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− | Microinsurance,
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− | cooperatives and Takaful
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− | DFID Workshop May 22nd 2006
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− | Overview of presentation
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− | • Insurance and Poverty Alleviation
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− | • Why is conventional insurance not allowed in Islam
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− | • Principles and models of Takaful
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− | • The possibilities for microtakaful
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− | Can insurance assist poverty
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− | alleviation?
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− | • The poor are the most vulnerable
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− | • The impact of losses are more severe
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− | • They have minimum means of recovery
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− | • Success of microfinance schemes show the poor can and
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− | want to save
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− | • Savings and credit are used unproductively
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− | • The poor need a safety net to escape poverty
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− | “Insurance is being recognized
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− | as an important tool for
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− | poverty alleviation”
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− | Providing microinsurance
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− | The challenges
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− | • Coverage
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− | • Regulation
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− | • Moral hazard and Fraud
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− | • Adverse selection
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− | • Education and trust
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− | • Technical expertise
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− | • Affordability
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− | • Retention
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− | • Sustainability
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− | Providing microinsurance
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− | The possibilities
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− | • The cooperative microinsurance model
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− | History of organising the poor
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− | Operate for the interest of members by
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− | members
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− | Trust
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− | Ownership and loyalty
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− | Peer pressure
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− | Surplus reinvested or redistributed
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− | Providing microinsurance
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− | The possibilities
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− | • The partner agent model
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− | No-risk fee for microinsurance provider
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− | Better coverage for policyholder
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− | Access to new market
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− | Pooling of risks between informal and formal
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− | sector
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− | Providing microinsurance
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− | The possibilities
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− | • The donor agent model
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− | Access to expertise
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− | Financial sustainability
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− | Guiding hand
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− | Why is conventional insurance
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− | not permissible in Islam?
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− | • Uncertainty (Gharar)
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− | • Gambling (Maisir)
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− | • Interest (Riba)
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− | Earlier forms of Islamic insurance
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− | • Dawania – Mutual indemnification amongst officers during
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− | the rule of Umar Ibn Al Khattab (2nd Caliph)
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− | • Diyyah and Aquilah – Blood money and concept of
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− | removing hardship from victims family by payment of
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− | Diyyah, on a mutual basis, by relatives of offender
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− | • Marine Insurance – Early second century – mutual fund to
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− | cover robberies and mishaps
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− | Fiqh Academy Resolution 1985
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− | • Commerical insurance is prohibited
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− | • Alternative contract confirming to principles of Islamic
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− | dealings is the contract of cooperative insurance, which is
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− | founded on the basis of charitable donation and Shariah
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− | compliant dealings
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− | Principles of Takaful
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− | • Solidarity and joint guarantee
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− | • Self reliance and self sustaining for community well being
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− | • Assist those that need assistance
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− | • Community pooling system
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− | • Shari’ah approved investments and products
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− | “Bear ye one another’s burden”
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− | Takaful models in practice
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− | • Not for profit model
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− | • Ta’awuni model – “cooperative insurance”
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− | • Al Mudharabah model – profit sharing
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− | • Al Wakala model – agency agreement
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− | The Global Takaful sector
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− | • 1979 First Takaful Company established
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− | • 1996 – 30 Institutions transacting Takaful
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− | • 2002 – 50 Takaful operators and four Retakaful providers
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− | • 2004 – 80 Takaful operators, 200 Takaful windows and 12
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− | Retakaful providers
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− | Source: IBB Solicitors, UK – (2005)
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− | The Global Takaful sector
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− | Source: Bhatty (2001)
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− | ”A cooperative and mutual scheme providing
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− | Shariah approved products and investments
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− | is permissible under Islamic Law”.
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− | Ruling by the European Council of Fatwa
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− | and Research
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− | “… It is well known that in most non-Islamic countries there
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− | are cooperative and mutual insurance companies. There is
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− | no harm from the Shari`ah point of view to participate in
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− | these services. So, it is unlawful for a Muslim living in a
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− | country where there is such a cooperative insurance
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− | company to make an agreement with a commercial
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− | insurance company…..”
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− | Providing Takaful to the
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− | low-income sector
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− | The need in Muslim countries
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− | • Social services inadequate or unavailable
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− | • Large sectors of poverty in many Muslim countries
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− | • Over half of world’s lowest developed countries have a
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− | majority Muslim population
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− | • Increasing inequality in Middle East and Gulf countries
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− | • Religious considerations are important in villages and small
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− | communities
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− | • Established Takaful sector neglecting low income sector
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− | “Takaful is the second most
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− | important social institution to
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− | counter poverty and
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− | deprivation”
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− | Omar Fisher,1999
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− | How can microtakaful be
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− | provided?
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− | • Establish informal microtakaful schemes
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− | • Encouragement of pro-poor organisations
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− | • Education of government and donor
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− | agencies
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− | • Involvement of Takaful sector
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− | Technical expertise
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− | Financial assistance
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− | Partner-agent model
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− | The Agricultural Mutual Fund of
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− | Lebanon
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− | • Established in 1997
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− | • Health insurance
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− | • Available for Muslims and non-Muslims
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− | • 23,000 beneficiaries
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− | • Premium per family is ten dollars a month
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− | Conclusions
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− | • Insurance has an important role to play in poverty
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− | alleviation
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− | • Cooperative based microinsurance schemes are an
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− | effective vehicle to provide insurance to the poor.
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− | • There is a need for microinsurance to be provided to low
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− | income sectors in Muslim countries and communities.
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− | • A microtakaful scheme based on cooperative/mutual
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− | principles is acceptable under Islamic Law
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− | Thank you
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− | www.icmif.org/takaful
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