Between Morality and Reality: Muslim students' dilemma regarding interest-based loans in Norway
The receiving or paying of interest, known as riba, is considered a grave sin in Islam, and its
prohibition is one of the defining aspects of Islamic finance. Muslims in predominantly non-
Islamic countries face a dilemma when confronted with the problem of financing their higher
education, and the dilemma of whether or not to take interest-based educational loans remains
largely unexplored. This thesis explores cultural and religious understandings of Islam that
influence Muslim students in Norway, and their willingness or reluctance to take student loans.
The research also explores informal financing alternatives that Muslim students consider. Through
a constructivist grounded theory approach, using semi-structured interviews with twelve Muslim
students, the study reveals that students’ views on student loans range from necessity to sin.
The key results from this study include the reasons for taking or avoiding interest-based student
loans in Norway. Through the concept of lived religion, this study finds how some Muslim students
produce and reproduce Islamicness in everyday life by their justification for abstaining from the
interest-based student loans. Moreover, the findings of the study suggest that student loans despite
being haram are a necessity for many Muslim students in Norway because of the lack of alternative
Islamic financing. Similarly, the findings suggest that some Muslim students, as Islamic modernist,
take the interest-based student loans because the minority position of Muslims in Norway leaves
them no other option. Given the lack of Islamic financing options in Norway, students report that
family and friend networks are highly relied upon for meeting day-to-day economic needs. The
results contribute to understanding the dilemma between living morally and living in one’s given
reality.
prohibition is one of the defining aspects of Islamic finance. Muslims in predominantly non-
Islamic countries face a dilemma when confronted with the problem of financing their higher
education, and the dilemma of whether or not to take interest-based educational loans remains
largely unexplored. This thesis explores cultural and religious understandings of Islam that
influence Muslim students in Norway, and their willingness or reluctance to take student loans.
The research also explores informal financing alternatives that Muslim students consider. Through
a constructivist grounded theory approach, using semi-structured interviews with twelve Muslim
students, the study reveals that students’ views on student loans range from necessity to sin.
The key results from this study include the reasons for taking or avoiding interest-based student
loans in Norway. Through the concept of lived religion, this study finds how some Muslim students
produce and reproduce Islamicness in everyday life by their justification for abstaining from the
interest-based student loans. Moreover, the findings of the study suggest that student loans despite
being haram are a necessity for many Muslim students in Norway because of the lack of alternative
Islamic financing. Similarly, the findings suggest that some Muslim students, as Islamic modernist,
take the interest-based student loans because the minority position of Muslims in Norway leaves
them no other option. Given the lack of Islamic financing options in Norway, students report that
family and friend networks are highly relied upon for meeting day-to-day economic needs. The
results contribute to understanding the dilemma between living morally and living in one’s given
reality.
Publisert i 2024
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