Noted religious scholars welcome ruling on 'zakat'

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While praising the government's decision to make the Muslim religious obligation to pay zakat tax deductible, religious scholars differed on whether or not the same ruling should be extended to other religions groups.

Catholic priest and intellectual Mudji Sutrisno welcomed the ruling, saying that charity should be translated into concrete action and not just be confined to lip-service.

"I think it's a good idea. I fully support it if it's done to benefit the poor. But it would be better if the ruling were to be fully implemented," Mudji said in an interview with The Jakarta Post on Friday.

However, he disagreed if the ruling were to be applied to other religious groups, arguing that such a move would be tantamount to the state interfering in religious affairs.

"Every religion has alms-giving as part of its beliefs. To make it an obligation is intervening in the charitable duty. Alms should come from sincerely-held beliefs and conscience. It does not need to be enshrined in law, Mudji said

Meanwhile, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat, who is also the chairman of the Islamic studies foundation Paramadina, argued that although alms-giving was a personal religious matter, as the alms that were collected were used for public purposes, such regulation was therefore needed.

Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Husein Al Munawar recently announced that zakat would become fully tax deductible next year.

Zakat are donations to charity that all Muslims are obliged by their religion to give each year, and should amount to 2.5 percent of each individual's total annual net income.

Almost immediately after Minister Said Agil announced the new ruling last month, people from other religious groups demanded the same treatment, arguing that other religions also had to encourage their followers to give alms.

But according to Mudji, the government should draw a clear distinction between religion and the state.

"Indonesia's Constitution is not based on religious rules but rather pluralism. Therefore, don't include religious laws in the state law," Mudji stressed.

He suggested that what the government should do now was to encourage people to be more honest in paying their religious obligations, and to ensure the professional management of the funds in favor of the needy.

Komaruddin, however, backed the idea of state regulation, saying that zakat and the paying of taxes served similar purposes, namely to empower and help low-income people. Therefore, a government role was needed in regulating it and popularizing it in society.

"The funds collected from zakat could serve as a national resource if they were managed carefully. They could help the government in its efforts to alleviate poverty. So, state recognition is needed," Komarrudin noted.

As for applying the new ruling to other religions, Komaruddin said that all religions were free to draw up similar schemes.

"There are Directorates General for Christians and other religions in the Ministry of Religious Affairs. They can also submit similar ideas. Why not?," Komaruddin said, adding that the policy was in no way discriminatory.

"Islam is the religion of the majority here. So, it will not only benefit us but also others," he added.

He admitted that the management of zakat within the Muslim community itself still left a lot to be desired. Consequently, Muslims only paid it as a mere obligation rather than as part of concrete programs, such as the empowerment of the poor.

In order to prevent misappropriation of zakat funds, Komaruddin suggested that the organizations authorized to collect and manage the funds be required to submit to auditing by public accountants.