NEW YORK // The widely held belief that adoption is banned under Islamic law is being examined by Islamic scholars and child welfare advocates in the United States in a process that may lead to more American Muslim families being able to care for orphans.
A study of the issue is expected early next year from the Shura Council of the Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (Wise). The initiative is sponsored by the American Society for Muslim Advancement, a group founded by Daisy Khan and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who plans to open an Islamic centre near the New York site of the World Trade Center.
The report was expected to examine Islamic law and kafalah, a kind of guardianship or "unlimited entrustment" resembling foster care that does not cut the ties between orphans and their biological families in the way that western-style adoption does. The Prophet Mohammed was an orphan himself and was cared for by extended family. The Quran says a child's biological family must never be hidden.
"The report will look to combine compassion and justice and what it means to work in the best interest of the child," said a spokeswoman for Wise. "It will put the emphasis on intention and some Muslim families may find arguments in it that would ease their hearts."
The decision to consult Wise's Shura Council to find out why American Muslim families are reluctant to adopt was made by Helene Lauffer, associate executive director of Spence-Chapin, a US agency that has offered adoption services since 1908.
"We're always looking to where else we can develop a programme," she said. "We saw there was a huge swathe of the world where there was a tremendous need. There are tens of thousands of children growing up without permanent families in institutions or on the streets and many are in Muslim-majority countries. We began to think about the barriers to adoption, about guardianship and about how Muslim families living in the US interpret the tenets of their faith."
About six months ago, she met Ms Khan, who agreed to examine the issue. Wise's Shura Council is made up of 26 Islamic scholars and experts based in 13 countries including Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey and the United States. It has previously examined issues such as domestic violence, female genital cutting and honour crimes.
Inter-country adoptions are considered a last resort after the chances of placing an orphan with extended family are exhausted. Meanwhile, there are a growing number of US Muslim families who would like to care for a child, particularly those from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The number of orphans worldwide has been estimated at 143 million, said Ms Lauffer. But inter-country adoptions peaked at 40,000 in 2004 and 22,000 of those children were adopted by US families. The number has since declined, according to the US National Council for Adoption, a non-profit group.
Chuck Johnson, the chief executive of the council, said he welcomed any initiative that would comply with the Islamic injunction to help orphans. "We already have open adoption in America where children maintain links with their families and Muslim countries could set their own rules as to how that might work," he said.
"I'm very excited to see a dialogue beginning and it's incumbent upon child welfare advocates to continue that dialogue."
Inter-country adoptions are governed by the Hague Convention on Adoption, which works to ensure that the adoptions are in the best interests of children. Countries are free to set their own conditions, such as any religious requirements.
The UAE is not a signatory to the convention. The website of the US State Department said it did not maintain files on the adoption process in the UAE because adoptions were so rare, saying there were fewer than five adoptions by American citizen parents in the past five years.
sdevi@thenational.ae
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
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The%20specs
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
The specs
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Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now