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UK gets first Islamic bank

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Islamic Bank opens in UK

I understand about principles of sharia, but what are we going to get next? Christian banks that offer a free dashboard Jesus with account openings? Jewish banks that close for Sabbath on friday night and don't allow staff to answer phones or come in on saturday? Buddhist banks that allow no money to pass into their hands because of the materialality it symbolises?

Good/bad idea? Enlighten me please.

"Skydiving is a door"
Happythoughts

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I can't see anything wrong with it. If people want a plastic dashboard Jesus as a freebie for openeing an account etc then let them have it. It might actually have a beneficial affect and make other banks re-think their ethics about investing etc. We live in a free society so why not? Competition is healthy however and if there is only one bank from each religion then it kind of restricts your choice a little ..... but then that's religion for you anyway!

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Seriously it worries me how the UK authorities pander to the muslims. Heck I am not saying that all muslims are bad - but if you want to live in the UK then YOU fit in - do not expect US to change for you. [/rant]

btw - I am an "immigrant" to the UK so I am not a hard-core BNP supporter - just UKIP;)
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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Seriously it worries me how the UK authorities pander to the muslims. Heck I am not saying that all muslims are bad - but if you want to live in the UK then YOU fit in - do not expect US to change for you. [/rant]

btw - I am an "immigrant" to the UK so I am not a hard-core BNP supporter - just UKIP;)



You're forgetting ithe UK is a democracy

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I don't see the problem. It's not really any different to any other Bank. We have en English Bank, a Scottish Bank; we even have a Bank for Yorkshire men. Many institutions have stated best practices when it comes to investment. The Body Shop only invests in firms who are nice to fluffy animals for example. I think it’s the CoOp (also a bank) that states it doesn’t invest in arms co’s etc.

So what we have here is essentially a bank with a name which appeals to a certain segment of society (nothing at all unusual there) that has stated ethics when it comes to investment (again nothing at all unusual there).

The only difference is that in this instance the Bank is relying on an outside “agency” to come up with its investment ethics. If you count banks that use advertising agencies to come up with their investment ethics for them (I'm sure they exist) then not even that is unusual.

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the UK is a democracy BUT it appears to me that by and large politics is dominated by minority interests here

to name one example why is there a "black police officers society" allowed that does not allow non black membership? Why are minority special interests put so highly on the agenda? Are there Irish police-officer only clubs or jordie only? Seriously I am not condoning bashing minorities they need to be protected from abuse.

Remember the head of the racial equalities commission and how he had to resign for abusing a police officer at the cricket pitch - then he gets a £100K golden handshake for breaking the law... Just doesn't sit right with me
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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Seriously it worries me how the UK authorities pander to the muslims. Heck I am not saying that all muslims are bad - but if you want to live in the UK then YOU fit in - do not expect US to change for you. [/rant]

btw - I am an "immigrant" to the UK so I am not a hard-core BNP supporter - just UKIP;)



If you are an immigrant to the UK and advocate the fact that immigrants should fit in with our society then you had better get used to the fact that we are more or less free to do what we like in the UK such as setting up a religous bank. So long as it's within the remit of the law it should be allowed.

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your right - I actually went off cause it's a general trend here and I find it strange how cautious ppl here are about being "patriotic" in the american sense of the word.

I don't actually mind the bank, mosques etc. I just don't fancy my life being dominated by minority interest groups ...
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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Yeah - I say Nuke the unborn gay whales



Nah -- club 'em to death with baby seals

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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I don't have a problem with it. Islam requires specific things of its financial institutions, and there's nothing wrong with a business stepping in to fill that need.

We have Islamic banks here in the US:

Abrar Investments, Inc., Stamford CT
Al-Baraka Bancorp Inc. Chicago
Al-Madina Realty, Inc., Englewood NJ
Al-Manzil Islamic Financial Services
Amana Mutual Funds Trust, State St. Bellingham WA
Ameen Housing Co-operative, San Francisco
American Finance House
Bank Sepah, Iran
BMI Finance & Investment Group, New Jersey
Dow Jones Islamic Index Fund of the Allied Asset Advisors Funds
Failaka Investments, Inc., Chicago IL
Fuloos Incorporated, Toledo OH
Hudson Investors Fund, Inc., Clifton NJ
MSI Finance Corporation, Inc., Houston TX
Samad Group, Inc., Dayton OH
Shared Equities Homes, Indianapolis IN
HSBC, USA
MEF Money, USA
Islamic Credit Union of Minnesota, (ICUM)
United Mortgage


Islamic banks are also present in the following countries:
Albania, Algeria, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Gambia, Germany, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, The Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen.
-Journal of the Academy of Business and Economics


We also have Christian banks here in the US:
http://www.americaschristiancu.com/site/about.html
I know there are others as well, I just don't have time to look them all up.

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Islamic bank works on the Sharia laws which means they can't charge or give interest, sounds like a great place for a loan to me!
When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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Islamic bank works on the Sharia laws which means they can't charge or give interest, sounds like a great place for a loan to me!



How do they stay in business?

-
Jim
"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

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I don't have a problem with it. Islam requires specific things of its financial institutions, and there's nothing wrong with a business stepping in to fill that need.

We have Islamic banks here in the US...



I wonder, do they have a month-long Ramadan bank holiday?

Sign in window:
"Closed for Ramadan
See you next month"

:S

-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

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probably not... most Ramadan activities seem to be in the evening, and muslims generally continue to work during the month.



BLASPHEMERS!!
:D

So I guess that during Ramadan, it might be hard to get late-night customer service on the bank's 800 number...

-Jeffrey
-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

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Good idea.

BBC Newsnight last night indicated that customers saving with this bank would get a significantly higher amount of interest on their money than with the traditional UK banks.

If they operate in the same way with mortgages then I'm going to switch mine. Assuming I don't have to become a muslim to use the bank.

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Good idea. If they operate in the same (Sharia) way with mortgages then I'm going to switch mine. Assuming I don't have to become a muslim to use the bank.



Likewise! They have stated that their services are open to everyone. I'm guessing that you'll be "expected" to buy into a set amount of commodities every month which will be traded until you've paid the loan and the "administration fees".

Either way, I'm gonna bet that the rate will be fair, and the bank's trading practices will be ethical.... So yeah, I'll bank with them.

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

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