In the name of religion

When did we forget what Zakat actually means? When did the month of Ramadan become a ostentatious show of wealth and affluence? This month is supposed to be a period of introspection, a time spent in quiet devotion to the Almighty. However, over the years, our tendency to express our nobility and goodness to the whole world seems to have taken over any intention of genuine goodwill that might creep in during this holy month. 

Our country is now a low-middle income country and yet, 27 people were killed in a stampede resulting from a so-called Zakat distribution at a wealthy tobacco owner's factory in Mymensingh. Do we even need to point out the irony of this statement? Try as we may, we fail to understand the reason and motive behind Mohammad Shamim's desire to organise a 'Zakat distribution ceremony', whereby a gate to his factory was opened, in the wee hours of the morning, to let poor people in and collect the free clothing distributed there. In short, Shamim thought that his 'good deed' needed the validation of everyone who cared to notice. 

Some were quick to blame the poor people who assembled there in hopes of free clothes, a small bit of happiness that we, the privileged, cannot even comprehend. Have we forgotten what the month of Ramadan is all about? By staying hungry the whole day, we are supposed to feel only a portion of the sufferings and pain that poverty stricken people are forced to face during the whole year. Instead of empathising with them, even in this month, we treat them with derision and disgust. Instead of being humbled by our fast and seeing the poor with renewed respect, we, like Shamim's factory workers feel that they should be verbally abused or physically assaulted. 

Interestingly, Islam strictly prohibits the ridicule and humiliation of people who seek Zakat. In fact, Islamic scholars have maintained that one needs to ensure that they personally hand over Zakat to those entitled to it. When you throw clothing or other items at people seeking Zakat, you see them as lesser beings. When you scream at them and call them names, you have decided that they are not worthy of your respect or time. Thus, anyone who is guilty of being abusive or offensive just because they are paying Zakat, don't truly understand the meaning of this deeply spiritual exercise. They are charitable only because they are socially expected to be so during this month or for some innate fear of the unknown. Love for the poor or the Almighty, therefore, does not feature in their actions. 

We can't be complacent or think that this was a one-off incident with no basis in the past. According to a newspaper report, 251 people died in Zakat-related accidents in the last 35 years. One of the first incidents was reported in 1980, when 13 people, including children, died in a similar disaster. Even as recently as last year, two people reportedly died in Barisal in the chaos ensuing during Zakat distribution. Says something about us as a society, doesn't it? 

In countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, national Zakat boards formed by the government are responsible to collect Zakat funds and distribute them accordingly. This is a prevalent Zakat collection system in many countries around the world. According to the Zakat Fund Ordinance 1982, a Zakat fund was supposed to be formed in Bangladesh which would "consist of voluntary payment of Zakat by Muslims." The Ordinance further stated that the "money credited to the fund would be kept in non-bearing accounts" of scheduled banks. In fact, a Zakat board has been in place in the country since 1982. Despite being in operation for 31 years, since its inception only Tk 13 crore has been deposited in the fund managed by the board. In order to ensure proper Zakat distribution, a strong, functioning, active national Zakat board is of utmost importance.  

Islamic scholars in the country have proposed the idea of transferring Zakat funds through bank accounts. As almost every person capable of paying Zakat owns a bank account, the bank could have a method of collecting Zakat from individual accounts and distributing it to appropriate poverty alleviation projects. 

A report by the Islamic Research Centre stated that if Zakat were to be properly and systematically collected from 20 lakh wealthy individuals of the country, then the Zakat fund would amount to around Tk 10,000 crore. Imagine the wealth of good that could be done through proper management and distribution of such an impressive fund. Now, it's up to us, the stable, well-to-do Bangladeshis to decide whether we really want the poor to not just sustain but flourish both economically and socially or we'd prefer to continue to treat the month of Ramadan and Zakat as just another excuse to show off our wealth and the "goodness" of our mighty hearts. 

The writer is a journalist at The Daily Star.