Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian Muslims donate about Rp 19.3 trillion (about US$2 billion) annually, but poor management prevents much of this money from really helping the poor, according to a researcher.

Chaider S. Bamualim, a lecturer and researcher at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN), said that while the Koran talked about social justice, this ideal was not always reflected in Muslim society.

"The religious principle of making donations is strong, but poor human resources make the donations ineffective. Also, the motivation for making donations is to be closer to God. It has to be focused on empowering the poor instead of mere charity," he said while reporting the results of a study he led on Islamic philanthropy during a seminar on Wednesday.

The study found that Islamic philanthropy in Indonesia is poorly organized and lacks public accountability and clear regulations.

While there are several Islamic organizations, including Bazis and Lazis, that have adopted modern philanthropy management techniques, they still lack consolidation and attention to human resources, Chaider said.

Most of the money donated by Muslims, however, is channeled through mosques, which do not have the management skills for dealing with such large amounts of money.

"The donations are given to the poor all at once. None of the money is held back and used to truly empower the poor," Chaider said.

Following the Islamic teaching that "the left hand must not know what the right hand gives", most people are secretive about their donations.

The study also found that Muslims tend to donate money only to fellow Muslims.

According to the study, another problem in the practice of Islamic philanthropy in the country is a lack of clear regulations, despite laws on wakaf and zakat (obligatory donations).

UIN Rector Azyumardi Azra said Islamic organizations here had an advantage over organizations in other countries in that they were more independent.

"In Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries, for example, organizations are nationalized and controlled by the government. Here, the Muslim community is free to manage and collect donations," Azyumardi said at the seminar.

Local Islamic philanthropic organizations, however, must do more to advance the interests of the people and to increase social justice.

For example, donations could be managed to pay street cleaners a regular salary.

"Philanthropic organizations should bridge the gap between the state and the grassroots. But they need to consolidate ...," Azyumardi said.

He said these organizations could also help teach people about their rights and duties in a democracy.