| The Facts On 12 October, the Independent ran a story headlined "Newcastle's Muslim stars told: Don't play in new 'Wonga' tops". It began "Newcastle United's £24m shirt sponsorship deal with Wonga was engulfed in fresh controversy last night when the club's Muslim players were warned that wearing the new shirts would infringe Sharia law." The story suggested that the Muslim Council of Britain and its Assistant Secretary General Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra had issued this warning. The media has subsequently reported this as fact, even though no warning, or demand was made. The Independent had called Shaykh Mogra to give an overview on Islamic viewpoints on interest, and then went on to ask about the Wonga.com deal.
Here is Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra's full response.
Being a body whose constituents make up a diverse collection of Islamic schools of thought, the Muslim Council of Britain does not issue 'fatwas' and makes no demands on anyone, Muslim or non Muslim. It seeks to reflect views amongst British Muslims, and provide a platform to common views held in our community.
Further FAQs can be found here.
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