The
October 22nd 2003 forum
provided the most intense, controversial and yet always courteous
discussions we have held in the dynamic history of the Forum. Three
lucid Muslim speakers reflected on the new surge in Islamic Banking,
in this country and far beyond. Clear principles of Shariah law
were stated by each of the three who introduced the debate, but
there were deep contrasts in their approaches to the transition
from the long dominant western system to a genuinely interest free
Islamic system. The issue lies in an honest appraisal of whether
the need to compete with western banking systems leads to the unintended
creation of "Halam windows on Haram Palaces"! The vital
debate continues. |
