Studying Islamic Finance

السلام والازدهار العدالة المجتمعي
You are visiting a blog associated with an online noncredit course studying the topic of Islamic Finance, moderated by John Wiley Spiers. Feel free to participate in our discussion, and if you are interested in taking the course visit http://www.johnspiers.com/Islamic_Finance/Welcome.html

Sunday, September 23, 2012

On Melons and Revolution

As the Ayatollah Khomeini reportedly said, ‘The revolution is about Islam, not about the price of melons’.  (From Warde, Ibrahim, Islamic Finance, see below.)

Yes, but, the price of melons and economic freedom certainly sends people to their religions for a solution to their problems.  It was a fruit seller in Tunisia whose terrible frustration with the economic regulations in Tunisia that set off the Arab Spring with his self- immolation.

And this in a country that was actively investigating becoming the "Hong Kong of the Mediterranean."

 We value Hong Kong’s experience in international trade. We’re not benchmarking ourselves with Hong Kong, but we are trying to follow the successful steps done by Hong Kong over the last 30 years in developing trade with other countries.

And that means freedom.  I wonder where that initiative stands?  This is one reason we can never resort to violence.  Would things have changed in Tunisia to the point fruit sellers need no licenses, and from there they would move up the chain to ever more value-added goods?

I am reading a very good book on islamic Finance.  I recommend it.




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