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This study was concerned with how accurate people are in their knowledge of population norms and statistics concerning such things as the economic, health and religious status of a nation and how those estimates are related to their own demography (e.g age, sex), ideology (political and religious beliefs) and intelligence. Just over 600 adults were asked to make 25 population estimates for Great Britain, including religious (church/mosque attendance) and economic (income, state benefits, car/house ownership) factors as well as estimates like the number of gay people, immigrants, smokers etc. They were reasonably accurate for things like car ownership, criminal record, vegetarianism and voting but seriously overestimated numbers related to minorities such as the prevalence of gay people, muslims and people not born in the UK. Conversely there was a significant underestimation of people receiving state benefits, having a criminal record or a private health insurance. Correlations between select variables and magnitude and absolute accuracy showed religiousness and IQ most significant correlates. Religious people were less, and intelligent people more, accurate in their estimates. A factor analysis of the estimates revealed five interpretable factors. Regressions were calculated onto these factors and showed how these individual differences accounted for as much as 14% of the variance. Implications and limitations are acknowledged.

Some Muslims believe insurance is unnecessary, as society should help its victims. Muslims can no longer ignore the fact that they live, trade and communicate with open global systems, and they can no longer ignore the need for banking and insurance. Aly Khorshid demonstrates how initial clerical apprehensions were overcome to create pioneering Muslim-friendly banking systems, and applies the lessons learnt to a workable insurance framework by which Muslims can compete with non-Muslims in business and have cover in daily life. The book uses relevant Quranic and Sunnah extracts, and the arguments of pro- and anti-insurance jurists to arrive at its conclusion that Muslims can enjoy the peace of mind and equity of an Islamic insurance scheme. The Muslim World Book Review: The Islamic Foundation. Islamic Insurance: A modern approach to islamic banking. The book aims to contribute towards further understanding of the conceptual frameworks of Islamic insurance in the hope that the world community will appreciate and recognise Islamic insurance as a suitable alternative model to conventional insurance. Each chapter deals with a specific topic which is both interdisciplinary and international in scope, and all the chapters are concerned with insurance and its relevant law and practices in Islamic perspectives.]...[ Overall the book is quite persuasive on how Islamic insurance could work well globally. The author should be congratulated for this well-researched book which would be of interest to any economist and financial planner dealing with insurance. It could also serve as a text book at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level, and interested lay readers will find it a fine introduction to an important topic in the area of Islamic financial industry. Introduction 1. The Meaning of Insurance in Islam 2. Riba (Usury) and Gharar (Risk) 3. Pre-Modern and Modern Jurists' Standing on Insurance 4. The Development of Mutual Insurance in the West 5. The Development of Islamic Banking and Insurance in Malaysia: A Case Study 6. The Development of Islamic Banking and Insurance in Saudi Arabia: A Case Study 7. Basic Principles for an Insurance Scheme Acceptable to the Islamic Faith 8. Conclusion Aly Khorshid , born in Egypt, received his Ph.D. from the University of Leeds in 2001. He is a researcher in Islamic economics, and a consultant to Islamic banks and Islamic institutions in both the Middle East and Europe. Besides being a company director, he is also on the board of management of several companies. Dr Khorshid has published various articles on Islamic economics.

Deep, insightful analysis of controversial risk management issues in Islamic banking Mapping the Risks And Risk Management Practices In Islamic Banking is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of risk management practices within the Islamic banking industry, with recommendations for policy makers, bankers, and industry stakeholders.

Principles and Fundamentals of Islamic Management examines the concept of business and public management from the viewpoint of Islam. Providing a much-needed insight into the practicalities of management operations in an Islamic context, this book is essential reading for researchers, managers, and students.

As religion continues to regain its centrality in both academic and policy circles around the world, this book presents a new framework which examines the complex social and political dynamics shaping social welfare in the Middle East. Based on an in-depth study of the major Muslim and Christian religious welfare organisations in Lebanon (including Hezbollah), and drawing upon supplementary research conducted in Iran, Egypt and Turkey, the book argues that religion is providing sophisticated solutions to the major social and economic problems of the Middle East. It will be of use to students and academics of social policy, sociology, politics and Middle Eastern studies.

Takaful, which means 'cooperative', is an insurance approach that is instrumental to providing insurance services to Muslims and others with religious objections to aspects of conventional commercial insurance models, specifically interest payments, uncertainty, or gambling kind of transactions.

Over the last three decades, the concepts of Islamic finance and Islamic economics have captured the attention of researchers. The growing market for transactions compatible with Islamic law (Shari-áh) is further evidence of growing interest in this mode of finance. By some estimates, the total volume of Islamic financial assets has grown by 15 to 20 percent a year since 1990 and now exceeds 1.3 trillion. The growth of the Islamic financial sector in 2006-10 period surpassed the growth of conventional financial sector in all segments of the market, ranging from commercial banking, investment banking, and fund management to insurance in several Muslim-majority countries. The growth of this market has been driven by the high demand for Shari-áh-compliant products, as well as the increasing liquidity in Gulf region due to high oil revenues.Following on from the significant developments that have occurred in what is viewed as the core area for this market—the predominantly Muslim countries—we are now witnessing the globalization of Islamic finance. In recent years, significant interest in Islamic finance has emerged in the world’s leading conventional financial centers, including London, New York, and Hong Kong, and Western investors are increasingly considering investment in Islamic financial products.Although Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing segments of emerging global financial markets, it is often stated that the market is far below its true potential. At the same time, the concepts of Islamic finance are not fully explained and exploited—especially in the areas of economic development, inclusion, access to finance, and public policy. This volume attempts to highlight some of the key features of Islamic finance relevant to economic development. The objective of the volume is to improve understanding of the perspective of Islamic finance on economic development, social and economic justice, human welfare, and economic growth.

Microfinance is not simply banking; it is a development tool. It has been estimated that there are 500 million economically active poor people in the world operating microenterprises and small businesses. Most of them do not have access to adequate financial services. The purpose of this Handbook is to bring together in a single source guiding principles and tools that will promote sustainable microfinance and create viable institutions. The Handbook takes a global perspective, drawing on lessons learned from the experiences of microfinance practitioners, donors, and others throughout the world.This volume covers extensively matters pertaining to the regulatory and policy framework and the essential components of institutional capacity building, such as product design, performance measuring and monitoring, and management of microfinance institutions.The handbook has three parts. 'Issues in Microfinance Provision' - Part I, takes a macroeconomic perspective toward general microfinance issues and is primarily nontechnical. 'Designing and Monitoring Financial Products and Services' - Part II, narrows its focus to the provision of financial intermediation, taking a more technical approach and moving progressively toward more specific (or micro) issues. 'Measuring Performance and Managing Viability' - Part III, is the most technical part of the handbook, focusing primarily on assessing the viability of microfinance institutions.

This study undertakes an analysis of the risks in retakāful whether they are shared by the participating takāful operators (TOs) and retakāful fund, or are transferred to retakāful operators (RTOs). In the latter case RTOs become liable for deficits where the losses, if any, would directly affect all retained portfolios. The study finds, notwithstanding the aim of retakāful to allow TOs to reduce the financial impact on their respective takāful fund (TF) arising from catastrophic losses, that there exists a mismatch between the theory and current risk-sharing practice of retakāful whereby RTOs manage the TF on behalf of their respective participants.