The school specializes in Arabic instruments such as the kanoun, a triangular stringed instrument a little like a horizontal harp, and the oud, a pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to a lute, and also teaches Western classical instruments and music theory.
Far beyond just offering a few mutual funds to suit religious investors, they and stand-alone Muslim banks are creating instruments that parallel many of the Western world's financial products, from consumer loans to insurance to bonds.