Riba (Arabic: ربا, [rɪbæː]) means Interest. Riba is forbidden in Islamic economic jurisprudence fiqh and considered as a major sin. Simply, unjust gains in trade or business, generally through exploitation.

There are two types of riba discussed by Islamic jurists: an increase in capital without any services provided and risktaking, which is prohibited by the Qur'an, and commodity exchanges in unequal quantities, prohibited in the Sunnah.

Background[link]

Riba was forbidden in the Medinan society of Muhammad, just like in the medieval Christian world. Historically, the consensus of Muslim jurists understood that any loan that involved an increase in repayments was forbidden, and as such, the Islamic state prohibited it. This prohibition was reconsidered with the advent of European influence during the Age of Enlightenment.

The word is a Quranic term. One of its applications is "interest" or "usury" on loaned money. The Quranic term is not limited to money but as well includes all loan transactions in which the debtor returns a sum of goods in excess or above the original loan, be it money, eatable or any other item or goods; anything in excess of original is considered riba if items exchanged are of the same kind (such as gold for gold). Riba is any increment on a loan or debt, either preconditioned or in rescheduling.

Riba is considered amongst the Seven heinous sins (Al-Saba al-Mubiqat - السَبعَ الموبِقاتِ), namely:^[1]

• Believing in gods other than Allah.
• Magic.
• Murder.
• Riba/usury.
• Unlawfully taking orphans' money.
• Fleeing the battlefield.
• Accusing chaste, pious women.

The Qur'an states:^[2]

3:130 O you who have believed, do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be successful.

2:275 Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest

Mohammad said in his farewell sermon: "God has forbidden you to take Riba, therefore all riba obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. God has judged that there shall be no riba and that all the riba due to `Abbas ibn `Abd al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived.".^[3]

The Qur'an explicitly prohibits riba, and since the Qur'an is an undisputed source of guidance for Muslims, all Muslim authorities unanimously agree on prohibition of riba. There is no difference of opinion between any school of thought on the prohibition of riba in Islamic shariah.

The Qur'an mentions that the person who deals with riba (ربا) will stand (on judgement day) as one who is beaten by Satan into insanity.^[4] Here, Qur'an makes it clear that "trade" and "riba" are not the same and that God forbade "riba" and allowed "trade".^[5] It further states that whoever accepts the guidance of God must immediately stop dealing in riba, and those who return to riba after God's guidance has reached are dwellers in fire because God destroys "riba" and will reward those who give to charity.

Mohammad cursed the one who deals with riba. From Jabir: Mohammad cursed the receiver and the payer of riba, the one who records it and the two witnesses to the transaction and said: "They are all alike [in guilt]." [Sahih al-Muslim, Sahih Al-Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Bahiqi and Musnad Ahmad]

Islamic shariah considers riba as a tool of oppression and a means to unjustly take the money of others^[6] by exploiting their needs and circumstances. Hence, it forbids a riba-based system altogether and promotes charity as an alternative. Therefore, Mohammad said: "God has judged that there shall be no riba" [Last Sermon]

The crimes of dealing in riba are so serious that God has declared war against those who deal in it.^[7] Mohammad has cursed anyone who deals with riba, the one who takes it, the one who pays it and the one who records it, as their sins are considered equal under the Quran.^[8]

Riba is considered to be a greater sin, for Muslims, than that of eating pork or drinking alcohol. Mohammad declared the practice of riba worse than adultery, worse than "to a man committing adultery with his own mother".^[9]

Etymology[link]

The word was linguistically used by the Arabs prior to Islam to refer to an increase. In commercial practice, it referred to the increase on loans, namely, interest.

The definition of riba in classical Islamic jurisprudence was "surplus value without counterpart." When currencies of base metal were first introduced in the Islamic world, paying a debt in a higher number of units of this fiat money was not considered riba; jurists were concerned with the real value of money (determined by weight only) rather than its numerical value. For example, it was acceptable for a loan of 1000 gold dinars to be paid back as 1050 dinars of equal aggregate weight of gold (the value in terms of weight had to be same because all makes of coins did not carry exactly similar weight), therefore having the same real value.

