Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research
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.