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Faleel Jamaldeen

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Beschreibung

A detailed look at the fast-growing field of Islamic banking and finance The global Islamic finance market is now worth about $700 billion worldwide. Islamic Finance For Dummies helps experienced investors and new entrants into Islamic finance quickly get up to speed on this growing financial sector. Here, you'll find clear and easy-to-understand information on how you can incorporate Islamic finance products into your investment portfolio. You'll quickly and easily: become acquainted with the theory, practice, and limitations of Islamic banking; understand how to develop products for the Islamic financial industry; grasp the objectives and sources of Islamic law and the basic guidelines for business contacts; learn about Islamic fund management and insurance; and much more. * Coverage of the role Islamic finance can play in the development of the financial system and of economies * Addresses the risks and rewards in Islamic banking * The future prospects and opportunities of the Islamic finance industry With the help of Islamic Finance For Dummies, you'll discover the fast and easy way to tap into the booming Islamic finance arena.

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Islamic Financing For Dummies®

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/islamicfinance to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What You’re Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Part I: The Basics of Islamic Finance
Part II: Introducing Islamic Commercial Law
Part III: Eyeing Islamic Banking Operations
Part IV: Islamic Investment Markets: Equity and Bonds
Part V: Reporting, Corporate Governance, and Supervision
Part VI: Islamic Insurance: Takaful
Part VII: The Part of Tens
Icons Used in This Book
Where to Go from Here
Part I: The Basics of Islamic Finance
Chapter 1: Easing into Islamic Finance
Defining the Concepts and Principles of Islamic Finance
Searching for balance
Believing that Allah is the owner of all wealth
Promoting a responsible free-market economy
Citing key principles that Islamic firms follow
Identifying Types of Islamic Financial Products
Products based on equity participation (profit and loss sharing)
Products based on investment financing (sale and lease contracts)
Products for social development
Islamic funds
An alternative to bonds: Sukuk
Islamic insurance
Introducing Islamic Financial Institutions
Realizing Why Islamic Finance Is in Demand — and Growing
Chapter 2: Getting to Know Islam and the Role of Sharia
Introducing the People of Islam
A Brief History of the Islamic Religion
Revelations to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
Migration to Medina
Compiling the Quran
Composing sunnah and hadith
Exploring the framework of sharia
The Core Beliefs of Islam
The Pillars of Islam
Adhering to a Code of Conduct: Sharia
Being wary of radicalism
Respecting Muslim beliefs about the purpose of sharia
Considering the objectives of Islamic law
Noting the areas of life governed by sharia
Citing the sources of Islamic law
Chapter 3: The History of Islamic Finance
Looking Way Back: The Golden Age of Islam
The sixth century: Pioneering venture capital (mudaraba)
The seventh through ninth centuries: Developing commercial instruments
The 11th century: Applying the mudaraba concept in Europe
The 13th century: Slowing the progress of Islamic finance
Recognizing Developments in Early 20th-Century Thought
Writing the future: Muslim economists in the 1900s
Getting the ball rolling: The Mit Ghamr Savings Bank and Tabung Haji
Moving into the Modern Industry
Establishing the Islamic Development Bank
Opening other Islamic banks
Creating additional industry sectors
Setting accounting and auditing standards with the AAOIFI
Using Islamic banking concepts in the West
Introducing international Islamic indexes
Setting up the Islamic Financial Services Board
Chapter 4: Touring the Islamic Finance Industry
Looking at Current Islamic Financial Institutions
Islamic banks
Islamic investment fund operators
Islamic indexes for benchmarking the industry
Islamic bond (sukuk) issuers
Islamic insurance (takaful) providers
Accounting standards
Considering the Impact of the Global Credit Crises
Gazing into the Crystal Ball of Islamic Finance
Studying recent growth
Anticipating worldwide expansion
Eyeing Industry Challenges
Dealing with regulatory and tax issues
Help wanted: Finding trained and skilled Islamic bankers
Satisfying sharia scholars: The search for compliant products
Educating clients and crossing the language barrier
Part II: Introducing Islamic Commercial Law
Chapter 5: Adhering to Islamic Commercial Ethics
Considering the Role of Business Ethics
A Quick Primer on Islamic Values
Promoting justice and benevolence
Being stewards of the earth
Moderating consumption
Developing positive characteristics
Helping and caring for others
Connecting Islamic Values to the World of Commerce
Honoring Islam while supporting material pursuits
Insisting on sincere salesmanship
Advertising in socially responsible ways