Prohibition of riba[link]

The Qur'an deals with riba in 12 verses, the word appearing eight times in total, three times in 2:275, and once in 2:276, 2:278, 3:130, 4:161 and 30:39.^[10]

The Mekkan verse in Surah al-Rum was the first to be revealed on the topic: And whatever Riba you give so that it may increase in the wealth of the people, it does not increase with Allah (Quran 30:39)

The other Medinan verses: And because of their charging Riba while they were prohibited from it (Quran 4:161) Those who believe do not eat up Riba doubled and redoubled (Quran 3:130)

Culminating with the verses in Surah Baqarah: Those who benefit from interest shall be raised like those who have been driven to madness by the touch of the Devil; this is because they say: "Trade is like interest" while God has permitted trade and forbidden interest…God deprives interest of all blessings but blesses charity.... O believers, fear God, and give up the interest that remains outstanding if you are believers. If you do not do so, then be sure of being at war with God and His messenger. But, if you repent, you can have your principal.... (Quran 2:275-280)

Jurists do not consider the first two verses as clear prohibitive verses on the matter, whereas the latter two have been understood to prohibit Muslims from riba.

Tabari quotes a number of Tabi'een, who state the verse from Surah al-Rum refers to a gift whereas al-Jawzi quotes Hasan al-Basri as stating it refers to riba.^[11] Either way, there is insufficient indication from this verse that riba is prohibited, if it does indeed refer to riba.

The second verse refers to the Jews and their taking of riba, which leaves it unclear if such a prohibition applies to the Muslims.

The next verse is seen by many as prohibiting riba, including Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani.^[12] However it appears that recourse to some traditions relating to Amr ibn Aqyash are required for the prohibition as the verse itself could be interpreted as expressing a preference against interest.

The verses from Surah Baqarah are seen as categorically forbidding riba. The backdrop to these verses was the dispute between Banu Thaqif and Banu Amr ibn al-Mughirah over riba due on loans between them. As such, the jurists historically agreed on the prohibition of riba from these verses and termed it riba al-nasia, distinguishing it from the interest in exchanging like goods in different quantities, mentioned in a number of narrations, riba al-fadl.

As such, some jurists saw riba forbidden early in Mecca, some in the year 2 AH and some after the opening of Mecca, but the majority agreed on its prohibition.

Some of the modern jurists, like Abduh, Rashid Rida, Shaltut, Sir Syed Ahmed, Fazl al-Rahman, Tantawi and Qardawi have tried to legitimize bank interest.^[13] The earlier ones legitimized it for awqaf and state that investment schemes during the late period of the Ottoman rule. They were the first to introduce the notion that riba al-nasia was permitted. Those who followed them remained minority voices whilst the vast majority of modern jurists prohibit it also. The modernists proposed a number of legal arguments that have been heavily criticized for using false legal reasoning, mixing hikma and illah, selective historical readings of the commercial contracts at the time of Muhammad, and misapplication of principles (mafhum al-mukhalifah).

They also advanced non-legal rational arguments such as the necessity of modern finance, necessary for efficient allocation of resources, commercial interest not being the riba prohibited in Islam, no violation of justice or exploitation these days and interest rates are not very high, to name but a few.^[14] Most of these arguments have been criticized by modern writers, including Siddiqi, Zarqa, Khan & Mirakhor and Chapra, a good case in point being the published Supreme Court of Pakistan Judgement on the matter.^[15]

Rationale of the prohibition[link]

As an exchangeable term with riba, interest is defined by Ismail Ozsoy, professor of economics in Fatih University, Istanbul, as "an unearned or unequally distributed income." Riba or interest is unearned when the realized income that is earned out of the loan is less than the interest rate, and it is unequally distributed income when the realized income is higher than planned.

Ozsoy argues that the main characteristic of interest is that either the borrower or the lender would absolutely and inevitably be subjected to a loss and an injustice in any case, for its rate is fixed at the very beginning, but it is impossible to predict the outcome of the business at which the loan is used, profit or loss, or how much either would be. Thus, it can be identified with an absolute injustice for either side of the transaction. It does not matter whether the interest rate is high or low and whether it is called interest or usury because the different kinds of interest or different rates change only the address, or the direction, of the injustice; it is sometimes the payer and sometimes the receiver of interest who is exposed to this injustice and/or financial loss.

