Richard D. Wolff

Dr, Wolff, Thanks for speaking out about our current economic realities and especially for proposing rational, intelligent alternatives. For several years in the 00s, I represented my company (financial services company, FIS) at a bank in Riyadh. While attending an Islamic Banking conference in Istanbul, on behalf of the Saudi bank, I got to know one of the speakers, David Vicary, who introduced me to Islamic finance. David now runs an Islamic finance university program in Malaysia. What I’ve learned about its guiding principles leads me to wonder whether such a financial system with a seeming inbuilt morality might serve as a model for a ‘reformed’ banking system in the west. How do you view Islamic finance, and do you think it has a place as a template for banking reform? Thanks again, Steve