Refleksi : Bank Interest (bunga dari modal) mendatangkan keuntungan fulus untuk bertambah kaya, jadi siapa mau yang mau menolak rejeki demikian? Kalau menolak bunga, mengapa membiarkan perdagangan saham di bursa? Bukankah perdangan saham itu adalah sejenis perjudian?
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/fatwa-against-bank-interest-seen-having-little-impact-on-industry-in-indonesia/367714 April 05, 2010 Ardian Wibisono & Arti Ekawati Fatwa Against Bank Interest Seen Having Little Impact on Industry in Indonesia Bankers on Monday shrugged off a declaration by the country's second-largest Muslim organization that receiving interest from banks was haram, or forbidden, saying it was unlikely to have a significant effect on the banking industry. Sigit Pramono, the chairman of the Indonesian Banks Association (Perbanas), said the Muhammadiyah fatwa was unlikely to cause a large number of customers to switch to Shariah banks. "The fatwa will only affect [some of] Muhammadiyah's constituents," he said. However, Sigit said the fatwa will help raise the public profile of Sharia banks and help them to grow faster. Muhammadiyah issued the fatwa on Saturday, saying that receiving bank interest is similar to riba, or usury. The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) issued a similar fatwa in 2003. Adiwarman Karim, Shariah supervisor at PT Bank Danamon's Shariah unit, said the fatwa reflected Muhammadiyah's internal concerns. "They see that many of their subsidiary organizations - schools, hospitals and other business units - still bank with conventional lenders," he said. Adiwarman said he expected the fatwa to increase awareness of Shariah banking among Muslims. "In the previous MUI fatwa there was an exception for areas where Shariah banks have no presence. However, currently Shariah banks are expanding so fast that it is easier to find a branch," he said. However, he said it was unlikely that the fatwa would have a significant impact in driving the growth of Shariah banking. He said it was far more important that the Shariah banking industry receive equal treatment in taxation. The government recently revised tax regulations to eliminate what was effectively a double taxation on some Shariah transactions. But the regulation was not retroactive, and several banks are still involved in a dispute with the Directorate General of Taxation. Adiwarman said these issues held back Shariah banking. According to Bank Indonesia figures, as of the end of January Shariah banks' assets were only about 2 percent of total nationwide bank assets of Rp 2,502 trillion ($275.2 billion). The Shariah banking industry is struggling to meet its target to amass a 5 percent share of assets. Bank Indonesia said it preferred not to get involved in the debate over whether bank interest should be forbidden. "Let it be a debate. It is a part of the public dynamic. We are still going to focus on developing our conventional and Shariah banks," said Muliaman D Hadad, a deputy governor. Ismoyo, a Muslim who works at a private company in Jakarta, said he was reluctant to switch to a Shariah bank despite knowing that interest is haram because Shariah banks are not as user-friendly as mainstream banks. "If they improve their service, I will be glad to shift," he said. Muhammadiyah also sparked controversy recently when it issued a fatwa against smoking. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
