Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

With regard to people of the Muslim faith living in Ireland, will the Minister confirm there are two particular areas of difficulty? One concerns the purchase of a mortgage and the structuring of the deal in order to avoid interest, which is not allowed according to the Koran. What is the position on two people who enter into a venture such as a restaurant when an investor comes along? The structure of Sharia law is such that certain rules must be followed regarding taking an interest in the venture, the sharing of profits or interest on a loan that is put into the venture, which under the Koran must be avoided. I am asking a perfectly reasonable question on a matter that many of my constituents and those of the Minister regard as important in their approach to commerce.

All I am suggesting to the Minister is that, perhaps through the many colleges and universities in Ireland, his Department consider sponsoring some debate on this issue. We are all talking about people being integrated and being able to live in Ireland in a way that reflects their religious beliefs. However, it is not entirely adequate to talk of bringing in Sharia-complaint finance simply for the IFSC and then ignoring the complexities of the issue, including dispute-resolution mechanisms.

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