Comments on: We are a proud Catholic nation with potholes and we don't like Islamic banking

By: Tony Pace

Tony Pace — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:59:57 +0000

Quote from today’s Irish Independent on line.
”Banks under fire for failing to pass on full rates cut” By Charlie Weston Personal Finance Editor
Saturday March 07 2009
Three banks were last night accused of profiteering on the backs of mortgage consumers after they failed to pass on all of Thursday’s cut in European Central Bank interest rates.Director of the Irish Mortgage Corporation, Frank Conway, said this was unacceptable.
“Banks that are not passing on the rate cut, or only passing on a portion of it, are profiteering on the backs of consumers.”

Bank Of Valletta’s CEO pompously announced that the bank will not be passing on the rate reduction to their mortgage holders. A good Christian Bank, of course.

By: John Meilak

John Meilak — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:37:43 +0000

Another stepping stone in the degeneration of this country. *sigh*. From the frying pan and into the fire.

By: amrio

amrio — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:11:11 +0000

@Antoine Vella: “Does anyone know if banks in Muslim countries offer interest-bearing accounts?”

Yes there are – Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iraq for starters; I frequently work with my colleagues in banks in those countries. As for Islamic banking, rest assured that at least one Malta bank will offer Islamic banking services in the very near future.

By: Corinne Vella

Corinne Vella — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:04:28 +0000

Emanuel Muscat: How does the introduction of Islamic banking in Malta determine the extent of free will and free choice? The Catholic church is far more influential than Islam.

By: Graham C.

Graham C. — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:00:16 +0000

Emanuel Muscat, I doubt the Muslim bank will be for Maltese people. Banks come to Malta, because our GONZIPN (as the elves like to call it) offer unbeatable packages to various banking firms, thereby decreasing unemployment, strengthening our economy and pulling money from other countries into ours.

People like to talk about money leaving our country and accuse Malta of selling out. I assure you these banks are not for Maltese people, but they are for non-Maltese, so it is the non-Maltese who are “selling out”, not us. Their money will be sitting neatly in the bank while your son, father, mother, daughter, cousin, friend will be earning good money working in one of these banks.

By: Antoine Vella

Antoine Vella — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:47:41 +0000

I may be splitting hairs but I think there’s a difference between ‘Islamic’ and ‘Muslim’. An Islamic bank would be the equivalent of our APS though probably more strict in its adherence to religious canons. A Muslim bank, on the other hand, would simply have owners who happen to be Muslim and it would carry out normal business activities.

Does anyone know if banks in Muslim countries offer interest-bearing accounts?

By: Emanuel Muscat

Emanuel Muscat — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:02:10 +0000

@DCG
Who said anything against free will and free choice? But free will and free choice should be based on the correct information and not necessarily from internet sources! I have lived in Islamic countries for 10 years and know what I am talking about! If you have lived in Islamic countries you would have learned that there is no free will and no free choice in these countries: only conformity, otherwise we will see about that!

[Daphne – I can’t follow your train of thought, sorry.]

By: carlos bonavia

carlos bonavia — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 08:00:03 +0000

@ Daphne – Sorry, had not woken up yet

By: Emanuel Muscat

Emanuel Muscat — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 07:03:41 +0000

Better the devil you know! If you buy a car through Islamic banking they buy it for you and then ask you to pay a certain amount per month which includes their charges and hidden interest: this is because in Islam they consider interest to be against Sharia law and if you deposit money in an Islamic bank you get no interest at all; they seem to think that inflation does not exist.

[Daphne – Have you heard of the concept of free will and free choice, and of that other concept of grown-ups making their own informed decisions, Emanuel?]

By: carlos bonavia

carlos bonavia — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:16:16 +0000

@Graham C
I would be very wary of this posted comment on the Times which you produced here. It is very clearly a plant – an elfin one methinks. Too many spelling mistakes and whoever wrote the post went out of his/her way to invent even more mistakes, so I would not look any further into supposed meaning or message. It’s elves jumping on the band-wagon & continuing the racist thread spread by The Times (which newspaper I’ve stopped buying incidentally).

[Daphne – Actually, Carlos, the ‘comment’ Graham ‘reproduced’ was clearly a mock comment he wrote himself, as an example of what we can expect as a response to the importation of kosher food.]