Posted on 10/12/2006 7:07:27 PM PDT by willyd
Looking to invest in a way that doesn’t conflict with their faith
When Caribou Coffee went public last year, sharp-eyed investors noticed some unusual promises in its prospectus. Caribou, the nation’s second-largest coffeehouse chain, said it would never sell pork or porn. It wouldn’t charge or receive interest, either. By following financial rules that are part of the Islamic code called Shariah, Caribou is among a small but growing list of Western businesses looking to make themselves as attractive as possible to Muslim investors. Some, like Caribou, are motivated by principle, while others see Muslim investors as an attractive new source of money.
Middle Eastern investors flush with oil profits are looking for new places to invest, and American Muslims are looking to invest in a way that doesn’t conflict with their faith. Dow Jones has created an 'Islamic investing index'. A Texas company issued almost $166 million in Shariah-compliant bonds to finance natural gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. And the German state of Saxony-Anhalt issued a floating-rate 100-million euro note — managed by Citigroup — that followed Shariah rules.
Islamic financial rules come from passages in the Quran that prohibit “riba” — making money from money. Generally, that means not paying or collecting interest, though some scholars say only abusively high interest rates are prohibited. Other prohibitions are more moral than financial, such as a ban on selling pork.
In Western finance, it takes some creativity to avoid earning or paying interest. To borrow money, Shariah-compliant companies often pledge the lender a share of the profits from an asset instead of interest. Investors who need to earn a shorter-term return can contract to buy, say, $100 of copper today, and simultaneously pledge to sell copper in 90 days for, say, $103. Dow Jones now has over 60 Islamic indexes that track Shariah-compliant stocks and bonds. Siddiqui said about 30 firms have licensed the indexes, and about $5.5 billion in investments are managed in line with the indexes.
We can take a lesson from coffee history. On May 15, 1978, Procter & Gamble learned that the U.S. House of Representatives was about to pass a resolution condemning brutal dictator Idi Amin of Uganda and urging President Jimmy Carter to implement an embargo on the Ugandan coffee beans that provided most of his economic support. The next day, P&G announced with a flourish that Folgers would no longer buy any Ugandan coffee, and other roasters quickly followed suit.
WHoaaa, boy , is THIS ever something that should be discouraged! RIGHT NOW!! I can understand how Arab Oil Money proved irresistible to our breeding industry: these idiots are willing to pay 10 times what any thoroughbred could possible earn in purses, or stud fees, but they get undermined every time by their LACK of "horse sense". Investing in American corporations and especially real estate is another thing entirely, and they have already been allowed to do so, and I am none too happy about that.
If these creeps didn't have oil, they wouldn't have anything, or any power or influence. I think there should be a serious movement to get them to DIVEST from us, and us from them. I am really really tired of them, and this unfortunate relationship with us that is being revealed day by day, bit by bit.
"What more could a Muslim investor want?"
Yeah, have you noticed that Dunkin' Ds are proliferating at about the same rate as Starbucks, and have become sort of the workingman's Starbucks? ( But study the pricing again.....you're really not saving all that much.)
You didn't read the Koran very closely: it says somewhere that coffee shops can't be infidels.
I have found that both McD's and Burger King have really improved the quality of their coffees. Its true. Much, much better. BK does a high octane "Joe" for the caffienne addicted among us :)
Learn about Islam through pictures. Pretty much self-explanatory.
You might think about passing this around to naive acquaintances.
Remember - VERY GRAPHIC
http://www.faithfreedom.org/gallery.htm
Information on Caribou’s Ownership
from President and CEO, Michael Coles
Caribou Coffee became a public company after our initial public offering priced on September 28, 2005 .
Our majority shareholder since 2000 is an affiliate of Arcapita Bank B.S.C.(c), a global investment group founded in 1997 with offices in Atlanta, London and Bahrain, a strong U.S. ally in the Middle East and the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5 th Fleet. Following our initial public offering, Arcapita continues to own approximately 61% of our outstanding common stock.