Searching for ethical market mechanisms
Seeking a just relationship with employees
Respecting sharia prohibitions
Chapter 6: Focusing on Contracts
Starting with Sharia Compliance
Citing the Sources of Sharia and Islamic Commercial Contracts
Consensus among Islamic scholars: Ijma
Analogy: Qiyas
Minor sources
Introducing Islamic Contract Law
Understanding the unilateral promise (wa’d)
Recognizing a bilateral promise (muwaada)
Entering a contract (’aqd)
Classifying Contracts
Effect of the contract
Use of the contract
Part III: Eyeing Islamic Banking Operations
Chapter 7: Contrasting Conventional and Islamic Commercial Banking
Reviewing the Functions of Commercial Banks
Exploring primary functions
Delving into secondary functions
Studying the Structure of a Commercial Bank
Stockholders
Board of directors
Audit committee
Chief executive officer (CEO)
Operational-level management
Business segments
Differentiating between Conventional and Islamic Commercial Banks
The oversight of a sharia board
Concepts of money and the basis of transactions
Relationships with clients or customers
Investments in the bank
Chapter 8: Charting the Relationship between Conventional and Islamic Banks
Understanding the Nature of Individual Banks’ Cooperation
Connecting across borders
Issuing letters of credit
Representing each other (for a commission)
Offering sharia-compliant windows at conventional banks
Exchanging funds
Banking on Financial Industry Common Ground
Transferring information
Developing human resources
Providing technical assistance
Observing Regulations of Central Banks
Focusing on primary functions of central banks
Seeing how Islamic banks fit into national banking systems
Chapter 9: Tracing the Sources and Uses of Funds in Islamic Banks
Discovering the Sources of Bank Funds
Capitalizing on bank capital: Money in hand
Focusing on borrowed funds
Working with Debt Instruments
Borrowing Funds from Other Banks
Attracting Deposits
Checking into current accounts
Surveying savings accounts
Eyeing investment accounts
Realizing How an Islamic Bank Uses Funds
Keeping some cash
Purchasing fixed assets
Funding financial instruments
Serving the community
Chapter 10: Familiarizing Yourself with Islamic Financial Instruments
Discovering What Islamic Financial Products Are Available
Examining Equity Financing Products
Sharing the profit and loss with venture capital (mudaraba)
Supporting joint ventures (musharaka)
Figuring Out Asset-Based Financing Instruments
Making purchases with cost plus profit (murabaha) contracts
Reverse murabaha (tawarruq)
Leasing or renting (ijara)
Financing construction projects or purchase orders (istisna)
Talking about Trade Financing Instruments
Deferred payment sale (bay al-muajil)
Purchase with deferred delivery (salam)
Part IV: Islamic Investment Markets: Equity and Bonds
Chapter 11: Introducing the Islamic Capital Market
Eyeing the Origins of the Islamic Capital Market
Pioneering Islamic investment funds
Opening the door for Islamic bonds (sukuk)
Meeting demand for additional market instruments
Adhering to Criteria for Islamic Investments
Fleeing from forbidden industries
Forgetting about financial market trading
Respecting Investors’ Objectives
Searching for safety
Hoping for worthwhile returns
Seeking capital gains
Maintaining liquidity
Shopping at the Islamic Capital Market
NASDAQ Dubai
Bursa Malaysia
London Stock Exchange
Labuan International Financial Exchange
Luxembourg Stock Exchange
Tadawul (the Saudi Arabian stock exchange)
Tapping into the Islamic Equity Market
Managing Islamic equity funds
Weighing pros and cons of investing in Islamic equities
Going international with Islamic indexes
Understanding the Islamic unit trust and mutual funds market
Investing in Islamic exchange- traded funds (IETFs)
Diversifying with the Sukuk (Islamic Bond) Market
Developing the Islamic Derivative Market
Tracking Industry Trends for Islamic Funds
Promoting International Islamic Capital Markets
International Islamic Financial Market
Malaysia International Islamic Financial Center
Chapter 12: Managing Assets in Islamic Investments
Considering the Contracts That Support Sharia-Compliant Funds
Mudaraba funds
Ijara (leasing) funds
Murabaha (cost plus) funds
Seeing Commodity and Equity Funds in Action
Commodity funds
Equity funds
Screening Stocks for Islamic Investments
Avoiding prohibited industries
Passing the financial test
Purifying a Fund of Noncompliance
Conducting screening reviews
Taking action on noncompliance
Benchmarking the Performance of Islamic Funds: Islamic Indexes
Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) indexes
S and P Shariah indexes
FTSE Bursa Malaysia Hijrah Shariah Index
MSCI Global Islamic Indices
Developing New Methods for Managing Market Risk
Identifying the issues
Creating products that mitigate market risk
Chapter 13: Investing in Islamic Bonds: Sukuk
Defining Sukuk
Reviewing how conventional bonds work
Realizing how sukuk differ
Putting bonds and sukuk side-by-side
(Usually) Trading Sukuk Like Conventional Bonds
Earning Credit Quality Ratings
Walking through the Process of Issuing Sukuk
