We welcome all the readers and contributom with great warmth and appreciation to our second issue of 2012. Despite the remarkable growth of the Islamic finance industry in the last four decades, there are genuine concerns about its uniqueness and the directions it has taken. Thus, this issue discusses the future direction of Islamic finance. Our cover story is an interview with the renowned Shari’ah expert and US-trained attorney, Shaykh Dr. Muddassir Siddiqui, on rethinking the direction of Islamic finance. There are articles on the same topic, looked at from the angles of litigation, Islamic banking and Islamic capital market. The Bulletin’s interview section also focuses on this matter, but from the perspective of the younger generation. We also have an examination of the topic of Shari’ah compliance in gold investments in Malaysia, as well as an Arabic article on the application of Islamic legal maxims to Islamic finance.
We hope the readers will enjoy and gain positive input from the Bulletin. Your feedback and suggestions are most welcome.
Lastly, we would also like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslims worldwide Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Shabana M. Hasan
Editor of ISRA Bulletin / Researcher
Can be contacted at bulletin@isra.my
