ANNA Firth is fighting for fair student finance for Muslim students.

Central to Islamic finance is the belief that benefitting from lending money by charging interest or repaying more than the initial amount borrowed goes against scriptural teachings, and is therefore forbidden. Instead, they use the ‘Takaful’ system, which is based on mutual lending and borrowing within a group

The Sothend West MP has called on the Government to implement appropriate student finance arrangements for Muslim students.

Speaking at the House of Commons Education Select Committee, Ms Firth asked the Secretary of State Nadhim Zahawi to speed up the process of introducing a ‘Takaful’ system for Muslim student finance.

She said: “One of my key campaigns in Parliament is to improve the education prospects of everyone in Southend West. Being a member of the Education Select Committee is a fundamental part of this commitment.

“I was contacted by a group of Muslim constituents who were struggling to access higher education because the current student loan system goes against their beliefs. I was delighted to raise this issue with the Secretary of State, and receive his reassurance that the Government would look into this.

“So much of the work that I do in Parliament is driven by issues that constituents raise with me, and that is why I am so keen to hear from as many constituents as possible.”