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‘Gatekeepers’ of Islamic financial circuits: Analysing urban geographies of the global Shari’a elite

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  • David Bassens
  • Ben Derudder
  • Frank Witlox

Abstract

This paper analyses the importance of ‘Shari’a scholars’ in the Islamic Financial Services (IFS) sector, which has been a growing global practice since the 1970s. Based on Shari’a Law, IFS firms provide banking, finance and insurance respecting faith-based prohibitions on interest, speculation and risk taking. Although IFS firms operate across a variety of scales and involve a range of actors, this paper focuses on the transnational capacities of Shari’a experts employed by IFS firms. These scholars use their extensive knowledge of Shari’a Law to assess the ‘Islamic’ character of a firm's operations, and assist the development of Shari’a-compliant products. As they embody necessary entry-points into Islamic circuits of knowledge and authority, members of what we dub the ‘global Shari’a elite’ can be regarded as ‘gatekeepers’ of Islamic financial circuits. Drawing on a comprehensive data source we present a geographical analysis of Shari’a board membership, nationality and educational background of 253 Shari’a scholars. The results show that the global Shari’a elite connects a limited number of IFS hubs (e.g. Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City, Manama, and London) to knowledge and authority networks falling outside ‘mainstream’ business and service spheres.

Suggested Citation

  • David Bassens & Ben Derudder & Frank Witlox, 2012. "‘Gatekeepers’ of Islamic financial circuits: Analysing urban geographies of the global Shari’a elite," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5-6), pages 337-355, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:entreg:v:24:y:2012:i:5-6:p:337-355
    DOI: 10.1080/08985626.2011.577820
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Munawar Iqbal & Philip Molyneux, 2005. "Thirty Years of Islamic Banking," Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Banking and Financial Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-50322-9.
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    1. Kok, Seng Kiong & Shahgholian, Azar, 2023. "The impact of proximity within elite corporate networks on the Shariah governance-firm performance nexus: Evidence from the global Shariah elite," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    2. Marieke Krijnen & David Bassens & Michiel van Meeteren, 2017. "Manning circuits of value: Lebanese professionals and expatriate world-city formation in Beirut," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 49(12), pages 2878-2896, December.

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