Mosque says Bitcoin is halal currency

Bitcoin is acceptable in the eyes of Allah, according to the mosque which has become the first in the UK to accept crypto-currency donations.

Religious advisers at the Masjid Ramadan in Dalston, east London, have said the currency is halal (religiously permissible) if it is “transacted in a lawful manner”.

There has been much debate in the Muslim world, with figures including Sheikh Shawki Allam, the grand mufti of Egypt, declaring crypto-currencies haram (impermissible), because they can be used for illegal activity. But the mosque has declared Muslims – who are meant to give away 2.5 per cent of their wealth during the month of Ramadan – can use it for donations.

The mosque said it would accept donations in two different cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Zayd al Khair, a religious adviser at the mosque, said: “Any money or currency is neither halal nor haram. If money is transacted in a lawful manner it is halal.

“We do not always know the source of cash donations, but we take these in good faith too,” he added.