Ozsoy bases his argument about the unfairness of interest on the Quranic verses: "O you who believe! fear Allah and give up what remains of your demand for interest, if you are indeed believers. If you do it not, take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger: but if you repent you shall have your capital sums; deal not unjustly and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly" (Baqara, 2:278-279).^[16]

Ozsoy argues that injustice and unequal distribution of income is an indispensable nature of interest as well as usury, which is considered to be an excessive rate of interest. As a matter of fact, while any high rate of interest may expose the borrower to a financial loss in hard economic conditions, any low rate may expose the lender to a loss in favourable economic conditions where return on capital is high. This case reveals that there is not any acceptable rate of interest, low or high, from the standpoint of the equitable distribution of income. That characteristic of interest arises from the fact that its rate is predetermined despite the impossibility for mankind of predicting whether or not a profit will be made, and even if, how much it will be.

Ozsoy compares the interest mechanism to a two-bladed saw, or a knife, that cuts on both sides, such that either the borrower or the lender must pay more than they received—one or the other side is unavoidably injured by the interest mechanism.

Interest is the income earned by the borrowed financial capital regardless it is in the production process or not. Interest is the allocation, to the capital owner, of an unearned, undeserved, unborn, unavailable and imaginary income that might be attained without producing anything and without contributing any value to the revenue of the society. It imposes all the risks on the debtor directly and on the society indirectly but not on the lender although it is directly related to him/her.^[17]

Interest mechanism prevents the fair distribution of positive or negative outcomes of economic activities among the lender and borrower and worsens the income distribution. This occurs either by providing the capital owner a certain and fixed percentage of earning in any case regardless of the negative outcome of the business, or by limiting his earning with only a predetermined amount of return in case the borrower entrepreneur earns considerably high income out of his/her financial capital.^[18]

The main reason advocated by Siddiqi and Ganameh as to the rationale of prohibition is that it is oppression involving exploitation. In matters of consumption loans, it is necessary that those who have wealth should assist those without, and in productive loans, a guaranteed return on capital is unjust given the uncertainty surrounding entrepreneurial profits, whereas a return to both parties as a rate of profit would be more equitable.^[19]

Taji al-Din argues the reason appears to be the restriction in circulation of wealth among those who already have it. Lenders would not provide loans to those they believe are unable to repay so such wealth would be restricted to those able to service the debt. This is something forbidden categorically by the Quran and the effects on society result in the accumulation of wealth amongst those who have it and increase the divide between the rich and poor.

Mawdudi believes the cause relates to the undesirable resulting effect of an imbalance between production and consumption. This is caused by the transfer of purchasing power from those with a high propensity to consume to those with a low propensity to consume. The latter group reinvests its income in production, increasing production and decreasing consumption demand. The cost of capital results in increased prices of consumption goods, accentuating this process. Mawdudi believes thar this is the source of evils in the economy such as stagnation, depression, monopoly and ultimately imperialism. Interest-free loans and the prohibition of return on capital along with zakat, wages, profit and profit-share recreates this balance. The focus shifts to the entrepreneur whose activity becomes the only source of income along with wages, giving him the upper hand in society. Siddiqi and Ganameh cite the hadith of "income devolved on liability" in this context.^[20]

Some argue^[who?] that interest allows the creation of a group of people who contribute nothing to society, simply generating income from capital. This starves society of their contribution and the rationale of prohibition is to reverse this.

Ibn Rushd argued the rationale relates to the possibilities of cheating that exists in riba, which is clearly visible in riba fadl.^[21] Other arguments that some writers^[who?] try to extract from indications on the divine texts include the rationale being corruption, unjust acquisition of property rights, destruction, and a detrimental personality.

Hameedullah believes the reason is the unilateral nature of the risk born in these agreements.^[22] The Islamic principle is for a reward, there must be some liability incurred; otherwise, a return is prohibited.

References to riba in the Qur'an and Sunnah[link]

Qur'an[link]

The Qur'an states the following on riba:

Ahadith[link]

Riba is mentioned in a number of hadith:

Additional ahadith exist regarding usury.^[28][29]

Relevance to modern times[link]

Siddiqi suggests the key to whether the idea of prohibition of riba is effective is whether it can produce stability and efficiency in the economy and if it is conducive to growth and development and increase justice and fairness.