Identifying the parties involved
Setting up the sukuk’s general structure
Creating the SPV for acquiring assets
Insuring sukuk purchases
Listing Types of Sukuk
Sukuk al mudaraba (sukuk based on equity partnership)
Sukuk al murabaha (cost plus or deferred payment sukuk)
Sukuk al-salam (deferred delivery purchase sukuk)
Sukuk al-ijara (lease-based sukuk)
Sukuk al musharaka (joint venture sukuk)
Sukuk al istisna (Islamic project bond)
Innovative sukuk
Charting the Growth of Sukuk
Part V: Reporting, Corporate Governance, and Supervision
Chapter 14: Issuing Financial Statements
Getting a Financial Statement Refresher
Recognizing the most commonly issued statements
Spotting statement users
Issuing statements publicly and regularly
Focusing on statements for financial institutions
Walking through the Balance Sheet
Assets
Liabilities
Investigating the Income Statement
Income
Expenses
Tax/zakat
Noting Unique Financial Statements Used by Islamic Financial Institutions
Applying Specific Accounting Standards
Chapter 15: Considering Corporate Governance
Clarifying What Corporate Governance Looks Like
Appreciating the Role of Corporate Governance in Financial Institutions
Meeting the Stakeholders of Islamic Financial Institutions
Shaping Islamic Corporate Governance to Meet Specific Needs
Ensuring compliance through sharia governance
Recognizing why account holders care about corporate governance
Setting aside reserves to mitigate investment risk and equalize profit
Implementing Basic Elements of Good Governance in Islamic Finance
Striving for accountability and transparency
Managing risk
Developing internal control systems
Conducting audits
Following the Guiding Principles of IFSB
Chapter 16: Supervising Operations: The Sharia Board
Adapting the Sharia Board to a Rapidly Changing Industry
Finding its legs: The first two decades of the industry
Gaining confidence: The development of new products in the 1980s
Establishing key standards as the industry goes global
Who’s Who: Outlining the Structure of a Sharia Board
Holding a Seat: Sharia Board Membership
Listing the qualifications
Eyeing potential issues surrounding sharia board membership
Recognizing the Sharia Board’s Role
Assuring operational compliance
Reviewing new products
Performing other compliance- related functions
Considering Real-World Models of Sharia Corporate Governance
Chapter 17: Managing Risk in Islamic Financial Institutions
Realizing the Business Necessity of Risk Management
Knowing Where the Buck Stops: The How and Who of Risk Management
Seeing How Risk Management Is Different for Islamic Financial Firms
Sharing risk with stakeholders
Playing catch-up with the more established conventional system
Grappling with Generic Risks
Minimizing credit risk
Keeping market risk in check
Lessening liquidity risk
Managing operational risk
Rising above reputation risk
Dealing with Risks Unique to Islamic Finance
Examining equity investment risk
Coping with displaced commercial risk
Facing rate of return risk
Avoiding sharia noncompliance risk
Part VI: Islamic Insurance: Takaful
Chapter 18: Takaful: Exploring the Fundamentals of Islamic Insurance
Appreciating the Need for Takaful
Lacking certainty
Gambling with premiums
Collecting interest
Exploring Takaful
Grasping the principles behind takaful
Identifying the parties involved
Noting key features of takaful
Introducing takaful structures
Examining the Evolution of Takaful
Eyeing the Future Growth of the Takaful Industry
Chapter 19: Takaful and Retakaful Products, Structures, and Governance
Checking Out General Takaful Products
Individual general takaful products
Business general takaful products
Exploring Family Takaful Products
Applying participants’ contributions
Assisting policyholders
Exploring family takaful products
Understanding Takaful Structures
Wakala model: The principal-agent relationship
Mudaraba model: Partnership
Combination model: Principal-agent relationship and partnership
Getting Familiar with Retakaful (Reinsurance)
Gauging the necessity of retakaful
Seeing how retakaful works
Spotting some of the players in the retakaful industry
Noting the Role of the Sharia Board in Takaful Companies
Part VII: The Part of Tens
Chapter 20: Ten Reasons the West Should Pay Attention to Islamic Finance
Islamic and Conventional Finance Can Coexist
The Industry Is Poised for Growth
The Gulf Is Rich in Oil (and Cash)
The Muslim Population Is Large and Growing Quickly
Muslim Customers Want and Need Sharia-Compliant Products
Non-Muslim Investors Notice, Too
Socially Responsible Investing Is Thriving
Western Indexers and Rating Agencies Are in the Mix
London Is Leading the Charge
Globalization Is Here
Chapter 21: Ten Economic Benefits of Following Islamic Principles
Reducing Economic Disparity
Inviting More People into the Markets
Promoting Simplicity and Transparency
Connecting Financial Markets and Economic Activity
Linking Savings and Investment
Avoiding Economic Bubbles (And Bursts)
Spurring Economic Development
Encouraging Longer-Term Investment
Reducing the Impact of Harmful Products and Practices
Striving for Greater Stability
Appendix: Glossary
Cheat Sheet

