Muslims 'dig deeper for charity'

Jakarta, NU Online
Indonesian Muslims have become more aware of their obligation to give alms (zakat) and have been donating more, according to a survey released Wednesday (4/6).

The survey, conducted by the Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center (PIRAC), showed that Muslims' awareness of their obligation to give to the poor had risen by 5.2 percent, up to 55 percent in 2007 from 49.8 percent in 2004.<>

The survey, conducted in December 2007, involved about 2,000 respondents from Medan, North Sumatra; Padang, West Sumatra; Jakarta; Bandung, West Java; Semarang, Central Java; Surabaya, East Java; Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Makassar, South Sulawesi; and Manado, North Sulawesi.

Donors gave an average of Rp 684,550 each in 2007, an increase of 64.55 percent from Rp 416,000 in 2004.

"The increases in public awareness and the amount of donations are a positive development for the obligatory donation," said PIRAC researcher Hamid Abidin as quoted by The Jakarta Post.

He said alms collection organizations were fully supported by the government through donation laws that promote the program.

According to the survey, conducted every three years, the number of respondents claiming to be donors rose to 95.5 percent in 2007 from 94.4 percent in 2004.

The most active donors by occupation are civil servants (91.6 percent). The least active are fishermen and farmers (25 percent).

Most donors distribute their alms to local mosques (59 percent). Other donate directly to recipients (25 percent), to appointed obligatory donation organizations (6 percent), to other obligatory donation organizations (1.2 percent), to foundations (3 percent) or to other charitable bodies (3.5 percent).

"The survey also showed that people's low purchasing power due to the economic crisis did not reduce the amount of donations in the period of 2004 to 2007," Hamid said.

Hamid said that based on these findings, the total amount of obligatory donations was estimated at around Rp 9.09 trillion in 2007, up from Rp 4.45 trillion in 2004.

"That means Indonesian Muslims could actually be an alternative source of funds to support the government in resolving the country's social problems," he added.

The survey said mandatory alms donations could also be used to solve social problems, including child abuse and oppression, as well as helping the eight mandatory recipients (the poor, the needy, slaves, debtors, Muslim combatants, travelers, recent converts to Islam and donation organizations) stipulated in religious teachings.

Sri Adi Bramasetia, deputy director of the National Humanitarian Foundation and member of the Obligatory Donation Forum (FOZ), agreed Muslims in Indonesia had the ability to provide that kind of support.

"Some 87 percent of Indonesia's population is Muslim. Based on the PIRAC survey, it is possible for Muslims to help the country more, by giving not only cash but also knowledge," Sri said. (dar)