A

ll Muslims are obliged to pay zakat (alms) before Idul Fitri, which falls on Aug. 30 this year.

In the past, many people have preferred to pay alms in cash directly to their local mosque. But now private organizations and the government are offering new services to help Muslims make donations.

One foundation, Dompet Dhuafa (Wallet for the Poor), says it is willing to collect donations from donors’ homes or offices, and also accepts bank transfers.

“We have pick-up services, SMS banking and bank transfer services,” Y. Setiawan, an officer from Dompet Dhuafa, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The organization is just one of several major organizations that collect and channel the annual obligatory annual alms from Muslims.

The government also has its own body, called Bazis (Alms and Donation Agency), but more and more people are putting their faith in private foundations that have more credibility. “I prefer to pay my obligations through charity foundations because they seem more trustworthy,” said Lutfi Safari, when asked whether she would consider using the government’s agency.

Muslims are required to pay zakat mal (obligatory alms amounting to 2.5 percent of their annual income) and zakat fitrah (alms equivalent to 3.5 kilograms of staple food paid at the end of Ramadhan).

On its official website, Dompet Dhuafa provides a one-stop alms service for web surfers, presenting them with alms definitions, calculations, guides and quick payment steps, allowing visitors to donate from the comfort of their own homes.

Such services are in line with their mission of increasing the public’s participation in charity by making philanthropy part of society.

“We also have counters in malls and offices,” Setiawan said.

According to its official report, the foundation received more than Rp 30 billion (US$ 3.51 million) in zakat last year. It said it regularly published its accountability reports in national newspapers.

The traditional way of paying alms is by taking cash or rice to the nearest mosque. The mosque management then distributes the donations to the local poor and needy.

But the recent rise in popularity of such alms facilitators has resulted in mosques receiving fewer donations.

“Not many people pay zakat here,” Ahmad Suandi an activist at Al-Istikmal mosque in South Jakarta said.

He said the mosque management had decided to take a passive approach to collection alms, although it knew that it could reap more in donations if it went around the local neighbourhood requesting donations. (awd)