News

Police ban direct, mass distribution of `zakat'

Jumat, 18 September 2009 | 06:04 WIB

Surabaya, NU Online
In a bid to help prevent zakat (alms) and charity distributions from claiming lives, the East Java Police has banned people from conducting direct and en masse zakat distributions and instead encouraged them to do so through authorized institutions.

East Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam recently said the ban had been disseminated to the local administrations in the regency down to the district levels so they could warn people in their respective regions to do as they were told.<>

"We don't want another same tragedy this year," said Anton, referring to the alms distribution conducted by resident Syaikon of Pasuruan, last year, which claimed 21 persons and injured others when a crowd of hundreds of people were fighting over packages of Rp 30,000 and staple foods.

Anton said the distribution of zakat and staple food donations must consider the recipients' safety and thus must be done by avoiding a concentration of people. Even some cheap market programs, he added, had caused some troubles that required police intervention.

Separately, the East Java Zakat Management Body (BAZ) has predicted there was still a high possibility for the people in the province to personally distribute zakat. This mostly due to the fact that of some Rp 200 billion worth of potential zakat, only about 10 percent has been channeled so far through the zakat management institutions across the province.

There are seven zakat management institutions with national licenses in East Java and another with a license issued by the governor.

The provincial BAZ secretary Kasno Sudaryanto said culture was the main reason people liked to personally distribute zakat, as most Muslims in East Java had traditional values.

"They feel stolid and satisfied if they can personally distribute the zakat, regardless of the fact it can incite arrogance that is definitely not justified by the Islamic teaching," Kasno was quoted by The Jakarta Post as saying.

Apart from that, he added, many people also did not trust the existing alms institutions. A breakthrough is needed to help the institutions gain the community's trust.

Kasno said one way of doing so was by cooperating with the tax office in collecting alms through specially designed programs.

Kasno said that channeling alms through authorized institutions was more advantageous both in terms of accountability and distribution. Apart from that, such institutions mostly also have continuous, permanent programs that lead to income generating and empowerment for low-income families. (dar)


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