The model of profit-sharing on the liability side of the banking system would make the financial system more stable than using riba. The sharing arrangements between suppliers and users of resources for producing wealth improves business cycles and stability in the economy.^{[citation needed]}

Entrepreneurship[link]

With the abolition of interest, Siddiqi argues that the economic focus becomes attached to entrepreneurial activities, using the vehicle of mudarabah, resulting increasing economic activity. Although it may be thought that without interest, incentive to save drops, Keynesian analysis indicates that savings are a function of income and interest is minor. As such, if income can be increased, savings should increase, even in the absence of interest.

Mannan argues that interest holds back investment in production, whereas Mawdudi points out that projects that could be socially useful, generating a small return and prevented as interest rates prevent capital being utilized on such projects.

Without interest, capital can be more efficiently allocated to productive projects based on the rates of profit rather than more credit-worthy individuals. A system based on profit-sharing also harmonizes the interests between investors and entrepreneurs increasing efficiency.

Trade cycles[link]

Many writers see the destabilizing effects that interest has on trade cycles. The basic idea is that different interest rates and their variations allow for speculative institutions. Speculators hoard capital for the purpose of chasing higher rates, which in turn deprives the deployment of capital for productive purposes. It is argued that these vast movements of funds contribute to the fluctuations in the trade cycles and make economic planning and organization problematic.

With the absence of interest, writers argued there will be less speculation due to the absence of the interest rate and the reduced levels of debt that will result. That is not to say there will be no debt: non-interest modes of finance allows debt but less. Decreased levels of speculation would thus result in a more stable environment.

Financial intermediation[link]

Writers like Fazl al-Rahman say the interest rate is like price in the modern economy. It is used to regulate the demand of finance, and if the interest rate is taken to zero, the world will be faced with limited supply and infinite demand. How would credit be allocated?^[30]

The main answer to this question is that he bleieves that finance, for productive projects, can be provided through profit-share, cost-plus basis, or leasing.

Writers like Siddiqi suggest a two-tier mudarabah model as the basis of a riba-free banking system. This involves the bank acting as the capital partner in a back-to-back mudarabah contract with the depositor on one side and the entrepreneur on the other side. This model can be supplemented by a number of fixed-return models (like Ijara, Istisna, Murabaha etc.). In practice the murabaha model is the bank's favourite, as it bears results most similar to the interest-based finance models.

However, it has been criticised as not following the possession by bank/seller requirements and risks taken by the financier are non-existent (being insured or guarantees provided by the customer). Additionally, Khattab has criticised the whole two-tier mudarabah system as having no basis in Islamic law, as there are no instances where the mudharib passed funds onto another mudharib, and as such is questionable.

Banks have demand deposits in the nature of loans to the bank and investment deposits. Some offer guaranteed savings accounts with permission to use the funds and a discretionary reward to the depositor as in the case of the Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad. Initially, demand deposit accounts were more common, but over time, most accounts are now investment accounts, which reflects the confidence of depositors in the ability of banks to generate a return.^[31] Islamic banking operations are successfully operating in many Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Iran, Sudan, Turkey and Bahrain.

Insurance operations, starting in Sudan in 1977, have now been successfully implemented in a number of countries from Malaysia to Jordan. The takaful mudarabah model is used, compensating premium-paying subscribers in case they incur losses or damages without any interest-based activities.

International finance[link]

This article may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (December 2009)

Third world countries are crippled with servicing foreign debt. Often, countries are badly managed, and given state assets financial institutions readily lend to incompetent governments regardless of the project as they know that a guaranteed return on capital is available. This results in poor projects receiving funding, funds siphoned away with the lenders taking no responsibility or involvement in the project or the debtors as long as repayments are made. The resulting debt, which benefited the receiving society very little, leads to limited spending on developing their infrastructure and human capital as large amounts of future revenue are spent on debt servicing.

The replacement of interest-bearing debt with interest-free debt and public sector projects financed through profit-sharing mechanisms would alleviate many of these problems.^{[citation needed]} Countries adopting interest free financing have no problems interacting with the International Monetary Fund or other international financial institutions.^{[citation needed]}

Accounting concept of interest[link]

Some writers argue for an accounting concept of interest to evaluate projects and investments. As a tool for comparing projects with countries where the interest rate is operated, however, it is argued that it is hard to see why a profit rate cannot be used.

