Making fools out of Muslims

Published in Daily Times on Saturday, February 02, 2013

Sir:

 This is with reference to Sana Bashir’s letter ‘Halal nail polish’ (Daily Times, January 21, 2013). Sometimes, I think the easiest thing in the world is to make fools out of Muslims. This so-called ‘halal’ nail polish is probably being promoted to make someone very rich. Insurance is said to be ‘haram’ (forbidden), unless it is provided by a so-called takaful (insurance company) owned by a prominent cleric. In banking, millions of Muslims keep their money in so-called Islamic banks, where the actual rate of profit is much less than that paid by conventional banks. Words like ‘sharia-compliant’ and ‘halal banking’ are used to fleece Muslims of their hard-earned money. So-called Islamic ‘perfumes’ are also available, designed to make Muslim women believe that such perfumes do not contain alcohol. In fact, they are made from very harmful chemicals that are bound to have adverse effects. Will Muslims never learn?

SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi