By Timur Abimanyu, SH.

MH

THE WASHINGTON POST

'Ghosts' in religious councils are robbing zakat from poor

KUALA LUMPUR - The revelation by the Auditor-General's Department that the Federal
Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) had wanted to dispose 70 air conditioner units
despite their working condition has left former Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin
wondering about the state of the country's religious institutions."The parties involved must
provide an explanation as to how far this is true," said Asri (pic) in a blog posting.

The recently-released report by the Auditor-General criticised MAIWP for its plan last year to
scrap seventy air conditioning units acquired in 2007 and 2008 despite not being listed in the
evaluation board's report. It further noted that office equipments worth RM135,265 were
simply abandoned at its old premise in Wisma Baitulmal when moving its headquarters to the
Perkim building in February 2008. The report also said 21 units of computers and cameras
worth RM45,789 and three motorcycles belonging to the department had been 'lost'. Petrol
claims for its fleet of vehicles were also suspicious, it added.

'More zakat, more poverty'

Saying he had always been suspicious about the state of financial management involving
Islamic institutions in the country, Asri said he felt compelled to highlight the issue although
it could rile up many quarters.“Why not? When billions collected from zakat and others have
been allocated for Muslims, we are still faced with a depressing situation whereby there are
families who live under bridges in Kuala Lumpur," said Asri, referring to a recent television
exposure about homeless families in the capital."Who's that ghost cheating and robbing us of
our zakat revenue so that those deserving do not get it? Whose hands could it be? Is it the
gnome in the jungle or the men in turban?” asked Asri in some of his harshest comments yet
against the authorities.Saying zakat collection had grown in tandem with rising poverty, Asri
called for a revamp of the zakat institution, and urged a proper forum to discuss transparency
and proper management of zakat fund.He questioned whether those entrusted to manage the
funds were honest and serious in their job, or were simply siphoning off zakat money on the
argument that they were part of the asnaf (those among the eight groups of people deserving
help through zakat).

'Tip of iceberg'
Asri said the exposure by the Auditor-General was only the tip of the icerberg, adding that the
state of financial management in other states remained concealed.“But we do know for a fact
that poverty exists in every state, and PPZ's (Zakat Collection Centre) wealth in each state is
glaring," he said.
Asri said the situation only further eroded Muslims' confidence in the integrity of Islamic
institutions, which he warned would make them think twice before entrusting these bodies to
manage their religious affairs.“It's all inter-linked: the interests of politics, the palace,
individuals and many others. A total reform can be a solution to turn things around," he
stressed, and said only a clean, honest and transparent government could ensure such a
transformation.Zakat is calculated annually and is one of the five pillars of Islam, mentioned
repeatedly in the Qur'an alongside such obligations as prayer and fasting. An adult Muslim
who fulfils several criteria, among which is owning a certain amount of unused wealth within
a span of one year, must set aside 2.5% of such wealth as zakat to help the less fortunate
groups in the society. by admin@ malaysiachronicle

Illustration:
But in the State of Indonesia by M Fuad Nazar, that Zakat should be transparency in the
management of its management, openly. Where financial and internal management to do the
recording, storage and reporting and internal activities such as activities personel, general,
HRD, IT. and distribution on be half of its performance is use of the activity distribution, use
or management of the program for usthaiq or beneficiaries. (Didien Hafidhuddin). And it is
said that the key measurement of quality zakat good management is trustworthy, professional
and transparent.

Referency :
http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.witness-pioneer.org
http://www.malaysiachronicle.com
http://www.Antara.com
http://www.AllianzGlobalInvestors.com
http://www.AfghanVoice.com
http://www.blogekonomisyariah.com
http://www.pesantrenvirtual.com
http://www.hukumonline.com
http://www.mediaindonesia.com.
http://www.CNNMoney.com
http://www.google.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.InfoMediaIlmiah.com
END NOTES
Minxin Pei, "Constructing the Political Foundations of an Economic Miracle", H. S. Rowen
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David Martin Jones, Political Development in Pacific Asia (London: Polity Press, 1977),
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Refer to the essays in Robert S. Ross (ed.), East Asia in Transition: Toward a New
Regional Order (Boston; M.E. Sharpe, 1995).
See Mike M. Mochizuki, "Japan as an Asia-Pacific Power,", pp. 124-159, and Donald S.
Zagoria, "The United States and the Asia-Pacific Region in the Post-Cold War Era," pp.
160-182, in Robert S. Ross (ed.) East Asian In Transition.
See the essays by James H. Raphael and Thomas P. Rohlen, "How Many Models of
Japanese Growth Do WebWant or Need," pp. 265-296; and Yutaka Kosai and Fumihide
Takeuchi, "Japan’s Influence on the East Asian Economies," pp. 297-318 in Behind East
Asian Growth.
Muhammad Nejatullah Siddiqi, "Muslim Economic Thinking: A Survey of Contemporary
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M. A. Muqtedar Khan, "The Philosophical Foundations of Islamic Political
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John Esposito and John Voll, Islam and Democracy (Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 27.
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Foundations of an Economic Miracle", H. S. Rowen (ed.) Behind East Asian Growth, pp.
39-60.
David Jones, Political Development in Pacific Asia, pp. 55-57.
Henry L. Root, "Distinctive Institutions in the Rise of Industrial Asia", in Rowen
(ed.) Behind East Asian Growth, pp. 60-75.
Rowen, "An Overview", p. 18.
M. Umer Chapra, Islam and the Economic Challenge (London and Virginia: Islamic
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M. Umer Chapra, Islam and the Economic Challenge, p. 212.