Islamic Finance For Dummies®

by Faleel Jamaldeen, DBA, with Joan Friedman

Islamic Finance For Dummies®

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Published simultaneously in Canada

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About the Authors

Faleel Jamaldeen, DBA, is the founder and editor of the Islamic Finance Expert website (ifinanceexpert.wordpress.com/), which provides expert information about the Islamic finance industry. Through his website, Dr. Jamaldeen provides Islamic finance educational consultancy. After nearly a decade of working in the Islamic finance and conventional finance industries in the Middle East region and the United States, Dr. Jamaldeen is now an assistant professor of Islamic finance and conventional finance at the College of Business, Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has extensive experience with accounting, conventional finance, and Islamic finance; he has published multiple journal and newspaper articles on the subject of Islamic finance and has presented papers at international forums. Dr. Jamaldeen has a Doctor of Business Administration degree from the California University of Business and Technology. His research interests include Islamic finance, Islamic accounting, and Islamic financial engineering.

Dedication

Thanks to my wife, Fathima Fazuha, and my son, Saad, for their love, support, and patience.

Author’s Acknowledgments

I would like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to the many friends and strangers who helped me with this book. Among them are acquisitions editor Tracy Boggier, project editors Jenny Larner Brown and Vicki Adang, copyeditor Megan Knoll, and technical reviewer Aida Othman.

Special thanks go to Joan Friedman, who helped with writing the book. And, last but not least, I thank my agent Margot Hutchison, who made it all happen.

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Introduction

The years 2008 and 2009 weren’t exactly auspicious for many banks, brokerages, and other financial firms around the globe. (How’s that for an understatement?) In the United States, large financial institutions such as Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns collapsed after getting entangled in the mortgage-backed securities market. Other large financial firms required government support to stay alive. The severity of the global financial crisis that followed has been described as second only to the Great Depression. Yet from 2008 to 2009, the assets of the 500 top Islamic financial institutions grew — from $639 billion to $820 billion.

For people like you and me, who earn a living (or plan to earn a living) within the financial sector, a statistic like that provokes questions. What sets apart the Islamic finance industry from the rest of the financial world? And how have its differences helped this sector thrive when the rest of the global financial market struggles to regain its balance?

I wrote this book because so many people like you — bankers, investment advisors, fund managers, and other financial professionals (or students with an eye on becoming the next generation of these professionals) — are hearing from their peers that Islamic financial products are the next big thing. But other than knowing that a market exists for products that adhere to the tenets of Islam, many financial industry students and professionals don’t know what the term “Islamic finance” really means.

