The Palestinian Zakat committee starts to collect in Gaza

The Palestinian Zakat committee starts to collect in Gaza.

July 19, 20120 comments

Government Media Office
16/07/2012

The Head of the Board of Trustees of the Palestinian Zakat committee and the Gaza Minister of National Economy Dr Alaa Rafati today announced the launch of the Zakat law, in accordance with Palestinian law. In co-operation with the Ministry of finance they will start to collect the Zakat from companies and individuals at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. The Zakat will be collected using a computerized financial system, to ease the collection process.

Rafati said in a press conference at the Government Media Office in Gaza last Monday that under the law, the Committee has financial, administrative and legal independence, and the powers to do whatever is necessary to guarantee its goals are achieved.

He stated that the Committee targets all people and companies who have the quorum of Zakat, in an attempt to motivate them to perform this duty. He added, ‘From a religious point of view, the Zakat is compulsory for every Muslim.’

He noted that the Committee has recently been preparing all the necessary departments, whether at the executive, administrative or financial level, to work on collecting the Zakat. He advised that the office of the Committee is located in Alzaanoun building, near to Aljondi Almajhoul.

Rafati confirmed that the money of the Committee is totally independent from the government’s money. The Committee has its own computerized system, accounts, financial columns and budgets for the Zakat. They deposit the money in their own bank account.

He said that the Board of Trustees of the Committee actively worked to put in place the necessary laws to govern the work of the committee by contacting other Zakat committees throughout the Islamic and Arab world to benefit from their experience and activities in this field.

He said that implementing the law of Zakat during the Islamic ages fights poverty and establishes social solidarity and justice. It also prevents hatred and resentment by the poor toward the rich, and reduces social crimes.

The Minister observed that the formation of the committee was delayed because of the siege and the war.

He noted that the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) in Gaza passed Law 9 in 2008 to organize the process of collecting the Zakat by forming an independent committee.

The Palestinian Ministers Council passed Law 144 to form the Board of Trustees of the Palestinian Zakat committee, which includes a number of specialists in religious affairs, economics and management,in addition to a number of businessmen and charity workers.

Translation by Mukarram AbuAlouf

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