In February 2008, when France's economy minister, Christine Lagarde, announced that making her country more open to Islamic finance was to become a top priority, she threw down the gauntlet to her neighbors across the English Channel -- the United Kingdom is the largest Islamic finance market in Europe, holding roughly US$19 billion in Islamic financial assets, according to Bloomberg. Since Lagarde's declaration, economic policy has been changing in France to help Islamic finance find a foothold in the country. The Ministry of the Economy appointed an Islamic finance specialist,
Thierry Dissaux, last year to create a legal route allowing financial instruments based on Islamic law, known as shariah.
