In Minnesota, mortgages targeted to increase home ownership have been ended. Pawlenty ended the program upon learning the program was compliant with Sharia law. The mortgage program was shut down by the Governor after providing three mortgages. Pawlenty cited religious freedom as the reason for shutting down this Sharia-compliant mortgage program. Post resource – Sharia-compliant mortgage program in Minnesota ends by MoneyBlogNewz.
Minnesota avoiding paying interest
A loan program was developed for Sharia law for low- to moderate-income families by Minnesota's state housing agency and the African Development Center in 2010. The borrower doesn't have to pay interest, which is against their religion, when getting the "Islamic mortgages" or "Sharia mortgages" as many call them. The borrower would pay the state for the home at a higher rate than the state would purchase the home. The payments are the exact same as a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, however the payments do not include interest to the bank. There was a larger program that this program came from. This larger program wanted to increase home ownership among minority groups.
Sharia loan program won't last long if Governor Pawlenty has anything to say about this
Upon finding out about the details of the Sharia loan program in his state, Gov. Pawlenty ordered it shut down. This decision had many asking questions. Pawlenty's spokesperson said:
“This program was independently set up by the Minnesota state housing agency and did not make any mention of Sharia Law on its face, but was later described as accommodating it,” he wrote in an email. “As soon as Gov. Pawlenty became aware of the issue, he personally ordered it shut it down. The United States should be governed by the U.S. Constitution, not religious laws.”
The way a government uses tax dollars is one the government gets to decide. In this case, the governor has not outlawed all Sharia-compliant financial goods in his state. State supported programs that support it are not allowed though.
The question of Sharia law
When it comes to conflicts between Muslims, a recent Florida court judge ruled that Sharia law can be used for disputes. This makes lawmakers worried. It’s a huge concern. The Sharia law is one that many states are considering banning. Some people against this support of the law feel like the "silent jihad" makes its way to the U.S. through this. Christian, Sharia and Jewish laws are all observed in the U.S.. As long as the state and federal law are not being violated, it is recognized. As long as religion is not being imposed on someone, observing it’s not against the Constitution. Pawlenty himself said, "The Constitution was intended to protect people of faith from government, not to protect government from people of faith." In the case of the Sharia-compliant mortgages, it appears that Pawlenty doesn’t want his state taxpayer dollars used to offer home ownership to religiously compliant Islamic residents.
Information from
Swamp Land
swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/03/25/is-there-a-double-standard-in-tim-pawlentys-disavowal-of-sharia-compliant-mortgages/
Minnesota Public Radio
minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/02/28/islamicfinancing/?refid=0
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