New Mutual Funds Observe Islamic Law

Deutsche Bank has launched five mutual funds that comply with traditional Islamic law, or Shari’a, in response to what it said was a growing demand for Islamic investment products. Marketed as DWS Noor Islamic Funds, Deutsche Bank says they are the first to be Shari`a compliant and excludes investments in alcohol, gambling, or companies with large amounts of debt. “With DWS Noor Islamic Funds, our Islamic clients can rely on a strictly Shari`a-compliant framework while benefiting from attractive international investment opportunities usually only available as conventional mutual fund products,” Scott Jaffray, DWS’s chief investment officer for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.