Arcapita Bank has provided Caribou with the necessary resources for continuing to expand our store base in the U.S. Arcapita has total assets of over $1.2 billion and has executed transactions valued at over $7 billion in three main lines of business – corporate investment (private equity), real estate investment and asset-based investment. Arcapita’s corporate investment line of business has invested over $1 billion in equity across 17 transactions totaling over $2 billion in transaction value. Current and past corporate investments span a broad range of industries, including consumer products, healthcare, specialized manufacturing and technology. Portfolio companies include Cypress Communications (a telecommunications provider), Church’s Chicken (a quick service restaurant chain), Cirrus Industries (a general aviation aircraft manufacturer), Loehmann’s (a specialty retailer) and TLC Health Care Services (a national home nursing provider).
Arcapita, whose investors are located primarily in the Middle East , makes its investments in a manner consistent with the body of Islamic principles known as Shari’ah. Consequently, we operate our business in a manner consistent with Shari’ah principles and will continue to do so as long as Arcapita is a significant shareholder.
In particular, we must comply with Shari’ah principles regarding money that we borrow from other parties. For example, our lease financing arrangement, under which we have obtained financing to fund our operations and expand our business, is structured in a manner that complies with Shari’ah principles. The structure of this lease financing arrangement is described in the prospectus relating to our initial public offering. Also, a Shari’ah-compliant company is prohibited from dealing in the areas of alcohol, gambling, pornography, pork and pork- related products.
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NO caribou coffee for me either. Anyone who seeks muslim investors should be boycotted by Christians and Jews.
I don't know, maybe haggle the hell out of everyone and pick up an alias so you don't have to honor your agreements that you make under a different name maybe?
"sold it at a great loss some years later."
I'd forgotten that. Now I feel better (NOT!)
What galls me is that it is probably way too late
to put the genie back in the bottle: there is too
much interpenetration globally of debt/investment
into every corner of the world, too many markets
we think we can't live without, ever to be able to
simplify any of this.
I just spent 5 minutes scouring the Caribou Coffee website and NOWHERE even in the corporate governance section is there any mention of Islamic ownership, not even any Muslim sounding names show up in their lengthy list of corporate personnel. PLUS, supposedly they are the 2nd largest (in number of stores) presumably behind only Starbucks? with 416 outlets, and I'm not even sure I have ever seen one.
I'm in New Jersey, near New York, and only Starbucks, Dunkin' D, and Seattle's Best have shown up here.
Dubai Buys a New York Hotel for 285 Million Dollars (NY - 10/12/06)
DUBAI (AFP) - A Dubai government fund announced the acquisition of a landmark New York hotel for 285 million dollars, the latest in the emirate's portfolio of US investments, a statement said.
W Hotel Union Square, a luxury hotel in Manhattan, was bought by Istithmar, which said that the deal is in line with its "strategy to invest in iconic properties in key gateway cities across the world."
"The deal also amply reflects Istithmar's investment strategy for the hospitality sector in the US market by targeting prized hotel assets," it added.
The fund had spent in June 1.2 billion dollars buying a landmark 32-storey building in midtown Manhattan, one of the world's most expensive property locations, just a week after paying 300 million dollars for a neighbouring prime Beaux Arts-style building.
In May the fund bought Loehmann's, a 60-store US chain specialising in designer women's and men's apparel at discount prices, for 300 million dollars.
It also said it bought another building on 230 Park Avenue without disclosing the price.
Istithmar's purchase of US interests follows the controversy that surrounded the acquisition of British shipping giant Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company earlier this year by Dubai Ports World (DP World), another government-controlled company.
A portion of the deal would have given DP World the right to operate six major US ports, including New York. The deal was strongly opposed by the US Congress on security grounds, forcing Dubai government to agree in March to cede control of the US operations to a US entity in order to avert a standoff with a major ally....
Mideast investments in the United States rose to $8.2 billion in 2004, according to the most recent figures available from the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis. About half that amount, $4.1 billion, came from Israel, with Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates making up the bulk of the rest.
It's a small share of the total $1.5 trillion in foreign investments in the United States each year. But inflows from the Mideast are growing, increasing by 26 percent between 2000 and 2004. That outpaced investment growth from Europe in the same five-year span.
ARCAPITA'S CORPORATE INVESTMENT GROUP, ITS LARGEST OF FOUR PORTFOLIOS:
> Ampad --- Richardson, Texas-based provider of paper-based office products.
> Bijoux Terner --- Miami-based supplier of watches, jewelry, handbags and other retail soft goods to airports, cruise ships, hotels and entertainment locations.