As you find out in this book, I’m bullish on Islamic finance; I’m a firm believer in the market potential of this industry. I’m also a firm believer in the benefits of Westerners understanding the concepts that lie behind the Islamic financial products — knowing why a separate industry exists and why many conventional products don’t work for Muslims. As I explain in these pages, the concepts supporting Islamic finance are crucial to Muslims and can’t be compromised. This enormous — and quickly growing — market sector is actively seeking financial products and investment opportunities that adhere to Islamic principles. By recognizing and meeting these needs, conventional banks and other financial institutions can tap into a rich and thriving global market.

About This Book

For all its potential, the Islamic finance industry is a bit distant and removed from the conventional commercial finance sector. In the West, the general public and even many financial professionals know absolutely nothing about Islamic finance. Those who’ve at least heard of it may assume that they can’t understand or participate in it because they aren’t Muslim and don’t speak Arabic. (As I show you in this book, you absolutely can participate in the Islamic finance industry — as a professional or as an investor — even if you aren’t Muslim and don’t know Arabic.) Western women may assume that they aren’t allowed to participate in the Islamic finance industry because of misconceptions about Islamic law. (Women can and do fully participate in Islamic finance — as professionals and as investors.)

Islamophobia is a prejudice against Islam or Muslims that has unfortunately become more commonplace and more intense in the West since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Some people simply don’t want anything to do with an industry that’s affiliated with Islam. Until now, searching for a book to help you navigate the subject of Islamic finance wasn’t very rewarding. That’s because Islamic finance has been the topic of textbooks but not many nonacademic titles.

I wrote this book to bridge the gap between people who need and want to know about Islamic finance and an industry that needs and wants their participation. If I’ve done my job well, you won’t feel intimidated by the information in this book; instead, you’ll be comforted in knowing that Islamic finance and conventional finance share a lot of basic features. And you’ll find out that you don’t need to learn a new language to work in Islamic finance, that you don’t need to change your personal religious views, and that job prospects are strong for both men and women with conventional banking and finance skills who are open to learning about new products and a new way of conducting business.

As with any For Dummies book, this volume is a reference book. That means I don’t necessarily expect you to sit down and read it cover to cover. (Of course, if you choose to do so, I won’t argue a bit.) Instead, I assume that you’ll jump in and out and around the book, reading the sections and chapters that are most relevant to you. Therefore, I’ve written each chapter so it makes sense on its own; I don’t assume that you’ve read the preceding chapters.

Conventions Used in This Book

To help you navigate this text, I use the following conventions:

When I introduce a new term, it appears in italics, and I provide a definition or explanation nearby.

I use bold text to highlight the active steps you take in a process and the keywords of bulleted lists.

All website addresses appear in monofont so they’re easy to pick out if you need to go back and find them. Keep in mind that when this book was printed, some web addresses may have needed to break across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that I haven’t put in any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using one of these web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist.

Sharia, the Islamic law that all Islamic financial products must adhere to, goes by many different spellings throughout the world. I use the spelling sharia for general references throughout this book, but other spellings you may see elsewhere include sharia’a, shariah, and shari’ah (and sometimes references are capitalized). I use such alternative spellings here only in the names of specific banks, funds, and so on that utilize them.

Similarly, many Arabic terms that end in -a have alternative spellings that end in -ah. I use the -a spellings for such terms, but know that this spelling discrepancy doesn’t affect the meaning. So if you read an article somewhere about mudarabah contracts, for example, rest assured that they’re the same mudaraba I discuss in this book.

One final convention note: In Islam, the respectful acronym pbuh (peace be upon him) customarily follows all references to prophets, including the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and I adhere to that convention here.

What You’re Not to Read

I happen to believe that every word in this book has value. (Perhaps I’m a touch biased?) But if you’re looking for just the essentials, you can skip the sidebars (the gray boxes) in the book, which offer supplemental information. You can also skip over paragraphs that are accompanied by a Technical Stuff icon because they contain information that may be more detailed than you need.