Others argue the need of a bank rate for monetary policy. Siddiqi suggests two variables that can alternatively be used: mark-up in sales with deferred payment and ratios used in sharing modes of finance. These ratios can be used to manipulate the rates of profit. They can be determined through market forces or set by governments in public interest, as is legislated in Sudan and Pakistan.

See also[link]

• Islamic bank
• Shariah investments
• Usury
• Zakat
• Vix Pervenit

Notes[link]

References[link]

Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (July 2010)

• Badr, Gamal M. (Spring 1989). "To the Editor". The American Journal of Comparative Law (American Society of Comparative Law) 37 (2): 424–425. DOI:10.2307/840180. JSTOR 840180. 

External links[link]

• Stipulation of Excess in Understanding and Misunderstanding Riba: The Al-Jassas Link by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
• RIBA IN ISLAM - A refreshing Look
• The rationale of prohibition of Riba
• Toward Defining and Understanding Riba by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
• Exclusive on the subject of Riba (ar-Riba, usury, interest), answering Why Riba was prohibited? and The definition of Riba.
• Riba, Interest and Six Hadiths: Do We Have a Definition or a Conundrum? by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
• The Riba-Interest Equation and Islam: Reexamination of the Traditional Arguments by Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
• Why does Islam prohibit interest (Riba)?
• Riba and Interest: Definitions and Implications.
• Meaning of Riba and Usury in Islam
• Interest vs Risk-Sharing in Business Partnerships
• Understanding Riba in non-Muslim countries
• Directory and portal of riba free financial companies
• University Islamic Financial / Riba Free banking in the US.

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since March 2011. It includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Tagged since March 2011. Very few or no other articles link to it. Please help introduce links to this page from other articles related to it. Tagged since May 2011.

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. (March 2011)

Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman was born in 1978 in Sydney - Australia from a Palestinian family who migrated to Australia in the late 1960s. He initially obtained an Ijazah (licence) with Sanad (complete chain back to the Prophet) in complete and sound memorization of the Holy Quran at Darul Uloom Al-Husainiah in Sindh - Pakistan.

He then travelled to the Arab world in particular Damascus - Syria for a six year journey to continue his Islamic and Arabic studies at numerous Islamic Institutions through many well-recognised scholars. In Syria, Sheikh Shady studied various Islamic subjects and modules, from Fiqh, Usool Al-Fiqh, Hadith, Mustalah al-hadith, Quranic Science and Tafseer and Arabic studies, he generally focused on and specialised in Arabic and Comparative Fiqh (Islamic Law/Jurisprudence) and received numerous Ijaza's in that field.

Sheikh Shady arrived back to Sydney in early 2001, were he began to be heavily active and involved with the Muslim youth and the second Muslim generation in Australia. He is known to be an Imam who made dramatic changes in many youths life in particular troubled youth.

Sheikh Shady is the founder of one of Australia's largest youth centres known as the UMA in Sydney, and also the founder of Sydney Islamic College that delivers Islamic studies to adults. He also held the position of the secretary of the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) from 2006 to 2010.

He operates from various mosques in Australia. He also travels to numerous interstate and overseas countries in which he delivers lectures and participates in many different Islamic conferences and events around the world.

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://uma.org.au/ask-the-sheikh/about-sheikh-shady.html
• http://www.sydneyic.org.au/web.php/teachers/shady
• http://www.aussiemuslims.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17694
• http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/200910218934/Local-News/talk-on-islam-in-australia.html
• http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/imam-body-to-bridge-culture-gulf/story-e6frg6nf-1111112608284
• http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/muslim-body-yielding-to-extremist-views/story-e6frg6nf-1111112614679
• http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/mufti-aims-for-quiet-return/story-e6frf7l6-1111112860855
• http://news.brunei.fm/2009/10/30/islamic-experience-in-australia/

Khalid Yasin
Khalid Yasin speaks on evolution in a public lecture.
Born	1946 (age 65–66) Harlem, New York, United States
Residence	Seattle, Washington
Nationality	American
Other names	Abu Muhammad, Abu Muhammad Khalid Yasin
Religion	Islam

