by Christopher W. Holton Today’s New York Times has what amounts to an advertorial for Shariah finance, espousing “Retirement Savings, the Muslim Way.” Not surprisingly, given the New York Times’s jaded past, the article is unbalanced and omits many of the concerns about Shariah finance. For starters, there is this passage: Investing in companies earning […]
by Christopher W. Holton This morning, 12 May 2016, taxpayer-subsidized National Public Radio ran what amounts to a three and a half minute advertorial for Shariah-compliant banking, specifically a Shariah-compliant bank that will be familiar to long-time readers of Shariah Finance Watch: University Islamic of Michigan. http://www.npr.org/2016/05/12/477758545/michigan-bank-discovers-the-need-for-islamic-finance-products What we find particularly enlightening about the NPR […]
Mufti Muhammad Hassaan Kaleem has joined the Shariah advisory board of Dubai Islamic Bank. Kaleem is already a member of Deloitte’s Shariah advisory board and AAOIFI. Given his position with AAOIFI, it is not surprising that Kaleem is a pupil of the hate-filled, Jihadist Mufti Taqi Usmani, who chairs AAOIFI’s Shariah board and was previously […]
Prospects for international Islamic capital markets remain bright, according to the Chief Economist of the Economic Development Board, Dr. Jarmo Kotilaine. Dr. Kotilaine discussed the prospects for the future of Islamic capital markets during a speech held at the World Islamic Funds and Capital Markets Conference in Bahrain. This year’s event marks the conference’s 10th […]
Keyston is a US fabric covering manufacturer. It makes no sense that they would be promoting Shariah finance. We suspect that they are not. But there is a section on their web site with imagery from the notorious Jihahist Shariah scholar, Mufti Taqi Usmani, from a presentation that Usmani has delivered promoting Shariah finance. We […]
The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), which lists the Jihadist Shariah scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani as the chair of its Shariah Advisory Board, will hold its annual conference in Bahrain this year… http://www.ameinfo.com/kfh-bahrain-sponsors-aaoifi-annual-sharia-conference-337986
The Wall Street Journal Weighs In On Al Goreeza: Inconvenient Truths About Al Jazeera…and about Dow Jones too
We’re glad to see that the Wall Street Journal has weighed in on the nefarious aspects of Al Jazeera, echoing what we reported here on SFW last week: https://shariahfinancewatch.org/2013/01/03/al-gore-sells-out-to-qatar-state-owned-al-jazeera-buys-current-tv/ It’s worth pointing out some of the highlights in the Journal’s article: …the network reflects the interests of the government that runs it—making it akin to […]
One of the challenges facing the Shariah Finance industry is a shortage of qualified Shariah scholars to serve as “advisers” to Shariah-compliant financial institutions. Not only is their a shortage of Shariah scholars, but many of the existing Shariah scholars are very old. Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi and Mufti Taqi Usmani are examples of the old […]
Back in the first quarter of this year, SFW covered Goldman Sachs’ ill-fated sojourn into the world of Islamic bonds (sukuk). Goldman had planned on floating a $2 billion sukuk but the entire project was shot down by Shariah scholars. It now appears that Goldman Sachs can thank the infamous Jihadist Mufti Taqi Usmani for […]
Regular readers of SFW know that we are no fans of HSBC. After all, HSBC has been at the forefront of the financial jihad to facilitate Shariah-compliant finance on a global scale. Moreover, HSBC employed the Jihadist monster Mufti Taqi Usmani as the chair of their Shariah Advisory Board. Then, when the heat over that […]
An Extremely Important Article on Shariah-Compliant Finance from Congressman Allen West
Investor’s Business Daily and Congressman Allen West have teamed up overnight to publish an extremely important op ed penned by Congressman West on the subject of Shariah-Compliant Finance. In his column, Congressman West points out virtually all of the major concerns surrounding Shariah-Compliant Finance and laments that it has received no critical scrutiny from US […]
Here we go again: Financial Times continues spread of the myth of “ethical” Shariah Finance
The financial jihadists have many enablers and useful idiots in the West who help them with their dawa’h mission to spread Shariah through economic imperialism. One surfaced today in the Financial Times. Like many in the financial media, the Financial Times has acted more like a cheerleader for Shariah Finance than as a responsible journalistic organization. […]
Shariah Finance Watch editor briefs Congressional staffers on Shariah-Compliant Finance
Recently we had the opportunity to brief staff members from 10 Congressional offices on the threat of Shariah Finance. The briefing was recorded and we have posted the full 1-hour briefing here for SFW viewers… Shariah Compliant Finance and Financial Jihad
We have covered HSBC frequently here on SFW, but Forbes and Reuters have just broken a story that paints a picture of HSBC as a financial institution out of control when it comes to vigilance against money laundering. We first reported on HSBC’s deplorable money laundering policies almost a year ago when it was announced […]
Shariah Finance Watch hears from Mr. Oliver Agha, a Shariah Compliant Lawyer
Recently, Shariah Finance Watch received the letter below in response to a posting we published on 31 January. (https://shariahfinancewatch.org/2012/01/31/is-shariah-compliant-finance-a-failure-a-self-serving-answer-from-the-financial-jihadis/) To Whom It May Concern: I write to clarify certain facts and set the record straight in relation to an article published on-line and displayed on the website “Shariah Finance Watch” on January 31, 2012 […]
