WASHINGTON, June 3: The US Treasury, which some Muslim groups have accused of bias, on Wednesday said it had appointed an Arab economist as its first in-house scholar to boost understanding of Islamic banking.

The move follows concerns after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks that terrorist financiers could be using Islamic institutions to move, store or launder funds destined for militant attacks.

The Treasury said Mahmoud el Gamal, an economics professor at Rice University in Texas, would be the principal adviser on Islamic finance toliaise with international groups. -Reuters