Loan in the Light of Religious Views; The Case of Koma Kara Kebele by Ibrahim 12 March 2022

Basically, religion plays a great role in the life of a community. It determines their overall living conditions. Through dogmas, doctrines, and practices, religion guides people’s day-to-day activities. More specifically, religious views of loans and jurisdiction over loan taking and repayment vary accordingly. From my field visit, I have come to know that some farmers are/were not willing to take/give loans due to their religious views. These farmers follow the Islamic religion and their religion prohibits loans that are based on interest. In this regard, they asserted that they could give loans to and/or take from friends, neighbors, or family members with a precondition that all the loans to be given or taken have to be free of interest. Thus, only Interest-free loans are entertained. Besides, they indicated that Microfinance Institutions like SINQEE and BUSAA GONOFAA could only provide loans on the basis of interest so they have never taken such loans from MFIs and Banks. Currently, Banks that we operating in the vicinity have introduced INTEREST-FREE BANKING AND LOAN. These farmers have told me that they could take this kind of loan only, the one which is free of interest. Moreover, loan services that take place among friends, neighbors, and family members greatly reconsider these religious contexts. In a nutshell, some of my respondents’ loan services and practices are all made in accordance with their respective religious jurisprudence. Such a scenario calls for intervention packages that relate to loan services since interest-free and religious-wise services need to be introduced to these smallholder farmers of Koma Kara Kebele.