MUSLIM BIZMEN URGED TO ABANDON USURY-TAINTED PRACTICES

Medan, N Sumatra, Dec 19 (ANTARA) - Muslim businessmen are expected to interpret the Islamic New Year celebrations as an obligation to abandon all forms of usury-related practices, a Muslim scholar said.

"In accordance with the celebrations' objectives, Muslims should improve themselves in entering every Hegira or Moslem new year," chairman of the North Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Prof Dr Abdullah Shah, said here on Saturday.

Abdullah made the call when asked about his views on the economic perspectives of the 1431 Hegira or Islamic new year.

So far, many Muslims were trapped in usury-tainted behavior in running all types of business, he said.

Whereas in Islam, usury was strictly prohibited, and earnings from usury-tainted business practices would not bring blessings in a person's life, he said.

This was because property obtained by usury was not clean because it was obtained by way of blackmailing other people.

In addition, the running of a business through usury
was considered an outrage behavior hated in Islam.

Therefore, the arrival of the 1431 Hegira should be responded to by Muslim businessmen with a change in behavior, he said.

"Stop immediately usury-based acts," the professor at the North Sumatra Islamic High Learning Institute (IAIN) warned.

He said one of ways to avoid usury-tainted behavior can be conducted by increasing the utilization of Islamic (Syariah) banking which is growing in Indonesia.

This was because the concept was applied in Islamic banking always on the basis of "Ridlo" (mutual willingness) between the customer and the bank manager and implement systems for the results.

"Therefore, transactions in Islamic banking are more of a blessing," he added.