U.S. Companies and Islamic Law

By Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa A. Lappen
Washington Times | October 6, 2005

It’s time for the United States to limit financial transactions that involve American companies to governance by secular laws. The swelling oil revenues of the Gulf states have created demand from those markets for U.S. investments in banks, real estate and industrial stocks. Most has been invested according to the usual financial guidelines, but the recent surge in revenues has also stimulated the demand to impose Islamic law (sharia) on financial investments.

In their urgent desire to find new markets, Americans have opened the door to Islamist expansionism. The Dow Jones Islamic Markets index and Islamic U.S. banks and financial products, which are catering exclusively to Muslims, only advance the Islamic impetus to impose sharia-governed banking on the West. For example, Michael J.T. McMillen, a partner at Dechert, and “a pioneer in the burgeoning Islamic banking and finance market,” aggressively solicits and accommodates sharia compliant transactions. If Islamic investors want to abide by sharia, nothing prevents them from doing so. But there is no reason for American banks, businesses and investment firms to introduce Islam or any other religion into the U.S. capital markets.

American legislators, regulators and businessmen should follow the lead of Ontario’s Premier Dalton McGuinty who on September 11, responding to the Islamic Institute of Civil Justice, which applied to arbitrate civil cases in the Muslim community according to sharia, declared: “There will be no Shari’a law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians.” Mr. McGuinty said religious arbitrations “threaten our common ground,” and promised his Liberal government would introduce legislation “as soon as possible” to outlaw them in Ontario. “Ontarians will always have the right to seek advice from anyone in matters of family law, including religious advice,” he said. “But no longer will religious arbitration be deciding matters of family law.” Continue reading “U.S. Companies and Islamic Law” →

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Financial Jihad

by Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and Alyssa A. Lappen
HumanEvents.com | Posted Sep 22, 2005

“A universal Islamic banking system is a jihad worth pursuing to abolish this slavery [to the West],” former Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamed Mahathir told a banking conference in Kuala Lumpur in November 2002. The conference was convened following the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. “to absorb the 11 September shock and reinforce the stability of Islamic finance.” Representatives of nine Islamic nations gathered to set up an Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) to “act as a global authority for Islamic banking and finance” and to compete with secular U.S. and international banking regulatory agencies.

Since 2002, internationally and domestically the Islamic impetus to impose Sharia-governed banking on the West has only increased.

Today, the Lariba American Finance House, based in Pasadena, California, operates its Islamic banking services in 28 states, modeled on the Sharia’aa Foundation guidelines of “His Eminence” Sheikh Yusuf al Qaradawi. The good sheikh endorses suicide bombing, wife-beatingâ€”and attacks against America. Lariba also sells Islamic mortgages to Fannie Mae. Continue reading “Financial Jihad” →

Method and apparatus for tax-efficient investment using both long and short

By Ronald A. Karp and Jeffrey M. Karp
U.S. Patent 6832209 | Issued Dec. 14, 2004

Other References
* Dictionary of Business Terms, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 2000, Third Edition, pp. 338, 496 and 497.
* Dictionary of Fianance and Investment Terms, Barron’s Educational Series, Inc., 1998, Fifth Edition, pp. 79, 80, 81, 297 and 567.*
* Bruce I. Jacobs and Kenneth N. Levy, 20 Myths about Long-Short Financial Analysts Journal, Sep./Oct. 1996, pp. 81-85.
* T. Daniel Coggin and Frank J. Fabozzi, Applied Equity Valuation, Chapter 10, Market-Neutral Portfolio Management, 1998, pp. 165-183, publisher Frank J. Fabozzi Associates, PA, USA.
* Jess Lederman and Robert A. Klein, Market Neutral, Chapter 1, Introduction to Market-Neutral Investing, 1996, pp. 1-16, Irwin Professional Publishing, Chicago, IL, USA.
* Jess Lederman and Robert A. Klein, Market Neutral, Chapter 5, Alternative Quantitatiave Approaches to Long/Short Strategies, 1996, pp. 73-92, Irwin Professional Publishing, Chicago, IL.
* John C. Bogle et al, Market Neutral Round Table, Journal of Hedge Fund Research, Fall 1995, pp. 1-18.
* Karen Hube, Wall Street Journal, Market-Neutral Mutual Funds etc., May 13, 1998, p. C-1.
* MF Cafe (Internet Download http://www.mfcafe.com/pantry/bps-062298.html), Market Neutral Funds, 7127198, pp. 2-3.
* Alyssa A. Lappen, The positive lure of market neutral, Institutional Investor, Sep. 1998, pp. 185-186.
* Barr Rosenberg Series Trust, Prospectus, Jul. 30, 1999, pp. 1-44.
* Dreyfus, Dreyfus Premier Market Fund Prospectus, Feb. 1, 1999, pp. 1-11.
* Vanguard, Vanguard Tax Managed Funds Prospectus, Feb. 22, 1999, pp. 1-22.

Mutual fund advisory fees: the cost of conflicts of interest

By John P. Freeman and Stewart L. Brown
Journal of Corporation Law | Dec. 16, 2003

Notes cite:
Alyssa A. Lappen, “Funds Follies,” Institutional Investor, Oct. 1993, p. 39

Bibliography on Bhopal disaster

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Note: The following is a condensed list of books, reports, and articles on the Bhopal disaster and related issues. This edition of the bibliography has been prepared by John O’Connell. If you have difficulty obtaining any of these documents, please contact David Dembo or Lucinda Wykle at the above address. Continue reading “Bibliography on Bhopal disaster” →

Anytime, anywhere: Entrepreneurship

and the Creation of a Wireless World
By Louis Galambos & Eric John Abrahamson | Cambridge University Press

Notes, pp. 201-205:

11. Alyssa A. Lappen, “Making a Killing,” Forbes, Jun. 13, 1998, p. 8; Chris Blackburst, “The Best Advice Money Can Buy,” Management Today, Oct. 1997, p. 26.