Quote from: jundullahi on May 11, 2013, 10:48 pmthe problem is the use of interest. I give to people with the most money almost unlimited power.Taking more and more money from somebody as interest if somebody cannot pay. Is like kicking somebody to death while hes already down.That why in Islam interest is forbid and so is taxWish you all the best  Many of us think the Islamic position on financial matters is inaccurate. Take microfinance for example, as conducted in Bangladesh, India and elsewhere in the world where Islam is often practiced. By and large it has been a huge success for many business minded Muslims, yet it depends on riba. In historical context the ban on usury makes more sense, Christianity also had it banned for centuries as well at the same time. Interest rates were extraordinarily high by today's standards and most people wouldn't have had any collateral anyway. The majority of debt obtained today is through consumerism, it is self imposed through things like credit cards, not thrust upon people. That does not make it less onerous for those who possess it, but nevertheless it is true. And in most western countries, one can declare bankruptcy, and start over again, so there is a natural limit to how much "kicking" gets done.I'm opposed to the high levels of personal debt people have in western society, but I attribute this to a combination of lack of self control in combination with central bank manipulations resulting in a poor savings rate, not the existence of interest rates themselves. We shouldn't have much sympathy for those unable to prevent themselves acquiring new iPods and apartments they can't afford. I mean you cannot outlaw stupidity as tempting as that would be.In addition, in a society with few children, it is necessary to have a larger pension pot for those who retire, and that means bonds. Without bonds you can forget about having a pension, the stock market is too risky and savings aren't enough. If you can think of a way to price money with respect to time without using interest rates, let me know, because I can't think of one.P.S. The green camel in SR's logo is called "Amal" for Amal the Camel, our ungulate undercover operative! I think it means hope in Arabic, we named him last year :-)