Linked below is an article by a financial jihadi posing the question “Is Islamic finance a failure?” As you might expect, the answer turns out to be “no,” which, given the author’s background should come as no surprise. This is a common tactic of the financial jihadis; build a straw man and then proceed to […]
Maybe the only thing worse than getting in bed with the financial jihadists is to get in bed with the financial jihadists, only to find out they don’t want you. That may be the situation Goldman Sachs finds itself in with regard to its Islamic bond (sukuk) program. It seems Goldman got the blessing from […]
Craziness for Profit: Shariah Scholar/Advisor Mufti Taqi Usmani Blames Commodities Markets for Financial Crisis
At SFW we have covered Mufti Taqi Usmani extensively over the years. He has long been considered one of the most prominent and influential Shariah scholars in the world of Shariah Compliant Finance. According to many observers, critics and market participants alike, Usmani is the Shariah finance […]
Some REALLY Bad Ideas on How to Solve America’s Debt Problems
Not surprisingly, the financial jihadists are promoting Shariah as the solution to America’s debt problems. We’ve seen this before. Back in 2008, in the wake of the subprime mortgage debacle and near-financial meltdown, the financial jihadists insisted that Shariah-compliant finance would have avoided the whole mess. Then, in 2009, defaulting on sukuk (Islamic bonds) just […]
Meezan Bank, which was named the “Best Islamic Bank in Pakistan” in 2010, recently held the 17th annual meeting of its Shariah Supervisory Board. That board is chaired by Mufti Taqi Usmani. We’ve decided to commemorate this event with a repeat of our dossier on Usmani, who, keep in mind, is the Shariah finance world’s […]
Pakistani Shariah Bank To Enter Canada, Ireland and UK
MCB Bank Ltd has planned to extend its branch network within Pakistan and in foreign countries. MCB management has decided to launch its operation in Canada, Ireland and UK to facilitate millions of expatriate Pakistanis and potential foreign investors and businessmen. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011%5C04%5C12%5Cstory_12-4-2011_pg5_7 Note that MCB Bank’s Islamic Banking Division’s Shariah advisory is under the control […]
The Shariah Scholar Shortage Problem
Both opponents and proponents of Shariah finance recognize that there are relatively few Shariah scholars available to serve as advisers to financial institutions. Proponents of Shariah finance see this as a problem in that it could inhibit the global growth of the industry. Opponents see the shortage from a different perspective. First of all, several […]
BigPeace.com has an important article posted that details how Shariah-compliant Arcapita bank has sponsored a PBS-produced movie called Cities of Light. The movie glamorizes the Muslim Jihad that occupied the Iberian peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal). This movie will be premiered at, of all places, the Virginia Military Institute. Arcapita employs Mufti Taqi Usmani as […]
Qatar Moves to Shut Down Shariah-Compliant Divisions of International Banks
Hat tip to Creeping Sharia for this find… For years now SFW has warned big Western banks like HSBC, Standard Chartered and Barclays about the perils of dabbling in Shariah-Compliant Finance. Each of these banks, but HSBC in particular, has happily jumped in bed with the financial jihadists to get their piece of the Shariah-Compliant […]
But Who Will “Police” the Shariah Scholars?
We came across this typically ridiculous article about the role of Shariah scholars in “policing” or “guiding” Shariah-Compliant Finance and decided to use it to illustrate the complete disconnect between the concept of responsible financial regulation in the Western world and that in the Shariah-dominated world. Dr Rusni Hassan, a shariah adviser to HSBC Amanah […]
HSBC Hiring Heavily for its Shariah-Compliant Division
HSBC is planning to add 1,000 staff members in its Personal Financial Services unit to support its growing Shariah-Compliant banking unit, Amanah. HSBC Amanah is already the largest Shariah-Compliant Bank in the Western world and it came under a great deal of scrutiny when it was revealed that its then-chairman of its Global Shariah Supervisory […]
The Shariah finance standard-setting body AAOIFI (Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions) said it would overhaul rules governing Islamic finance scholars whose role and potential conflicts of interest have come under increased scrutiny. Most Shariah-Compliant financial institutions are vying to attract the same small number of influential scholars to their boards, and some of […]
Under the guide of “standardization” of practices, the Taqi Usmani-controlled Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) is continuing its campaign to gain control of the Shariah Finance industry. We’ve covered this emerging development for several months here on SFW and it’s worth a review: https://shariahfinancewatch.org/category/aaoifi/ The latest development in this regard is […]
The link below will send you to an interview of an insurance executive in Pakistan. Much of the interview makes Takaful seem like just another form of insurance. But there is a stark warning sign in the preface to the Q&A which should put you on guard: “An independent Shari’ah Advisory Board chaired by Mufti […]
The web site Favstocks.com has published what amounts to propaganda for the financial jihadists. In an online article published on July 1st, the site “explained” “Islamic investing,” touting it as “socially responsible.” This affords us a teaching moment. We will go through the various aspects of the article and deconstruct the propaganda: ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• “Islamic fund […]
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