Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed the Religious Affairs minister to make zakat management more “systematic and effective.”
The Prime Minister issued this directive during a meeting on zakat management at the Secretariat on Monday afternoon. Discussions were held on how to distribute zakat funds more effectively and how poverty alleviation can be achieved through zakat.
After being briefed on these matters, the prime minister also gave appropriate instructions to the concerned ministry. The meeting was attended by Chairman of As-Sunnah Foundation, Shaykh Ahmadullah; Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad; and Secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad.
During the meeting, led by Religious Affairs Minister Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, a proposal was made to form a committee comprising the Khatib of Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Allama Mufti Abdul Malek; Chairman of As-Sunnah Foundation, Shaykh Ahmadullah; and several top Islamic economists and prominent scholars.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs will propose the names of the full committee members within the next ten days. This committee will soon present its recommendations to the Prime Minister regarding zakat management and the restructuring of the Zakat Board.
It is noteworthy that during an Iftar event in honor of scholars and orphans last Saturday (March 7), the prime minister stated that proper zakat management could play a vital role in alleviating poverty in the country within the next 10 to 15 years. Following this, the meeting was held at the Secretariat. The meeting discussed how effective zakat management could potentially eliminate poverty in the country.
After the meeting, Shaykh Ahmadullah told journalists, “As-Sunnah Foundation has some experience in the area of creating sustainable poverty alleviation by developing skills or making people self-reliant through zakat funds. From that perspective, we are trying to offer some advice and opinions to the prime minister. The prime minister was very pleased to hear those opinions and directed the Religious Affairs Minister to explore how the government can make zakat distribution more effective and systematic.”
Shaykh Ahmadullah said, “We have been working with zakat through As-Sunnah Foundation for the past 6-7 years. Based on the figures from just the last year, by spending only Tk13 per person, we have provided separate skill development training and arranged employment for 2,100 unemployed youth. Now, those once-unemployed youth have earned Tk42 crore in the past year. This means it will gradually increase every year. As-Sunnah Foundation has some experience in the area of creating sustainable poverty alleviation by developing skills or making people self-reliant through zakat funds. From that perspective, we are trying to offer some advice and opinions to the prime minister.”
He said the prime minister was pleased to hear them and has given instructions to the Religious Affairs minister.
