BIMB Holdings Bhd, owner of the Malaysi’a oldest Islamic bank, bucked the banking trend to show enviable growth in net income margin (NIM) in the second quarter of the year.

The bank’s NIM may have expanded close to 20 basis points to about 3.58 per cent from first quarter of this year, thanks to a “very liquid” balance sheet that gave it more flexibility than other banks, Desmond Ch’ng, an analyst at Maybank Investment Bank Research (MIB) said……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Nigerians have been admonished to seek adequate knowledge on Islamic banking and give it a trial before criticising it. This charge was given by participants at the Ramadan lecture of the Muslim Teachers’ Association of Nigeria (MUTAN) Somolu, Lagos State branch.

The guest lecturer, Ustaz Imam Bameyi, said most of the people speaking against the concept were speaking from emotion, rather than understanding. He, therefore, declared that there was lot to be gained economically from the banking model……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Islamic Bank (DIB) concluded its annual summer training programme, Iktaseb, which offers rofessional development opportunities to young UAE nationals aspiring to a career in Islamic banking and finance.

In total, 105 participants from colleges and universities across the UAE were honoured at DIB’s Learning and evelopment Centre during a graduation ceremony……………………………………….Full Article: Source

In mosques or tearooms, Muslim elders dispense verdicts that keep their communities in line. They mediate between aggrieved immigrants, sometimes at the expense of German justice. Some say the arbitrations ease caseloads in court, but others see the creeping advance of Sharia law.
The men ambushed Fuat S. on the street, then locked him in a basement and tortured him. Fuat was later admitted to the hospital in Berlin’s Neukölln district with gaping wounds, contusions and broken bones……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Land designated for a mosque is at the centre of a US$68 million (Dh249.7m) dispute between a hotel developer and Nakheel, the Dubai property giant.Greenfield Trading paid Dh200m in June 2008 for a plot in Dubai Waterfront, the Nakheel development that would create a new business and resort district.

Greenfield planned to build a mixed use hotel and resort on the site. But two months after Greenfield bought the property, Nakheel disclosed that part of the parcel was classified as holy land and had served as a site for a mosque for 30 years, Greenfield alleges in a claim filed with the Dubai World Tribunal……………………………………….Full Article: Source

When a single country attempts to undertake a relief effort, other countries may perceive this as being part of a national security strategy and, in turn, they may make similar moves towards “relief” efforts. And eventually, the hunger-stricken zone turns into a conflict zone.
One of the chronic reasons for hunger in Africa is that during and after colonialism, Western countries competed with each other over the region, and they triggered clashes among diverse tribes. Turkey should not be the perpetrator of such a sin……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai have mutually highlighted the significance of strengthening “friendly bonds” between the two nations.

The exchange came as Presidents Ahmadinejad and Karzai held a congratulatory telephone conversation on Wednesday on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, IRNA reported……………………………………….Full Article: Source

Last year, during a raging controversy over the building of an Islamic centre in Lower Manhattan, Time Magazine ran a cover story titled, “Is America Islamophobic?” Shortly thereafter, a poll released by Time showed nearly six in 10 Americans held an unfavourable view of Muslims. A Gallup poll released the same year revealed four in ten Americans admitting to “feeling at least “a little prejudice” towards Muslims.

The Gallup poll indicated that these adverse attitudes are likely the result of most Americans (62 per cent) personally not knowing anyone who is Muslim……………………………………….Full Article: Source