[We want to encourage Islamic banking.] In the first place because Islamic banking meets a demand from the Muslims living in the Netherlands. In the second place because we see an opportunity here for the Dutch financial sector. A third reason is that banning Islamic banking from the perspective of fighting terrorism will have a counter-productive effect. Denial of an actual need can lead to money-flows running via alternative channels out of the sight of the government.
More on Sharia banking:
Islamic Banking in Britain, 12 February 2007
First Sharia Bank in Switzerland, 8 October 2006