Foolish Assumptions

I wrote this book assuming that you have a strong interest in the financial industry already. Maybe you’re a banker, a mutual fund manager, an investment consultant, or an insurance agent. Perhaps you have Muslim clients asking you to consider adding sharia-compliant products to your roster of offerings, or your boss mentioned in passing that Islamic finance has been growing like crazy in recent years and your company should find out how to tap into the market. Maybe you’re a college student focusing your studies on finance, and you’ve read that job prospects are good for people with specific knowledge about Islamic finance.

Whatever your background, you’ve heard that Islamic financial products exist, and you need to know more about them to supplement your industry knowledge.

Although I don’t assume that you know every in and out of every aspect of finance, I do assume that you bring some fundamental knowledge to the table. I don’t bother defining in detail what a mutual fund is, for example, or how conventional insurance products work. But I do refresh your memory about slightly more technical topics such as financial reports. Don’t worry though; this text isn’t an accounting book. I focus on drawing connections and distinctions between Islamic financial products and the conventional products you likely already understand.

I absolutely do not assume that you’re Muslim or plan to convert to Islam. And I don’t assume that you know Arabic. I share with you some essential Arabic terms related to the Islamic finance industry, but I don’t expect you to become fluent in the language.

How This Book Is Organized

I’ve divided this book into seven parts for easy navigation. As I note earlier in this Introduction, you can pick and choose your way through these sections as you need. Here, I explain what you find in each part.

Part I: The Basics of Islamic Finance

I begin the book by covering the fundamentals of the Islamic finance industry, including the key principles behind it. If you’re looking to gain a big-picture understanding of the subject, Chapter 1 is definitely the place to start.

Obviously, the principles supporting the Islamic finance industry derive from Islam. Chapter 2 is your very brief introduction to both the religion and to the sharia code of conduct that Muslims are called to follow.

To add some perspective to the importance of the industry, Chapter 3 quickly runs through the centuries-old history of Islamic finance (while focusing primarily on events since the 1970s). And in Chapter 4, I outline the current state of the industry by explaining the variety of institutions that are in business, considering how the global credit crises have affected them, using my crystal ball to predict their growth, and pointing out some challenges that they face.

Part II: Introducing Islamic Commercial Law

For some people in the West, the word sharia has negative connotations. News stories that highlight extreme punishments for going against sharia law cast a harsh light on the word and what it stands for.

But for a Muslim, sharia is a positive word. Sharia is Allah’s (God’s) law (though not every Muslim agrees about what it says), and it’s a set of ethical guidelines that help Muslims know how to behave in all circumstances, including business dealings.

Part II contains two chapters that explain sharia ethics as they apply to the business world. Chapter 5 defines Islamic ethics as they relate to commercial pursuits. Chapter 6 illustrates how sharia compliance influences the development of all Islamic commercial contracts and the many financial products based on such contracts.

Part III: Eyeing Islamic Banking Operations

Conventional and Islamic commercial banks have a lot in common. For starters, both provide products and services that their customers and communities absolutely rely on. (Imagine how different your town or city would be if all the banks shut down. Where would you and your neighbors put your money for safekeeping? Where would you turn if you needed help buying a home or a car or starting a new business?) But conventional and Islamic commercial banks differ in some significant ways. In Chapter 7, I outline differences in function, structure, supervision, and concept, and I describe how each type of bank relates to its customers.

Neither banking industry functions in a vacuum, and Chapter 8 looks at ways in which Islamic and conventional banks — including the central banks of various countries and regions — cooperate in order to achieve their goals and meet their customers’ needs.

To round out the coverage of Islamic banking, Chapter 9 paints a big picture of how Islamic banks receive and use their funds. Then Chapter 10 goes into detail about how Islamic banks use their funds to generate income and provide crucial financial instruments to their customers.

Part IV: Islamic Investment Markets: Equity and Bonds

Islam discourages the hoarding of wealth and instead encourages people who accumulate surplus funds to find ways to invest their wealth for the betterment of the entire community. However, Islam forbids supporting any business that promotes gambling or pornography, participates in the construction of weapons of mass destruction, produces pork or tobacco products, or engages in other prohibited activities. What’s a Muslim investor to do?

In Chapter 11, I explain the fairly recent development of Islamic capital markets that feature sharia-compliant equity products. In Chapter 12, I explain the screening processes that ensure the assets traded on Islamic markets are indeed compliant with sharia.

