Since interest is prohibited in Islam, Muslim Canadians avoid taking mortgage loans from banks. This has made many of them forced to live in rented homes without saving enough money to buy a house.

The "Canadian Halal Finance" institution in Edmonton, established last December, acts as a partner to facilitate Muslims buying a home, within a joint program with representatives of the Muslim community in Alberta.

According to Imam Mahmoud Omar, the program was established after consultation with scholars and lawyers to ensure compliance with Islamic law and Canadian law.

According to one of the program supervisors, "Everyone has worked around the clock over the past two years to provide a program that complies with Islam and at the same time protects the investor and our Muslim clients."

Each transaction is reviewed by the Fatwa Committee at Al-Rashed Mosque before financing.