Something a little different Madam?

Time that Lloyds was held to account

Now it is not often that you will find posts dealing with secular affairs such as banking on this blog but I'm afraid that I have strayed from the path after hearing a rather interesting story from a young lady of my acqaintance.

It concerns the fact that this young lady, let's call her Miss Argery, went in search of a better deal from her bank (which happens to be Lloyds Bank of the sign of the black horse).

Her friendly manager went smoothly through her affairs before posing the question:

"Would you like to open an Islamic account?"

"Aherm" said Miss Argery, "Now why would I, a good Catholic girl, be wishing to do that?"

It seems, you see, that we now have special bank accounts for all sorts of things.

 There is one for the under 19s, one for school students and, of course, one for graduates.
And to this list has been added one for Muslims, or, at least, those who are sensitive to the issues of mortgages for example.

We are all aware that immorally high and devious interest rate schemes are to be condemned and that, in Islamic, Jewish and Catholic law are considered sinful and that, furthermore, may involve one in a grave sin.
 But a modest mortgage on number 23, Railway Cuttings, does not, by and large, normally commit oneself to the fiery pit.

Under Islamic (Sharia) Law, such deals may well be considered sinful and, therefore, there exists a series of varied loans that skirt around the problem - all well and good, but should this be on the shopping list for young Brits keen to forge a way for themselves in the world of domestic property?

Quite what Lloyds Bank think that they are playing at is beyond me.

As a percentage of the British population the Muslims rate somewhere below 5% - not a figure that would seem to deserve a special promotional push from the bigwigs of Gresham Street.

So why is this scheme thrust before us?

I hate to appear xenophobic but here, in the gentle lands of West Wales with the Preseli Mountains making an amazing backdrop to a coastline that is clearly designed to take one's breath away, I really do not wish to be "sold" on tenets of the framework of the Islamic faith.

Perhaps Lloyds are in need of a few letters of protest.

That is our way of dealing with matters or organisations that we object to.

Others might go down the Fatwa route. But that is not our way.