Sunday, April 15, 2012

Muslims on Wall Street, Bridging Two Traditions


Young Muslims, one of the newest groups to make inroads in American finance, can face steep barriers to entry. Some obstacles are remnants of a less tolerant era. But prominent, too, are the limitations of Islam itself — a faith whose tenets, Muslim workers say, often seem at odds with Wall Street’s sometimes bacchanalian culture. 

Granted, for the many Muslims in New York and elsewhere who have made peace with a more secular culture, working on Wall Street may not pose any problem. And Muslims, of course, aren’t the only ones whose values can clash with the ways of Wall Street. Orthodox Jews, conservative Christians and other faithful working in finance have all, at one point, had to square their beliefs and practices with an environment in which money, not God, is king. 

But for observant Muslims hoping to keep the values and practices of Islamic law, known as Sharia, intact even as they climb the ladder, the calculus can be messy.

5 comments:

  1. Who gives a bleep about blood-thirsty M folks???

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    1. We are not discussing blood-thirsty people. The challenge they face is similar to yours and as well as any one who has strong religious commitment and is trying to function in a secular society.

      It like the old joke - psychology is the study of middle class white English speaking Protestant male sophomores - or white rats.

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    2. All I know is what I see: The more of them there are, the more chance that I or someone I love or know will be killed. Already thousands of Americans have been murdered, as well as hundreds of Jews (some attacked in broad daylight blocks from Boro Park) have been attacked by them. I especially resent the fact that we fought and earned many of the laws they just come in and take advantage of.

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    3. Addendum: You know the old saying re sleeping with dogs and awaking with fleas, right?

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  2. So what sort of dogs have you been sleeping with, Sammy?

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