Khalid Yasin (also known as Abu Muhammad^[1] and Abu Muhammad Khalid Yasin^[2]) (born in 1946) is an American convert from Christianity to Islam who lectures in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.^[1]Yasin lives in Manchester, England and has operated a "da'wah" organization which has had various names. It was dissolved in 2010.^[3]Yasin frequently travels overseas to spread his faith. He has called himself a "media-bedouin," remarking that the bedouins are willing to settle wherever there is "water and shelter".^[4] Yassin is outspoken about a variety of issues in his speeches and media appearences.

Background[link]

Yasin was born in Harlem, New York and raised in Brooklyn as a Christian along with nine siblings. Although not an orphan, he grew up in foster homes from the age of three, along with some of his siblings, until he was fifteen. He describes each foster home as having a different Christian denomination, so he covered a wide spectrum of Christianity. He was put up for adoption due to his family's financial state.^[1]

Yasin has described his youth in "the ghetto", where it was "Me and my two brothers Sam and Julius, against the world. We had nothing but converting and accepting Islam now we have everything". When first reading about Islam, he often used Encyclopedia Britannica as a reliable source on Islam and its concepts.^[4] Yasin felt the grief of African-American people, and he was especially influenced by the turbulent 1960's and figures like Malcolm X.^[4]

Yasin converted to Islam in 1965.^[5] He began his ministry as the "Amir" or leader of Jammat Ita'hadul Iqwa on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn (often referred to^{[by whom?]} as the McDonald's Mosque, due to its proximity to a McDonald's).

Yassin has been accused of espousing a radical form of Islam. "Channel Nine" in Australia described him as "a charismatic preacher who’s capturing the hearts and minds of young Australian Muslims with a radical mix of pleas for the understanding of terrorism, anti-Western conspiracy theories and radical homophobia.^[6] Rather differently, the Oman Tribute described him as a "learned scholar" who "regularly tours different countries debunking the misinformation about Islam".^[5]

Discussing his leisure time, Yassin said, "I’m a fairly avid horseman, I swim, martial arts, I box, I read quite a bit. Probably once every two years I visit Mecca and I cleanse myself spiritually by performing the Omrah or the Haj, and then daily I pray five times a day.":^[7]

Notable views[link]

During Yasin's stays in Australia in mid-2000, he received media attention regarding his views on Islam.

In a speech that Yasin delivered at Bankstown Town Hall in Sydney, Australia, as well as in a televised interview, seen as critical of Muslims befriending non-Muslims, Yasin said: "There's no such thing as a Muslim having a non-Muslim friend, so a non-Muslim could be your associate but they can't be a friend. They're not your friend because they don't understand your religious principles and they cannot because they don't understand your faith."^[8] He later contextualized his comment, explaining that Muslim people, including him, invariably have friends, neighbors and colleagues who are non-Muslims, but that does not mean that non-Muslims should influence Muslims' religious or moral decisions.^[4]

Yasin has lectured to students at universities as a guest speaker and on debate panels. He also addresses crowds at events aimed at young people. Yassin has made statements describing western civilization's academic tradition as difficult to reconcile with Islamic religious life: "University is a gateway for deviation,you forget your Islamic direction. Now you have become compromised through some kind of intellectuality."^[8][9]

Yasin was allegedly quoted by an Australian newspaper instructing a light beating as discipline for disobedient wives.^[8] Yasin denies ever saying this, and says that the Koran does not include any such instructions in its 6626 verses.^[4]

In Australia in 2005 Yasin was quoted as saying that: "The Koran gives a clear position regarding homosexuality lesbianism and bestiality. ... They are aberrations punishable by death. ... We can’t walk around society slandering them because there is legislation against doing that but we don’t have to like them we don’t have to promote them and we have the right to say that that’s a moral aberration.”^[6] In a 2010 documentary, Yasin said that "in the eyes of God everyone is equal, not the same, but equal" and that, "according to the principles of Islam", homosexuality is "a perversive behavior and a criminal behavior. But we need to be tolerant. We are citizens, we need to be tolerant".^[9]

