Once again, as the editor of the Bulletin, I welcome all the readers and contributors with warmth and gratitude. The theme for this Bulletin is in line with the theme of our recent annual event the International Shari‘ah Scholars Forum (ISSF): ‘Harmonisation in Islamic Finance’. Our cover story features the event, which brought together renowned Shari‘ah scholars to discuss issues related to the topic of harmonisation. This area is further explored in the Bulletin by looking at its relevance to Islamic banking, takaful and the legal sector. The Bulletin was fortunate enough to be able to interview Prof. Dr. Humayon Dar, a prominent figure in the Islamic finance industry, to gather his thoughts on the matter. He is known for helping numerous Western institutions to structure financial products that observe ethical values and respect the social norms and religious beliefs of the communities in the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Besides that, the Bulletin also contains a Student Report, in which ISRA internship students are encouraged to harness their Islamic finance knowledge by writing topical articles.
We hope the readers will enjoy and gain valuable input from the Bulletin. Your feedback and suggestions are most welcome. Importantly, may we all strive to be better Muslims by practicing Islamic finance according to the Shari‘ah.
Shabana M. Hasan
Editor of ISRA Bulletin / Researcher
Can be contacted at bulletin@isra.my
