Comments (2)

• Sudha Shenoy

  Islam forbids 'usury' but permits 'profit'. But interest can't just simply go away. So it gets disguised. So Muslim divines keep trying to identify & forbid those practices which - as they see it - amount to the taking of 'interest', while still allowing 'profit'. Given the complexities of life, all sorts of borderline issues keep turning up. Hence the hairsplitting 'regulations'. The whole situation is exactly reminiscent of the period when the Church forbade 'usury'.

  In North India, many petty moneylenders are Pathans, from the North-West Frontier Province or from Afghanistan. They are devout Muslims. They solve the problem very simply -- they never, never, never charge 'interest' but always demand 'profit.'

  Published: February 1, 2005 12:31 AM

• Rzouga

  Financial deregulation seems to be an illusion, when American Government controls money transfert and allows phone and mail inspecting. consequently, we can anywhere and at anytime get rid of a rival non american competitor by by showing it as a terrorism or an "anti-freedom" member...

  Published: October 6, 2006 7:33 AM