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Parliamentary Matters

Allocation of zakat to beneficiaries

Sectors

Community

29 January 2015

Response to parliamentary question on the amount of zakat collected by MUIS

Question

Mr Zainal Sapari: To ask the Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs for 2014

  1. what has been the total amount of zakat collected by MUIS;

  2. what is the breakdown of the allocation of zakat to the beneficiaries; and

  3. whether any zakat is used to fund MUIS's operating expenditure.

Response

  1. Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Zakat is not used to fund the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore’s (MUIS) operating expenditure. MUIS funds its operating expenditure from its General Endowment Fund. The Fund has a number of income sources, including property, inheritance and investment income, and fees for services such as Halal certification. Zakat funds are not part of the General Endowment Fund and are separately accounted.

  2. The amount of zakat collected in 2013 was $28.4m. The collection for 2014 has yet to be confirmed through audit.

  3. Zakat funds collected are channelled toward disbursements, provision of programmes and services, and their operating costs to serve the beneficiaries, in accordance to the 8 Asnaf(s) (groups/categories) prescribed by Muslim Law. In 2013, about $11m or 40% was disbursed to the needy, through direct financial assistance and empowerment programmes. These empowerment programmes provide holistic intervention for zakat recipients to improve their employability and gain other life skills. MUIS helped 5,263 families in 2013 through direct financial assistance, which supplements the assistance provided by national schemes. MUIS also runs an Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS) to help zakat-receiving families achieve self-reliance. Since its inception in 2004, 595 of the 847 families on this scheme had successfully graduated from it and no longer require MUIS’ financial assistance.

  4. Another 40% of zakat in 2013 was used to support our mosques and madrasahs, through grants, programmes and funding for the training of madrasah teachers, mosque religious officers, volunteers and youth development officers.

  5. The remaining zakat was used for dakwah1 and public education, the development of Islamic education, and the funding of Amil2 administration as well as assistance for Muslim converts.

1 Spreading of Islamic knowledge

2 Amil administration refer to the expenses incurred in the administration of Zakat.

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