Posted On: December 7, 2008, 8:51 pm CST

Posted By: observer

That is an interesting question but a little off point. The concern is whether there is any place in our US, Western Judeo-Christian (or post modern) society for Islamic, specifically Shariah, financial products. I don't think there is just as there is no place in our society, our civilization for the official observance of Islamic holy days or anything else. The two civilizations are incompatible. The two financial systems are incompatible.
We as citizens of the US and inheritors of Western European values need to continually decide if we are going to embrace Islamic values, ideas, finance, (including their standards for treating other humans and dogs and pigs), etc. or if we will resist and hold fast to our religious-philosophical heritage that covers everything from human rights, to tolerance of competing values and viewpoints, to valuing all of creation including pigs and dogs, to democracy and interest earning investments/Western style capitalism.
AIG in it's zeal to make money is crossing the line by introducing shariah compliant insurance & financial products into our society. Look at England. They now have two legal systems within their country: English law and Islamic law because they were to tolerant. The England that we knew just 25 yrs ago is no more. Do we want to give away our society? Our country?