DUBAI, UAE, December 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

What makes an Islamic finance qualification special? And what makes it special enough for the industry's leaders to award it their most coveted prize?

If Ethica's win this weekend at the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) is anything to go by, then the most critical element for bankers and students is that the qualification have real-world application. Sameer Hasan, Business Director at Ethica, received the award and said, "People are frustrated with certificates they can't use: the training is mostly theoretical and the certificates do little to attract recruiters. Ethica's CIFE graduates get hired in a tough job market because we try to go beyond theory while also helping students land jobs."

Awards were presented at the Oman Islamic Economic Forum bringing together leaders from around the globe, including keynote speaker Tun Abdullah Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. Global Islamic Finance Award's Humayon Dar said, "Ethica stands out as the clear favorite for the award of 'Best Islamic Finance Qualification' because only Ethica combines a globally recognized qualification with e-learning technology designed to train thousands of bankers and students in just months."

Ethica's 4-month Certified Islamic Finance Executive (CIFE) is the only certificate in the world to combine 100% online delivery with 100% AAOIFI compliance. AAOIFI stands for the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions and is the leading standard-setting body in the Islamic finance industry. To learn more about how Islamic finance is different from conventional finance, see Ethica's popular video "Why Islamic Finance" here.