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V O L . X X I I N O. I I JA N UA R Y 2 5 , 2 0 1 6 16 F O C U S Paying or taking interest is not allowed under Sharia law. But there are ways around it such as rent-to-own, fee-based loans, shared loans and paying off credit cards fully every month. Banks do not off er Sharia- compliant loans, says Chong, who adds that off er- ing them would be a great opportunity for any bank because there are thousands of Muslims in Maine. While some new businesses get money from CEI, in other cases immigrants borrow money from one another, notes Jalali. He says people from Cambodia and Southeast Asia have their own banking system. For example, to start a business six families will put their money together. Immigrants in general tend to save more, he says. Unmet needs One of the greatest needs in Maine is to have a program offi ce where the credentials of immigrants with degrees from other countries can be assessed for recredentialing, Jalali says. "We have overqualifi ed immigrants driving cabs who are engineers or have MD degrees and can't get certifi ed," Jalali says. "It makes no sense to me to have these people standing outside at Portland airport next to a taxi cab with an engineering degree," John Dorrer, a workforce analyst, said at the Envision Maine sym- posium late last year. "We're sort of shooting our- selves in the foot in that we're simply not exploiting the human capital that we've got in front of us." Time to branch out. Our cOmmitment tO yOu is branching Out... with a secOnd POrtland lOcatiOn! ©2016 People's united bank, n.a. | Member FDIC | Equal Opportunity Lender 350 Fore street Opening January 27, 2016 207-828-3050 peoples.com Visit our new second Portland location for all your personal and business financial needs. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Reza Jalali, coordinator of multicultural student affairs, at the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus, says New Mainers are contributing to the state's economy.

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