“Islamic finance is a serious alternative that academia is still ignoring,” said Dr. Muhammad Fahim Khan, a distinguished economist speaking at a seminar at IIIT on May 28.  

In his lecture entitled “Islamic Finance: Future Directions and Agenda for Research", Dr. Khan focused on the inherent problems of Islamic Finance, its current challenges and future directions. He started off with outlining the political circumstances of the 1970s that gave rise to Islamic financial institutions such as the events in Afghanistan, the retreat of Russia, the Islamic revolution in Iran, the Islamization policy of the military government of Pakistan (under Zia Ul Haq), and Sudan’s commitment to Sharia. Islamic resurgence – he maintained – was seen at the horizon and economic institutions – and not social institutions – were to take the lead. It was not a good ...

“Because people have different views, their interpretation of religion and its influence on society is subjective, leading to stereotyping and clash of civilizations,” said Dr. Hisham Altalib speaking at  the “Understanding Interfaith Conference” organized by the Center of Interfaith Study and Dialogue (CISD) at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, on April 11 – 13, 2010.

 At the Abrahamic Faiths session during the conference, three speakers engaged in a dialogue about the effects of stereotyping and prejudice on interfaith relations. Dr. Eboo Patel was the main speaker who spoke eloquently on the great utility of Interfaith understanding, particularly among the youth.

Speaking about the influence of religion, Dr. Altalib observed that “no one knows if God is on his or her side, even though they claim to be on the side of God.” He added that “two observers examining history may conclude that ...