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Seattle Mayor Offers Plan to Help Followers of Sharia Law Buy Houses
BizJournal ^ | Jul 18, 2015 | Marc Stiles

Posted on 07/20/2015 12:13:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway

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.

More and more lenders are offering Sharia-compliant financing, according to a USA Today report. The sector has grown to more than $1.6 trillion in assets worldwide over the past three decades, and analysts see potential for continued growth as the number of Muslims in the United States and Europe grows.

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.

Based on what he called "rough anecdotal evidence," Bukhari estimated a couple hundred people aren't borrowing money for houses due to their religion. He said this includes even high-wage earners, such as the more than 1,000 Muslims who work for Microsoft (Nasdaq: MFST) and more than 500 Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) employees.

They could easily qualify for home loans but opt not to apply "simply because they don't want to pay interest," Bukhari said. 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.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Extended News; News/Current Events
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1 posted on 07/20/2015 12:13:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

I thought Seattle had a housing shortage.


2 posted on 07/20/2015 12:15:13 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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To: nickcarraway

But Christian-compliant anything is forbidden.


3 posted on 07/20/2015 12:15:43 PM PDT by 5thGenTexan
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To: Steely Tom

If Seattle encourages Sharia neighborhoods, it will have both a shortage of housing, and a shortage of liveable neighborhoods.


4 posted on 07/20/2015 12:16:23 PM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: nickcarraway

Me too. Get on a plane to Muslimland, get off the plane. Buy a house. Live in it.

Problem solved.


5 posted on 07/20/2015 12:18:01 PM PDT by Norm Lenhart
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To: 5thGenTexan

And why no lawsuits flow is a mystery.


6 posted on 07/20/2015 12:18:33 PM PDT by Norm Lenhart
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To: nickcarraway

I wonder who in Seattle said, “Gee, we’ve got a fabulous city set on a beautiful ocean inlet and we have a pretty decent population (as Democrat-run big cities go). We really need to bring in a population of aggrieved, violent, third-world troglodytes to terrorize everyone.”


7 posted on 07/20/2015 12:19:00 PM PDT by MeganC (The Republic of The United States of America: 7/4/1776 to 6/26/2015 R.I.P.)
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To: nickcarraway
"We will work to develop new tools for Muslims who are prevented from using conventional mortgage products due to their religious beliefs," Murray said.

Why should the community even care? Exactly... it shouldn't.

8 posted on 07/20/2015 12:19:08 PM PDT by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
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To: nickcarraway

And the mayor is a homo.
So ironic.


9 posted on 07/20/2015 12:19:59 PM PDT by right way right (Disclaimer: Not a prophet but I have a pretty good record.)
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To: nickcarraway

No separation of mosque and state? What about equal treatment under the law? Oh, silly me. I forgot that those concepts were only practiced in sane times.


10 posted on 07/20/2015 12:20:14 PM PDT by Politicalkiddo ("Belief in a cruel God makes a cruel man." -Thomas Paine)
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To: nickcarraway
So bake me a cake is okay but society needs to bend over backwards to accommodate Islamic beliefs incompatible with how a modern economy woks. Christians and Jews got up to date on these issues hundreds of years ago.
11 posted on 07/20/2015 12:20:30 PM PDT by C19fan
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To: nickcarraway

Look at the bright side. After a generation, Seattle won’t be liberal on social issues anymore and likely will be downright Medieval on issues like gay rights. They won’t be suing bakers for not baking cakes for gay weddings. They will be stoning gays to death.


12 posted on 07/20/2015 12:21:12 PM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: Steely Tom
I thought Seattle had a housing shortage.
I thought the Constitution demanded separation of church and state?
13 posted on 07/20/2015 12:21:28 PM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: nickcarraway

I don’t want to pay interest and I am Christian,,can I opt out or will I be discriminated against because of my religion?


14 posted on 07/20/2015 12:23:33 PM PDT by austinaero
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To: nickcarraway

News flash Mr. Mayor: Muslims can pay in cash, rent or change their religion. It’s non of your darn business, Mr. Mayor whether an individual/s can purchase a house. It is his/hers/their business.


15 posted on 07/20/2015 12:24:00 PM PDT by Chgogal (Obama "hung the SEALs out to dry, basically exposed them like a set of dog balls..." CMH)
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To: nickcarraway

Mayor Ed Murray is the enemy within. Him and his kind are taking down America one brick at a time.


16 posted on 07/20/2015 12:25:12 PM PDT by PLOM...NOT! (Checking in from Wisconsin)
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To: nickcarraway

So, like, how much would I have to put down for a tent with an attached 3 camel garage?


17 posted on 07/20/2015 12:25:21 PM PDT by HandyDandy (Don't make-up stuff. It just wastes everybody's time.)
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To: nickcarraway

Pay or don’t play. Another stupid Islamic rule.


18 posted on 07/20/2015 12:28:39 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: nickcarraway

We’ll just send the interest payment to you. :)

And when you complain, we’ll call you racist.

It’s a win-win. :)


19 posted on 07/20/2015 12:29:00 PM PDT by Tzimisce
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To: nickcarraway

One thing is with Sharia they forbid the paying of interest. Wonder how that will work. Plus where’s the help for Christian and Jewish folks who need help in buying a house?


20 posted on 07/20/2015 12:29:14 PM PDT by SkyDancer ( "Nobody Said I Was Perfect But Yet Here I Am")
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