News
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Darululoom Deoband bans Indian Muslims from working in banks
LUCKNOW: A powerful Islamic seminary in northern India has issued a fatwa against Muslims working in banks, a spokesman said on Friday, deeming it a violation of Islamic law.
The ruling by the Darululoom Deoband, India’s oldest Sunni-run seminary, in northern Uttar Pradesh state, was issued last week but made public on Friday, Mufti Shakeel of the “Fatwa” department said. “According to the tenets of Islam, Muslims must not work in banks because as employees they would have to deal with transactions involving interest and also make interest entries in bank ledgers,” Shakeel said. “That is a violation of sharia,” he said. “Interest is strictly banned under sharia law. Anyone having anything to do with interest is clearly committing an illegal act,” he added. Muslims leaders and professionals described the decree as “impractical”.
“The fatwa is in keeping with our religious beliefs but as India does not offer Islamic banking services, it is an impractical move,” Kamal Farooqui, an accountant and member of the autonomous All India Muslim Personal Law Board, told AFP. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk