Perception of Islamic scholars and clerics about Islamic banking in Pakistan

Although Islamic banking has been in use for a while, it has only recently begun to receive the attention it deserves and has become very popular. It has been warmly welcomed by people all over the world, and these Islamic banks have been successful in obtaining sizable business not only in Islamic countries but also in non-Islamic countries. There are still disagreements over a number of underlying concepts and practices despite notable advancements and achievements. Islamic banks in Pakistan have emerged as an alternative to conventional banks but they are still facing tough competition from these banks. They are offering services in Pakistan with the concept that they are working under the rules of Shariah and Quran. However, there is a debate over the practices of the profit and loss sharing mode of financing by Islamic banks in Pakistani society and that whether these services are really Islamic or not.This study aimed to describe the perceptions of Islamic scholars in Pakistan regarding Islamic banks and investigate whether they perceive the existing Islamic banking system as really Islamic. Data was collected through a questionnaire from Islamic scholars and clerics. Firstly, reliability of the data was checked through Cronbach alpha and Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that Islamic scholars and clerics are dissatisfied with the way of Islamic banking operations.