Yasin believes that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is probably man-made and that the US Government is the likely culprit. He said that “missionaries from the World Health Organisation and Christian groups ... went into Africa and inoculated people for diphtheria, malaria, yellow fever and they put in the medicine the AIDS virus.”^[6][4]

Yasin accuses Israel of state terrorism. He refers to "an occupation of Palestinian land by the criminal state of Israel ... and they are still committing terrorism after 50 years".^[9]

Regarding capital punishment by some Muslim states, Yasin has said: "Then people can see, people without hands, people can see in public heads rolling down the street, people got [sic] their hands and feet from opposite sides chopped off and they see them crucified ... They see people put up against the pole and see them get lashed in public. They see it, and because they see it, it acts as a deterrent for them because they say I don't want that to happen to me". Yasin made these comments during an investigation for a British Channel 4 documentary, "Dispatches: Undercover Mosque", which investigated the intolerance and fundamentalism reportedly being spreading through Britain's mosques from the Saudi Arabian religious establishment closely linked to the Saudi Arabian government. Yasin responded that his comments should be considered in context and that he did not support or promote Saudi Arabian government religious rhetoric and that, in any event, capital punishment occurred in many countries. "The lecture," he stated, "was aimed at reforming the Muslim people, the Muslim society and the Muslim world … to be adjudicated by the Sovereign Islamic State" when one exists.^[10]

On September 7, 2003 Yasin appeared on Australian program Sunday Nights With John Cleary:^[7] On Islam's position in the West, Cleary asked Yasin, how he as a teacher dealt with Islam getting a very rough trot in the West today. To this Yasin answered that he saw two options, one for himself and one for other co-religionists. He spoke of the need to be tolerant and said Muslims need to personify with the core principles of the religion as then at least Muslims could not be held responsible for people taking a radical view of them. As a second thing he mentioned that he assesses people, who he speak to so to enable himself to correct any misconseptions about Islam from their perspective as that's what an educator does."^[7]

Discussing international governing bodies and the lack of them in Islam, Cleary asked where Sharia fits into that and Yasin replied; "Well the Sharia is the cement that keeps all the bricks together. The Sharia is the legislative element. The Sharia is the judicial element. This is where rules, this is where juristic decisions, this is where the courts, this is where law. And I mean if you don't have a people that is governed by Sharia, then you have a lawless people."^[7]

Denmark[link]

In 2010 Yasin lectured in Copenhagen at a Muslim youth project called "North Bronx" - From Gang Member two Conscious Muslim, with one of his credentials being the fact that Yasin is a former gang member from Harlem. His participation stirred political debate whether Yasin was a suitable role model for keeping youths out of gangs. The organizer of the event defended Yasin and stated that, "He has totally changed his position and entered the fight to prevent radicalization and crime".^[11][12]

Netherlands[link]

In 2009, Yasin travelled to the Netherlands and taught lectures on several occasions, including at the private Muslim university of Rotterdam. Several Dutch parties tried unsuccessfully to deny him access to the country. The most visible campaign against Yasin was led by right-wing politician Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom.

On a Dutch-Muslim feature interview Yasin compared the controversial reaction he and Islam stirs to "someone walking in the dark, without knowing where they are going", and to people being afraid of things they are not familiar with.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Shaykh Khalid Yasin's official website
• Khalid Yasin audio and video lectures

Hugo Salinas Price is the founder of Mexico's Elektra retail chain. The current head of Elektra is his son Ricardo Salinas Pliego. Elektra began as a workshop assembling electronic appliances for the Salinas Y Rochas chain a small regional retailer of appliances. Elektra then set up a direct sales operation offering appliances on installments. Hugo Salinas Price currently is retired from retailing and focuses on being a proponent of a sound financial policy for Mexico^[1]. Salianas Price is President, Mexican Civic Association Pro Silver, A.C.

External links[link]

• Plata.com.mx (in English)
• Hugo Salinas interviewed by GoldMoney Foundation

References[link]

1. ^ "The Dollar Vigilante: An Interview with Hugo Salinas Price on a Return to a Silver Mexican Peso". http://www.dollarvigilante.com/blog/2011/5/18/an-interview-with-hugo-salinas-price-on-a-return-to-a-silver.html. 

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