kaur, A. 2020. “Sikh Youths’ Way of Life: Ideals Versus Reality.” In Proceedings of the APRC 2020, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman.
Kaur, C., & Kaur, A. (2022). Malaysian Sikh youths’ perception of diverse sexual identities. Millennial Asia, 13(1), 83–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/0976399620956289
Kaur, C., Ashwinder Kaur, & Gill, S. S. (2025). Exploring societal challenges in the Malaysian Sikh community: Perspectives and insights. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 33(S1), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.33.S1.06
Kaur, C., Ashwinder Kaur, & Parveenpal Kaur. (2022). The good woman: Invisible construction of gender expectations among Malaysian Sikh women. In Doing sustainable development in the new norm: Towards gender equality, decent work, & economic growth (pp. 1–24).
Kaur, C., Kaur, A., & Kaur, P. (2023). Sikh parents’ perception on the practice of diverse sexual identities. Sikh Formations, 19(4), 339–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448727.2023.2218795
Kaur, C., & Gill, S. S. (2018). Sikh women diaspora in Malaysia: The reality of their role and status in the religious domain. Millennial Asia, 9(1), 40–65.
Kaur, C., & Gill, S. S. (2022). A phenomenology of the lives of Malaysian Sikh women: Their roles and status in the private domain. In A kaleidoscope of Malaysian Indian women's lived experiences: Gender-ethnic intersectionality and cultural socialisation (pp. 241–265). Singapore: Springer Nature.
Magis, K. (2010). Community resilience: An indicator of social sustainability. Society & Natural Resources, 23(5), 401–416.
Manyena, S. B. (2006). The concept of resilience revisited. Disasters, 30(4), 433–450.
McLeod, W. H. (2009). The A to Z of Sikhism (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press.
Miller, F., Osbahr, H., Boyd, E., Thomalla, F., Bharwani, S., Ziervogel, G., … & Nelson, D. (2010). Resilience and vulnerability: Complementary or conflicting concepts? Ecology and Society, 15(3), 11.
Longworth, J. (2021). Benjamin Ruha (2019) Race after technology: Abolitionist tools for the new Jim Code. Medford: Polity Press.
Nesbitt, E. (2016). Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
O’Neil, C. (2016). Weapons of math destruction: How big data increases inequality and threatens democracy. Crown.
Salman, K. R., & Sutisna, E. (2025). Balanced scorecard in Islamic perspective. Journal of Islamic Banking & Finance, 42(2).
Shackle, C., & Mandair, A.-P. S. (2005). Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh scriptures. Routledge.
Ungar, M. (Ed.). (2011). The social ecology of resilience: A handbook of theory and practice. Springer Science & Business Media.
Walker, B., Holling, C. S., Carpenter, S. R., & Kinzig, A. (2004). Resilience, adaptability and transformability in social–ecological systems. Ecology and Society, 9(2).
Warren, D. H., & Gilmore, C. (2014). One nation under God? Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s changing fiqh of citizenship in the light of the Islamic legal tradition. Contemporary Islam, 8(3), 217–237.
Zuboff, S. (2023). The age of surveillance capitalism. In Social theory re-wired (pp. 203–213). Routledge.
LOGIN
