Could your halal pension be funding Israel’s military?

Could your pension be linked to companies investing in Israel's military? Surely not if it's a halal fund. Well, people have been digging into a HSBC report that shows that their fund, marketed as Sharia compliant, spent more than a hundred million dollars on six companies that have supplied components to Israel's military. They include controversial tech firm Palantir, defense contractor RTX, which supplies Israel with thousands of Iron Dome missile interceptors and fighter jet components Rolls Royce which supplies engines for Israeli military vehicles Analog Devices a U.S. semiconductor company which provides components to Elbit Systems Israel's largest weapons manufacturer Britain's largest military systems company which makes F-35 fighter jet parts used by Israel in Gaza and aerospace firm Honeywell which designs sensors and guidance devices used in weaponry Al Jazeera found its components in a missile attack on a school in Gaza in June 2024 that killed at least 40 Palestinians, including 14 children. We reached out to HSBC for comment. As I'm recording this, they've not responded to us. So how can a fund marketed as Sharia-compliant invest in these companies? Sharia-compliant means socially responsible investing rooted in Islamic law, prohibiting investments in sectors like alcohol, gambling, pork, and weapons manufacturers. Islamic financial Global companies don't necessarily exclude every company connected to the arms industry. That raises a big question for Muslim investors and savers, who choose these funds believing that their money aligns with their faith. So if your pension is halal, shouldn't you know exactly where your money goes?