The Gray area Beyond Raised Objections (Sharia’h Perspective) Regarding In-practice Islamic Banking System

Shari‘ah’s teachings are perfect and forever. They leave everlasting impacts on society towards its spiritual as well as material purification (Tazkia) if implemented properly according to Qur’an and Sunnah. Interest (Sood/Rib┐) has been forbidden by Almighty Allah whereas Trade (Ba‘a) has been legitimated. To bring the Muslims of today out of Interest-based Banking System, religious scholars have outlined and introduced Islamic Banking System which, although, has got fast growth in market but still, a number of objections are being raised by different scholars leading to an impression that this system is not working in accordance with Shari‘ah. This not only discourages the entry of new ones to Islamic Banking Sector but also create confusions in the minds of the enlisted customers. Keeping in view the above scenario, need is felt to assess, evaluate and analyze the Objections raised with special emphasis on Islamic Concept of Bank, Charity Fund (Iltez┐m be tasaduq) and Mur┐ba╒a being the major points of objections of the critics. The present study investigates different aspects and dimensions of these objections in the context of Shariah and ground realities in order to know the extent of validity of these objections, highlight the gray areas giving rise to objections and give real picture to the public in general and enhance the satisfactory level of the enlisted Islamic Banking customers in particular.

Association of Tissue Vitamin D Receptor Expression With Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes in Kenyan Women

Background: Previous studies have shown that reduced vitamin D receptor expression in breast cancer tissue is associated with worse disease outcomes. Furthermore, studies show that estrogen negative and triple negative breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and a low breast tissue vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression. Other studies also report that low serum vitamin D levels are associated with more aggressive breast cancer. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with both a retrospective and a prospective arm. The retrospective part was nested within a larger study; previously constructed tissue microarray blocks (TMA) blocks were used for analysis of VDR expression. The prospective arm recruited women who underwent a breast biopsy for suspicious breast lesions in whom blood samples for serum vitamin D levels and tumour VDR immunohistochemistry were collected. Questionnaire data on pre-determined patient and tumour characteristics were extracted from the charts. Tissue expression of VDR was analysed on immunohistochemistry and serum vitamin D levels assayed. Results: A total of 214 cases were recruited retrospectively and 24 prospectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the VDR score of the Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype compared to the other subtypes (p value = 0.047, test = ANOVA: Kruskal Wallis Test). There was a positive correlation of VDR score and tumour size. There was a weak negative correlation between VDR score and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER 2) but no correlation with ER and PR. There was a positive correlation between serum vitamin D levels and VDR Immunoreactive score (IRS). Conclusions: Our results suggest that low or negative VDR score is a marker of poor prognosis in breast cancer as the expression was low in TNBC. However, high VDR score was not associated with ER or PR expressing tumours. The weak negative correlation with tumour size suggests an association of low VDR expression with aggressive tumour features. A randomized controlled trial exploring the utility of vitamin D supplementation or other VDR ligand analogues in TNBC is recommended. A larger study is recommended to determine if indeed there is a correlation between serum vitamin D levels and VDR expression.