Uganda’s Central Bank authorized Islamic banking just months ago. The Islamic banking sector is attracting many foreign suitors with firms from Kenya, South Africa and Abu Dhabi all planning on setting up shop in the country, according to the Islamic Globe.

Global Trust of Nigeria could be using Uganda as a testing ground for its Shariah Law-compliant products and services. In Nigeria, there are still a number of social and religious bars to the implementation of Islamic banking, despite the Nigerian Central Bank giving the green light for the sector and authorizing the first Islamic bank in June………………………………………Full Article: Source

Sri Lanka’s Amana Bank began operations this month as the island nation’s first shariah-compliant commercial bank, underscoring the growing popularity of Islamic finance in the region.

The market for Islamic finance in the country is not large — estimated at some $1.5bn — and while Muslims make up less than 10 per cent of the country’s population of 21m people, Islamic finance is gaining wider acceptance……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Nigeria didn’t only import Jesus Christ and Christianity from abroad. She also borrowed our modern conventional banking system from the same Christian-Caucasian source. We already have Islam in Nigeria; also imported! So, what’s the heck if we name bank after Islam? Haba Oritsejafor!

The heated debates, threats, shouting-matches and bad blood between Christians and Muslims over Islamic banking are pure clashes of religions. Those of us who tell government to separate religion from politics or Statehood have been vindicated. That religion is one of our biggest problems in recent times……………………………………….Full Article: Source

The Doha office of international law firm Eversheds has advised Barwa Bank on the acquisition of Al Yusr, International Bank of Qatar’s Islamic banking operations.

Following Qatar Central Bank’s decision, in January 2011, that conventional banks must close their Islamic banking windows by the end of the year, this is the first purchase of an Islamic finance window by an Islamic bank in Qatar, and also the first deal of its kind in the region……………………………………….Full Article: Source

International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) announced the sale of its Al Yusr Islamic banking retail operations to Barwa Bank. This move brings IBQ in compliance with the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) issued instructions on January 31, 2011 for all commercial banks in the country to cease their Islamic operations by December 31, 2011.

An agreement was signed by Mr. George Nasra, MD of IBQ and Mr. Steve Troop, CEO of Barwa Bank and the transaction has received the approval of the QCB and the Shariah Boards of both banks……………………………………….Full Article: Source

In banking, there’s Switzerland and Singapore, secure and secretive. There’s Indonesia, which has been so plagued by corruption you can never be sure who’s actually holding your money. And then there is Afghanistan, in a class of its own.

Afghanistan’s leading commercial banker is a professional Las Vegas poker player. His bank’s most popular product is basically a lottery, advertised on Kabul streets as “The Easiest Way to Make a Million.”………………………………………Full Article: Source

Last Friday, the Center for American Progress released a report that found a group of writers and activists spent millions over the last decade to spread fear about Islam in America.

Almost $43 million from seven charitable groups went toward financing anti-Muslim campaigns, the report said, including proposed state laws to ban judges from considering Islamic laws in U.S. courts, opposition to the Islamic center near Ground Zero, and a general encouragement of anti-Muslim rhetoric in politics and elsewhere……………………………………….Full Article: Source