
When Abdallah Sulaiman, a Muslim immigrant, set out to buy his first home in the United States, he was determined to avoid riba – the Islamic term for interest, which is forbidden in Islamic law, or Sharia. After exploring Islamic institutions’ alternative financing options, he felt skeptical. “It just didn’t feel Islamic,” said Sulaiman, 53, of Tampa Bay, Florida. No matter how the banks framed…

