By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--July 20, 2015
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Those poor, poor, followers of Sharia Law. Whether they busy being offended by cartoons or telling virtually everyone else on Earth how they should live, they're always so put upon. Why, sometimes it can even be tough for them to get a mortgage. For the record, it's not because they're being discriminated against. Even though we're pretty sure someone will try to phrase it that way, they're not. Instead, it's because Sharia strictly forbids its adherents to pay interest on a loan.For some Muslims, it can be hard to buy a house, and Mayor Ed Murray plans to do something about it. On Monday, Murray's housing committee released its recommendations for ways the city can increase housing in the city. Most ideas were what you'd expect, including increasing the city's housing levy and implementing new rules and regulations to foster development of market-rate and lower-income housing. One suggestion would help followers of Sharia law buy houses. That's virtually impossible now because Sharia law prohibits payment of interest on loans. The 28-member committee recommended the city convene lenders and community leaders to explore options for increasing access to Sharia-compliant loan products.
Murray will send legislation based on the committee's ideas to the City Council for consideration. During a press conference, he said he wants to help Muslims. "We will work to develop new tools for Muslims who are prevented from using conventional mortgage products due to their religious beliefs," Murray said.Remember, though. No one is being "prevented" from doing anything. There's no anti-Muslim discrimination going on here. These well-intentioned Sharia true-believers are fully capable of securing a loan. They just don't want to.
It's unclear how many Muslims in Seattle would benefit from Murray's plan. The Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) estimates more than 30,000 Muslims live in the greater Seattle area, and Chapter Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari on Tuesday said it's "fairly common" for some not to seek loans. They could easily qualify for home loans but opt not to apply "simply because they don't want to pay interest," Bukhari said.So here's a thought: "Tough crap." In the United States, no one is forcing you to be Sharia-compliant. That's your choice. If you choose to embrace a Sharia-based way of life, live with the decision. There are a plenty of banks out there that offer Sharia-compliant financing. You can read how that works by going here. The short version is that borrowers are still technically paying interest, but thanks to a shaky semantic argument they don't have to feel like they've abandoned their lofty principles. Regardless, those banks exist. Go find one. If they aren't able or willing to help you, you have a couple of options A: You can save up and buy the place with cash. or B: You can move into the future with the rest of us and get a regular mortgage. The idea that government bodies are actively trying to encourage the proliferation of something as backwards, misogynistic, intolerant, anti-free speech and all-around reprehensible as Sharia law? Insanity.
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