Wednesday, February 10, 2016

And Then They Came For The Alcohol, And I Didn't Speak Up, Because I Owned a Bathtub Still



THESE are the Government buildings where selling alcohol is banned – because of Sharia law. 
The central London offices must be run in line with Islamic principles because of a deal with rich Middle Eastern investors. 
They demanded the buildings be audited by Muslim scholars and subject to special rules in exchange for lending the Government £200million. 
The deal currently only covers three buildings – Richmond House, Wellington House and a property on Whitehall – and is almost unheard of outside of the Middle East. 
But Treasury officials hope hundreds of Western companies will follow their lead and turn over buildings to Islamic financiers in similar deals. 
The Government launched the financial product – known as a Sukuk – in 2014, and hailed the huge quantity of investment money it raised. 
But the repercussions of the deal stayed under wraps until this month, when it was revealed the pact could deprive the UK’s Parliament of alcohol. 
One of the buildings – Richmond House – is a potential replacement venue for the House of Commons while the Palace of Westminster undergoes vital repairs. 
But if it were chosen, members would have to do without their subsidised bars and restaurants, which offer beer, wine and spirits at knock-down prices. 
The exact restrictions under which the buildings must be run which were not spelled out in the text of the deal struck with overseas investors. 
The UK only said that its board of Sharia financiers had approved the deal.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Ban islam and save MILLIONS