Asgraf AboArafe
The Istanbul – Al Baraka Islamic Economy Forum held its first summit in Istanbul at the Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in cooperation with the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, the Istanbul Financial Center, the Turkish Sovereign Wealth Fund, in addition to the Turkish Al Baraka Bank and other institutions. He reviewed the future path of the Islamic economy worldwide.
The opening session witnessed the presence of His Excellency Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who delivered a speech in which he praised the role of Sheikh Saleh Kamel, may God have mercy on him, and that he was not just a successful businessman and a visionary, but also a person who devoted everything he had to charitable works, helping the needy, and supporting the distressed, and he made real contributions. In the field of supporting and developing Islamic economic tools globally, the Al Baraka Islamic Economics Forum has played a major role in presenting Islamic economics as an economic option.
For his part, Abdullah Saleh Kamel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al Baraka Islamic Economics Forum, pointed out in his opening speech that leadership in the Islamic economy arose in Medina, the historical capital of the Islamic economy, in 1981 AD, and then the first participatory banking train was launched in Turkey at the hands of his father, Sheikh Saleh Kamel, may God have mercy on him. With a group of partners and companions more than 40 years ago, which began with Al Baraka Turkey Participatory Bank, which paved the way for participatory banks for an ethical banking industry committed to real principles. In 2020, days before his death, may God have mercy on him, Sheikh Saleh Kamel announced the transformation of the symposium into this prestigious international institution, “Al Baraka Forum for Islamic Economics.”
It is noteworthy that the first Al Baraka Summit in Istanbul was held under the slogan “Global Prospects for the Islamic Economy: Components and Needs,” and is concerned with exploring the basic principles and values of the Islamic economy, identifying trends and challenges in the global Islamic finance sector, building cooperation and successful partnerships between Turkey and Islamic countries, and discussing the necessary strategies. To advance the Islamic economy in the digital age, and study the role of youth in shaping the future of the Islamic economy, and includes keynote speeches, discussion sessions, workshops, and networking sessions, which provides valuable insights and opportunities to interact with community leaders in this field. 
It is noteworthy that the Al Baraka Forum for Islamic Economics is an independent, global, non-profit intellectual institution that seeks to enrich the research stock and serve the knowledge structure of the Islamic economy, and to build partnerships and alliances with regional and international bodies to extrapolate contemporary economic challenges and developments, in order to keep pace with Islamic economics and finance. This would enhance the forum’s outcomes as a global economic and financial knowledge beacon.
