Al-Shajarah Journal of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC)
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ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE OF ISLAMIC BANKING IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM: EVIDENCE FROM 2011-2016
Get PDFDespite being among the earliest country offering Islamic banking toits people, academics know little about the performance of theindustry in Brunei Darussalam. This study is aimed at fulfilling thegap by examining the performance of Islamic banking in BruneiDarussalam after 25 years of its establishment. However, due tolimited availability and nonuniformity of the data presentation, theanalysis is focused upon the period of 2011 to 2016. The data arecollected from secondary sources such as banks’ annual reports andcentral bank’s quarterly reports for the period examined. The bankidiosyncratic factors i.e. size, capital ratio, credit risk, liquidity risk,service diversification, and bank stability are the cynosure of theanalysis. Descriptive statistics, Herfindahl-Hirschman Index andz-score analysis are utilized as the tool of analysis. To make it moreinteresting, the performance comparison is done between Islamicbank and the banking industry. The result shows that evaluatedidiosyncratic factors are indicating a better performance of Islamicbanking as compared to its conventional counterpart and the overallbanking industry in the country
DO MUSLIM DIRECTORS INFLUENCE FIRM PERFORMANCE? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIA
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of several corporate governancemechanisms on the performance of firms in Malaysia. Givingparticular attention on board diversity, this study looks into theimpact of Muslim directors in the board of directors (BoD) on firmperformance. It is found that the presence of Muslim directors in theBoD does have a significant impact on the performance of the firmsand can bring the firm to its utmost performance. Boardindependence seems to coexist with CEO duality in pursuingmaximum firm value and directors’ remuneration does not seem to bethe driver and motivator to achieve good firm performance. Boardsize is also taken into consideration when devising corporategovernance structure where the larger the size of the board the betterperformance it is for the firms. Policy makers and other responsibleplayers should take into account the mechanisms discussed in thisstudy when structuring corporate governance. This study fills the gapand contributes significantly to the literature by proving extensivefindings with regards to the impact of corporate governance onfirms’ performance especially the presence of Muslim directors inBoD in Malaysia
RETHINKING UNHCR AND OIC RESPONSE TO FORCED MIGRATION
No full textClimate change, population trends, and uneven socioeconomic development have produced a world with unprecedented numbers of people migrating in search of a better life, being forced to leave their homes and countries of origin. As of the end of 2017, the UNHCR estimated that there are 68.5 million refugees worldwide, the highest number ever, which is generally increasing due to the influx of large numbers of people from conflict areas. The international community has never witnessed such a wide scale disaster and demographic challenge as forced migration. The UNHCR and the OIC are among the key organizations that have endeavored to protect forced migrants. However, their response is generally viewed to be inadequate and ineffective, suffering from some gaps, and being confined to conventional humanitarian models that do not address the root causes of the problem. Hence, this paper reflects on the UNHCR and the OIC forced migration governance, response, and protection systems. It also recommends sustainable responses to forced migration issues
CONTROVERSIES IN ZAKĀT: AN EFFECTIVE METHOD OF RESOLUTION
No full textPerhaps zakāt is the only pillar of Islam which has been so widely disputed by scholars with regard to its rulings, application and above all necessity of modification. The Muslim Ummah has witnessed widespread misconceptions about some rulings and application of zakāt mainly due to usage of weak and unreliable aḥādīth. It must be noted that zakāt rulings are fixed by Sharīʽah and cannot be altered or modified due to the change of time and circumstance. Therefore, any discussion, argument, suggestion and criticism can only be based on authentic sources of Sharīʽah. It is imperative that the person attempting to face the challenges or to resolve controversies on zakāt has to be well versed in the major Sciences of Sharīʽah. These sciences are Qur’ān, Ḥadīth, Islamic Jurisprudence, Arabic language as well as their principles or sciences. The paper focuses on the following aspects: the critical areas of Ijtihād on controversial issues and how they could be resolved by using the method of combining the nusus to produce a reasonable conclusion. The paper has adopted descriptive, deductive and historical methods of analysis
THE USEFULNESS OF MUSIC AS A TOOL OF TEACHING ISLAMIC EDUCATION: TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVE
No full textThis paper addresses the use of songs by Malaysian Islamic Education teachers in their classrooms in order to help their students understand the Islamic education topics in a more effective and enjoyable manner. Furthermore, this paper provides an insight about the role of teachers in implementing innovative approaches via songs, which brings to the forefront an awareness about effective teaching strategies, not only for in-service teachers but also for those who are responsible for educating and training Islamic Education teachers in the future. This study employs a quantitative cross-sectional research design, utilizing surveys and questionnaires. The population of this study comprised Islamic Education teachers in primary schools in the Kuala Selangor District, in the State of Selangor. The sampling technique adopted by the researcher was purposive because data based on the knowledge and experience of teachers were the main aim of the research. The results of this study revealed that not only the students benefited from the use of songs but also teachers. The impact comprised areas which teachers of Islamic education usually receive a lot of criticism, such as creativity, thinking andcommunication skills, emotions, motivation and spiritualdevelopment
ALLAH WANTS YOU TO BE RICH: FOUNDATIONS OF MUSLIM CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN AL-GHAZĀLĪ'S IḤYĀ’ ‘ULŪM AL-DĪN
