LONDON: Some of the world’s most well-known Islamic scholars are launching a self-regulating professional association that will develop training and professional conduct standards for the gatekeepers of Islamic finance.
The Association of Sharia Scholars in Islamic Finance (ASSIF), a British-registered charity, will address a longstanding problem in the industry: the lack of a clear, commonly recognised set of qualifications for scholars. Boards of Shariah scholars at financial institutions rule on whether activities and products follow religious principles such as bans on interest payments and monetary speculation.
The new association aims to work with the industry’s existing bodies around the globe rather than replace them, Mufti Abdul Kadir Barkatullah, ASSIF’s deputy president, said on the sidelines of the World Islamic Economic Forum in London. REUTERS
