.jpg "Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad speaks at the Tuanku Mizan Mosque in Putrajaya March 12, 2020. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Shafwan Zaidon")
KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — Under newly-minted religious affairs minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) have taken on the concept of Musaadah or charity to aid the country’s fight against Covid-19.
Yesterday, Zulkifli launched the #MusaadahCovid19 fund that he said would benefit frontliners, undertakers, and others involved with the pandemic, regardless of religion.
Up until yesterday, both agencies that are under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department and their various agencies have disbursed around RM25.6 million in the form of zakat funds as well as other items and necessities including food for the needy and medical equipment for the front-liners who are combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
Below is a list of how the funds have been disbursed by Jakim, Jawi and the various agencies and foundations under their wing. This list is exclusive to the two federal territory religious bodies and does not include what the state various level Islamic religious departments have done.
1. Early zakat disbursement
On March 19, the Federal Territories Islamic Council (MAIWP) released the RM9.67 million monthly zakat allowance to 24,196 asnaf or eligible recipients in the nation’s capital in stages. Normally, the monthly zakat allowance is banked in to the recipients accounts on the 25th of every month.
However, Zulkifli had instructed the council to disburse the funds earlier to ensure that the impoverished will not suffer further under the current situation.
Furthermore, two days later on March 21, MAIWP allocated a further RM12.1 million as a special zakat allocation to the same 24,196 recipients.
The body had also approved the donation of RM3.27 million worth of medical equipment to seven hospitals in Kuala Lumpur.
“The assistance granted is in the form of breathing assistance equipment BIPAP Machine (ICU) worth RM80,000 each; ICU ventilators worth RM150,000 per unit; home ventilators worth RM90,000 each; and other medical items worth between RM5,000 to RM20,000 each,” said a MAIWP press release.
On the same day, asnaf in Federal Territories of Labuan also received their zakat allowance instead of on March 25.
On March 24, MAIWP Zakat Collection Centre had donated another RM40,000 worth of Covid-19 screening and treatment equipment to the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya in a brief ceremony.
It also delivered food donations to be divided among the institute’s front-liners.
2. Food delivery to frontliners
For the past few days, the various foodbanks and agencies under Jakim and Jawi have also been very busy ferrying food to medical frontliners in the nation’s capital and administrative centre.
Since March 19, Jawi Foodbank together with Restoran Ali Maju have been sending food donations of around 100 packets a day to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). Among the items on their menu for the medical staff include fried rice and fried noodles.
Jawi Foodbank had also partnered up with Jawi Putrajaya to deliver 100 food packets donated by the foodbank’s strategic partners for Covid-19 front-liners in Putrajaya Hospital.
MAIWP too had done its part for the medical frontliners with its food donation for Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Hospital Canselor Tuanku Mukhriz. For 10 days, starting from March 21 to March 31 the council is sending 300 food packets to the two hospitals daily.
Not to be left out, the Islamic Economic Development Foundation’s (YaPEIM) Foodbank YaPEIM-Ready to Eat had also sent food packets for the medical staff at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.
3. Food donation for the needy
Through the collective efforts between Jakim and Jawi since March 19, the two government bodies and the various agencies under their umbrella dispersed RM500,550 to students and the impoverished in Kuala Lumpur.
The assistance generally comes in the form of cash donation and/or dried food donation.
Among the recipients include 150 students from Kolej Profesional Baitulmal in Kuala Lumpur involving funds from Federal Territories Zakat Collection Centre (RM20,000), MAIWP’s Taqwa Foundation (RM15,000), KPBKL Alumni (RM1,000) and RM150 from an unnamed individual.
The Taqwa Foundation had also donated RM19,500 for 90 students at Pusrawi International College of Medical Sciences for the purpose of their meals throughout the movement control order period.
On March 22, Zulkifli had also delivered RM328,900 to 598 public housing project residents on behalf of YaPEIM. The donation took the form of dried items worth RM300 and RM200 in cash and the ceremony was only a short one involving 12 resident representatives.
On March 23, YaPEIM and Jawi both had collectively donated RM66,000 worth of cash and dried items to 132 recipients from Putrajaya’s Zone 7.
Zulkifli, through the Wakaf, Zakat and Hajj Department (Jawhar) had also donated an unnamed sum for students and support staff at the Selangor International Islamic University Campus who are stuck in campus during the quarantine period.
That same body had also sent dried items worth RM300 and RM200 cash donation to 28 recipients from Pusat Dakwah Serantau in Bangi.
On March 24, Jawhar, Malaysia’s Wakaf Department and MAIWP’s Taqwa Foundation had donated RM500 each to 100 recipients identified by the Negri Sembilan Baitulmal Corporation.
