As zakat collection units, KUAs, besides bolstering alms collection nationwide, would also help enhance Islamic financial literacy among Muslims
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Religious Affairs Ministry will authorize religious affairs offices (KUAs) at the local level to collect zakat (Islamic alms) funds to optimize the collection of Islamic alms and donations throughout the country.

The ministry's director general of Islamic community guidance, Kamaruddin Amin, said that his side is intensifying communication with the National Alms Agency (Baznas) to ensure KUAs are ready to serve as zakat collection bodies soon.

"There is one thing that I am intensively discussing with colleagues at Baznas right now, which is to make KUAs, with its massive numbers nationwide, as a zakat collector unit," Amin said at the Zakat Wakaf Impact Forum event, which was followed from here on Wednesday.

He added that authorizing KUAs to collect zakat is consistent with the ministry's effort to optimize the offices as hubs of religious services.

As zakat collection units, KUAs, besides bolstering alms collection nationwide, would also help enhance Islamic financial literacy among Muslims, he said.

"KUA is a place with high intensity of residents' activities. There are large numbers of religious figures and assistants at KUAs, and they will be our literacy agents," the director general added.

Amin said that the authorities need to promote knowledge about Islamic alms among residents to address the current low literacy level regarding zakat and waqf (endowment) among Muslims, even those with university education.

Literacy on Islamic alms has a big influence in encouraging more residents to perform their alms obligation, he added.

"This is our challenge. Hence, it is one of our directorate general's priority programs. I encourage alms and endowment agencies throughout Indonesia to help increase zakat and waqf literacy among Muslims," Amin said.

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Translator: Sean Muhamad, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Arie Novarina
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