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In a post some months ago, I reflected on Christian commandments are a type of social guideline. . .and how sustainable social guidelines are beneficial. Recently, several islamophobic folk have been running with 'sharia compliant' and claiming its problematic. Here's a primer on it:

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Investing in real economic activity: all investments must be tied to tangible assets or economic activity, ensuring that value creation is grounded in productivity and not speculation. Essentially, that 'markets' (like stock, futures, etc.) corrupt and are unsustainable.

Sharing risk: investment returns be earned by sharing risk, not just by the passage of time, favoring sharing of realized profit and loss, not interest. Seeking to maintain business practices that are solvent & well-managed rather than expecting an operations tax (like interest).

Engaging in charitable giving: 'Zakat', the social obligation to donate some wealth each year to those in need in order to improve social harmony and economic justice. While we don't need religion to contribute to communities, this reinforces social sustainability (and fights greed/hoarding).

Avoiding haram investments: activities or industries that are considered haram include trade in commodities such as alcohol, tobacco or pork, should be avoided. Essentially, avoiding what we know to be toxic (although pork is not. . .byproduct methane is problematic).

Minimizing uncertainty: 'gharar' - highly speculative investments, such as options, futures & other derivatives, run contrary to the Shariah ideals of certainty and transparency. Can't help but interpret this as: 'investments need to be sustainable & transparent in their expectations & agreement.'

Prohibiting interest: As emphasized in the Qur’an, earning or charging interest, known as riba, is considered exploitative because it creates an unequal relationship between the lender and the borrower. Given how many of us are adversely affected by interest rates, this approach is excellent.