No full textWhile Muslims comprise about a quarter of the world population,they control far less than 25% of global wealth. With few exceptions,Muslim countries are among the poorest in the world. To makethings worse, Muslim preachers tend to justify this status quo byteaching that Allah prefers Muslims to be poor. Al-Ghazali’s viewsare often invoked in justifying this assertion. This paper argues thatAllah wants to see His servants wealthy and that al-Ghazali’semphasis on poverty was an educational strategy. Otherwise, acareful reading of his magnum opus, Ihya’ ‘Ulum al-Din shows thatnot possessing material wealth is not the ideal situation of a Muslim.The ideal is to have one’s soul focused on being mindful of Allah anddetached from material possessions, thereby giving them awaywithout hesitation whenever need arises. We end by highlighting theimplications of this understanding of al-Ghazali’s work on the careerdevelopment of Muslims in school and beyond
ENGLISH FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES: AN INQUIRY-BASED PEDAGOGY FOR MUSLIM ESL LEARNERS
No full textThis study explored ways of integrating Islamic content into ELTmaterials for the benefit of Muslim learners' language and faith.After analysing the literature, a sample of ELT materials wasprepared to be used in conjunction with an inquiry-based pedagogyknown as ‘Community of Inquiry’ (CI). This combination was termed‘English for Religious Purposes’ (ERP). ERP was then implementedover a period of five weeks with a group of adult Muslim learnersstudying ESL at a higher education institution in Kuala Lumpur.Qualitative research methodology was employed to gauge learners’responses to ERP. The findings indicated that not only did ERPprovide holistic practice in all four language skills in a meaningfuland realistic way, but it also contributed to learners’ religiousunderstanding and practice of Islam. This was attributed to theengaging nature of the whole-class inquiry-discourse characterisedby CI. Moreover, the questions and issues introduced in ERP textsstimulated students to express themselves and listen to the opinionsof others while encouraging them self-regulate by reflect uponthemselves and their own practices. Participants reported benefitssuch as a desire to don the Muslim headscarf, performance of nightprayers and strengthening of their faith. ERP therefore showspromise as a pedagogy for learners’ seeking to improve their Englishlanguage and for teachers who wish to deepen learners'understanding and practice of Islam
TOWARDS PROVIDING THE BEST SHARĪ’AH GOVERNANCE PRACTICES FOR WAQF BASED INSTITUTIONS
No full textWaqf is the donation for the sake of Allah (s.w.t). Historically, it isproven that society can benefit from waqf assets. Waqf assets can beused for religious purposes like building mosques, public health,transportation and education and others. However, due to the limitedregulatory framework and control over waqf institutions, there aremany undesirable issues regarding the Waqf management authority.Most of the issues are due to inadequate management of waqf andtheir accountability towards the donors and beneficiaries. If theseissues continue, the waqf institutions will have a negative publicimage and undermine the objective of the waqf leading peoplehesitant to donate to waqf. Thus, this paper highlights the negativeissues in the waqf institutions and proposes the need for Shari’ahgovernance. This paper proposes that Sharī‘ah governance practicesfor waqf institutions should be based on trust, accountability, Godconsciousness, hisbah, and mutual consultation. It is believed thatthis paper will alert the respective authorities and waqf managementto issue a Sharī‘ah governance framework
EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT OF ISLAMIC AND CONVENTIONAL BANKS IN SAUDI ARABIA: AN EMPIRICAL AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Get PDFSaudi Arabia, beside Malaysia and many other Muslim countries, isone of those countries where Islamic and conventional bankingoperate in parallel. Over the last decade, the country’s bankingindustry is growing at rapid pace that accounts for the largest sharein GCC. The present study measures and compares the performanceof Saudi conventional and Islamic banking industry and identifies theareas where the strategic measures are required to improve thebanking performance. It applies non-parametric Data EnvelopmentAnalysis (DEA) for the data from 2008-2016 of Saudi bankingindustry and provides comprehensive empirical results at individualbank vis-a-vis industry levels. The empirical results demonstrate amix trend among the banks in achieving technical, pure technical andscale efficiency. It is observed that with the common pledge toexpanding market share and performance, both conventional andIslamic banks have been successful in improving their levels ofefficiency. At individual bank level, Al-Rajhi is the only bank that hasachieved the highest score in terms of technical, pure technical andscale efficiency, while in the conventional banking group, both SaudiHollandi and National Commercial banks are found on the topposition. Despite the growth of incomes and deposits of entirebanking industry in Saudi Arabia, this study particularlyrecommends for the Islamic banks to redirect their short term andlong-term marketing strategies and to focus on improving theirmanagement skills at the branch level
A SCATTERED LIFE: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF ROHINGYA REFUGEE MOTHERS IN MALAYSIA
No full textThis phenomenological study explores the lived experience of refugee mothers in Malaysia, specifically Rohingya asylum seekers (the most persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar), using a qualitative research design. Semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews were held with 20 Rohingya refugee mothers with the aim of providing rich description of the lived experiences related to mothering among refugee and asylum seeking women in Malaysia, thereby filling a significant gap in the research literature. The mothers shared a range of lived experiences that affected their experiences as mothers, including negotiating an opaque and hostile asylum system, and unemployment leading to poor living conditions. Children’s education, well-being, and religion were found to be coping mechanisms that enabled them to feel comforted. As the experiences of these mothers were threatening, they were inhibited from giving the best to their children, yet some of the mothers developed a sense of resilience in dealing with their situation. The implications of the findings are discussed in light of the roles that government agencies and professional bodies share when working with refugee mothers