In Chapter 13, I focus on nonequity investment products called sukuk, which are commonly called Islamic bonds but differ fairly significantly from conventional bonds. A wide variety of sukuk products are available, and the market for them is substantial. I offer a thorough introduction here.

Part V: Reporting, Corporate Governance, and Supervision

Chances are you didn’t focus your studies or career on finance in order to spend day and night thinking about financial reports. If that were your cup of tea, you’d probably be an accountant or auditor instead. However, financial reporting is part and parcel of the finance industry, including the Islamic finance industry. And Islamic institutions, like their conventional counterparts, must meet reporting requirements established by regulatory authorities and auditing standards boards. In Chapter 14, I explain what those requirements look like and who is setting them in the Islamic sector.

Chapter 15 considers the governance typically found at Islamic financial institutions and how it likely differs from the governance of a conventional firm. The existence of a supervisory sharia board is the most visible difference, and Chapter 16 explains who may sit on such a board and what its responsibilities are.

Strong leadership is a key component of managing risk, and Islamic finance institutions face a few risks that their conventional counterparts don’t. In Chapter 17, I explain those risks, which are related to sharia compliance, and how they’re most often mitigated in the Islamic system.

Part VI: Islamic Insurance: Takaful

Functioning in Western society without buying insurance is tough. Almost every state in the United States requires some minimum level of auto insurance, for example, and you’re running a huge risk if you own a home and don’t insure it and its contents. But what do you do if you’re Muslim and your religion prohibits your purchase of conventional insurance products because they involve prohibited elements of risk, speculation, and gambling?

The Muslim alternative to conventional insurance is called takaful, and in this part, I explain what this product is and how it differs from conventional insurance. I describe specific takaful products, as well as retakaful, the Islamic equivalent of reinsurance or company-to-company insurance.

Part VII: The Part of Tens

In this part, I give you two short chapters featuring quick pieces of information. First up are the ten reasons I think Westerners should become informed about the Islamic finance industry. (Globalization and industry growth are just two of the most obvious.) Then I spotlight ten economic benefits of adhering to sharia.

Because many of the product and contract names I discuss in this book are Arabic words, I provide a thorough glossary immediately after The Part of Tens. If you get stuck on the difference between murabaha and musharaka, for example, don’t despair; just turn to this appendix for help.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout the book, I place icons in the margins that call your attention to certain types of text. Here’s what each icon means:

When it comes to religion and the code of ethics derived from it, you can bet that some disagreements exist. This icon points out current or ongoing points of contention in the Islamic finance industry.

This icon denotes paragraphs that contain useful how-to’s for better understanding the Islamic finance market and perhaps positioning yourself for a career in it.

When you see this icon, pay close attention. The point I’m making is something that’s worth recalling long after you read the words.

If you’re looking for just the essentials and don’t want to get bogged down in the nitty gritty details and historical background of certain topics, feel free to skip past paragraphs with this icon attached. If you do read them, keep in mind that they likely contain information that’s a bit more technical than the rest.

This icon flags descriptions of what is actually happening in the Islamic finance industry: real-world situations and products that illustrate the topic at hand.

Where to Go from Here

The great thing about this book is you can start anywhere you want. If you know absolutely nothing about Islamic finance, I encourage you to read Chapter 1 first because it sets the stage for understanding the whole subject. Beyond that, feel free to use the table of contents or index to pinpoint subjects of particular interest.

If you’re a banker, Part III may be your most logical starting point. If you’re an equities broker, Chapter 11 may hold the most interest for you. Are bonds your thing? Flip to Chapter 13. Is insurance your specialty? Part VI on takaful should be a good read.

Feel free to skip around and glean the information that’s most useful to your career or your studies. And if you get tripped up at any point by the terms I’m using, don’t hesitate to dog-ear the glossary at the end of the book so you can keep your definitions straight.

Part I

The Basics of Islamic Finance

In this part . . .

In Chapter 1, you discover the fundamentals of the Islamic finance industry, including the key principles that support it. These principles derive from Islam, so I devote Chapter 2 to introducing the religion and its code of conduct, called sharia.

Next, I take you on a brief tour of the history of the Islamic finance industry so you can appreciate its roots. Finally, I outline what’s happening in the industry today by introducing the types of institutions that are in business, noting how global credit crises have affected them, attempting to predict their growth in the near future, and highlighting crucial challenges they face.

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!