> Caribou Coffee Co. --- Second-largest non-franchised specialty coffeehouse chain in the U.S.; based in Minneapolis.
> Church's Chicken --- Atlanta-based fast-food, franchised chicken restaurants.
> Cirrus Design Corp. --- World's second-largest maker of single-engine, piston-powered, aircraft for general aviation; headquartered in Duluth, Minn.
> Cypress Communications --- Atlanta-based telecommunications provider to small and midsize businesses.
> Meridian Surgical Partners --- Nashville-based company that operates ambulatory surgery centers nationwide.
> Roxar --- Stavanger, Norway-based firm that helps manage reservoir problems in the oil and gas industries.
> Smart Document Solutions --- One of the world's largest health document processors; headquartered in Alpharetta, GA.
> Southland Log Homes --- One of the largest log home manufacturers in the United States; based in Irmo, S.C.
> Tensar Corp. --- Atlanta-based provider of site development and transportation infrastructure services for properties.
> Tender Loving Care Health Care Services --- Home health care and hospice service providers; based in Lake Success, N.Y.
> Transportation Safety Technologies --- Indianapolis-based manufacturer of specialty electrical components and safety products for vehicles.
> Vogica --- Paris-based retailer and wholesaler of kitchens and bathrooms in France.
> Working Rx --- Salt Lake City-based manager of workers' compensation claims for retail pharmacies.
> Yakima Products --- Beaverton, Ore., manufacturer of multisport racks and accessories for automobiles.
Atlanta's Mideast Connection (Article from October 2001)
'We are not afraid,' says head of Bahrain-based Crescent Capital
Atlanta Business Chronicle - October 19, 2001by Meredith JordanStaff Writer
Atif Abdulmalik, perhaps the most powerful Arab businessman operating in Atlanta, came to the U.S. headquarters of his Middle Eastern bank last week to make a point. "We are not afraid, and we are not hiding," said Abdulmalik, CEO of First Islamic Investment Bank in the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain and chairman of its U.S. subsidiary, Atlanta-based Crescent Capital Investments Inc.
Each investment was approved by a Muslim committee in Bahrain as fitting within the boundaries of Shari'ah, the Islamic law that dictates how practitioners conduct themselves, including in business matters...
Crescent was the first firm to do an Islamically structured leveraged buyout and now is one of several Middle Eastern-based firms that invest in U.S. companies that meet the ethical standards of Islam. Crescent is considered to be one of the first private equity firms to operate in this country under the tenets of Shari'ah, although several others have since been formed.
Abdulmalik said there are no deals expected to close before the end of 2001 but several are being evaluated for the first quarter of 2002. Plans are to continue to operate from Atlanta, where there is less competition from other equity firms and the overall costs of operations are cheaper.
He also likes it better for his children than New York, he said. "It's safer here."
While the 2001 article claims that they are not "afraid or hiding"...well the following info. shows that they did change their name...and I find no info. in the October 2001 article where besides claiming to "not be afraid or hiding" where they denounce the actions of their Islamic brethen just one month prior in Sept. 2001!!! Other than to say that the 19 Islamic murders hi-jacked the religion....ummmm...how about the Koran "encouraging" the murder of infadels.
Crescent Capital soon to be Arcapita (Article from Feb. 2005)
Atlanta Business Chronicle - February 28, 2005
Crescent Capital Investments Inc. will go by a new name starting March 15.
The Atlanta-based firm, and its Bahrain-based parent First Islamic Investment Bank, will change their names to Arcapita and will adopt a new logo. The companies also have a London affiliate. Combined, the three groups have 140 employees and made a profit of $70.5 million in 2004....
Arcapita's Current Corporate Investments:
http://www.arcapita.com/corporate/current/current-all.html
Arcapita's Venture Capital Investments:
http://www.arcapita.com/venture/current/current-all.html
Arcapita's Real Estate Investments:
http://www.arcapita.com/real-estate/current/current-all.html
Arcapita's Asset Based Investments:
Falcon Gas Storage Comany, Inc. - is the largest independently owned developer and operator of high-deliverability, multi-cycle (HDMC) natural gas storage capacity in the United States.
Transaction Date: July 2005
Region: United States
www.falcongasstorage.com
More Information...
http://www.arcapita.com/asset/current/current-all.html
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