The Changing Face of Britain
Watch BBC programme: New Nation: White, Welsh and Muslim >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback (US) Barnes & Noble >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Hardcover (US) Barnes & Noble >>>

Keeping the Faith
TIMESONLINE: Islamic finance principles may be a thousand years old but they have attracted the attention of the West only recently. Now business schools are offering specialist masters programmes on the subject

While the world’s financial systems are shaken to their foundations, global stock markets tumble and thousands of bankers are made redundant, one area of finance goes from strength to strength.

Islamic banking and finance principles may be a thousand years old but they have attracted the attention of Western financial services companies only recently. Now business schools are offering specialist masters programmes on the subject.

Islamic banking and finance must comply with Islamic law, or Sharia. This is governed by a number of fundamental principles and prohibitions and there are many differences from conventional finance.

“There is the absolute prohibition on the charging of interest,” says John Board, director of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Centre, part of Henley Business School at Reading University. ICMA runs an MSc in investment banking and Islamic finance, taught jointly with the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance in Kuala Lumpur. “This leads to the question: how do you raise money in a way that is commercially sensible but does not involve paying interest?

“And on the investment side, there is a range of prohibited activities. For example, Islamic investors may not invest in businesses that trade in alcohol or pork-related products, or are involved in certain types of entertainment.”

Other restrictions include not being able to sell something unless you own it, or to invest in companies with high levels of debt. Taking all the restrictions into account, many conventional financial products, such as deposit accounts, mortgages, credit cards, insurance, bonds and many derivatives, such as futures and options, are out of bounds to Islamic investors.

Until recently, certainly in non- Islamic countries, there was little on offer for people who wanted Sharia-compliant banking and finance. However, substantial growth in this market over the past five to ten years, partly driven by Middle Eastern countries investing oil revenues, means more institutions are beginning to offer appropriate products and services. Islamic assets under management are about £400 billion, according to the Islamic Financial Services Board, an industry body.

Today Islamic finance and banking touches everything from large capital infrastructure projects to retail banking. HSBC in the UK, for example, has Sharia-compliant bank accounts and mortgages. And the increase in Islamic finance activity means there is a need for postgraduates with knowledge in this area. “There is a big demand for Islamic finance as a professional activity,” Board says. >>> Steve Coomber | December 3, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

Muslims to Be Offered Sharia-compliant Pensions by Government
The game must now surely be about up! - ©Mark
THE TELEGRAPH: Muslims are to be offered Sharia-compliant pension funds by a new Government body.

The scheme to provide retirement funds for millions who do not already have a company pension is likely to include a special option that would not invest in companies deemed sinful under Islam.

Ministers are keen to get Muslims saving with the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority, as many who have low-paid jobs or who have moved to Britain in recent decades are unlikely to have put away much for their old age.

The decision to provide a Sharia-compliant pension fund is another sign of the growing influence of Islamic law in British public life and in particular the country's finance industry.

The prospect of some aspects of Sharia law such as divorce proceedings and dispute resolution being enshrined in the English legal system – raised by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chief Justice this year – remains highly controversial because of fears that the system discriminates against women and that a two-tier approach would be divisive.

But more and more financial products are being tailored to cater for Britain's population of 2million Muslims.

The religion's holy book, the Qu'ran, forbids Muslims from making money from money, so they cannot use products that involve the charging of interest nor invest in traditional financial services firms.

Gambling, drinking and pornography are also seen as immoral under Islam, so Muslims cannot put their money into companies that promote these activities.

The Islamic finance market is estimated to be worth £500million already and is growing rapidly.

Families can already get Sharia-compliant baby bonds under the Government's Child Trust Fund scheme while the UK is likely to become the first Western country to issue Islamic bonds in order to raise money from the Middle East.

This year has also seen the launch of Britain's first Islamic insurance company and pre-paid MasterCard. There are a handful of wholly Islamic banks in the country and several more that offer alternatives to mortgages which do not involve the charging of interest. >>> By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent | November 21, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>