May I first of all express my deep appreciation to the Islamic Cultural Centre for having taken the initiative to promote awareness in Islamic Finance in Mauritius. I do fervently hope that the two-day forum will provide an excellent opportunity to share views and ideas on the principles underlying Islamic finance and the way forward towards the promotion of Islamic financial services.
The concept of Islamic finance dates back to ancient times. However, formal Islamic financial institutions are known to have been in existence for over 30 years. In the recent past, the growth of Islamic financial services worldwide has gathered momentum.