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Compared to the previous four years, the amount of donations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the zakat fund has risen to a record amount in 2020. The agency’s latest Islamic philanthropy report found that they raised ৬ 81.5 million in the fund in 2020. Which is much higher than in previous years. The money has been distributed to 2 million refugees around the world.
In 2016-2017, more than 34,000 people received assistance from the company’s zakat fund. But last year, around 21 lakh of disadvantaged people benefited from money raised through zakat, sadaqa and sadaqa. According to the UNHCR report, 12.5% more zakat was collected in 2020 than in 2019, and the number of beneficiaries increased by 59%. According to the report, in 2020, 20 percent of UNHCR’s cooperation activities in 10 countries were financed by the zakat fund.
More than half of the world’s refugees and asylum seekers are in OIC countries, the agency said. In total, the number of refugees in the world exceeds 60 million. They had to face more difficult situations during the Corona epidemic. In such a situation, UNHCR views the increase in donations to the zakat fund as positive. The need for humanitarian assistance has increased due to the socioeconomic impact of the epidemic, according to the report. The generosity of various individuals and organizations in our zakat fund at this time was also incredible.
The way this money is spent
The UN agency’s zakat fund is spent primarily on Rohingya refugees and Syrian refugees. Refugees from the wars in Yemen and Iraq also receive help with this money.
Most of the Rohingya fleeing Myanmar have taken refuge in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. There are also Rohingyas in several other countries, including India. About 4 million people displaced by the Syrian civil war have taken refuge in Turkey. Millions of people live in Yemen and Iraq.
Kutum Mostafa Sano, general secretary of the OIC Fiqh International Academy, said the Muslim community had responded to UNHCR’s zakat fund, especially during this difficult time in Corona. However, the actual demand is many times higher.
The way the money is raised
UNHCR uses special software to finance its zakat and campaigns on the Internet, including on social media. In Ramadan 2020, his initiative called ‘Every Gift Counts’ received a great response. More than 41,000 people responded to the initiative.
They have a mobile application called ‘Givjakat’. Through which the person or organization will be able to calculate the amount of Zakat in a short time. According to the company’s report, donors will be able to find out where and how zakat is spent through this app. Additionally, one-time grants and monthly donations can be provided through this app. In addition, various fatwas can also be verified on the zakat fund of the company.
The UN body consults Muslim academics on the financing of zakat. In 2020, the Fiqh International Islamic Academy of the Jeddah-based OIC and the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Mecca-based Muslim World League issued two fatwas on zakat. The report indicates that both agencies have duly acknowledged the collection and distribution of zakat by UNHCR.
UNHCR says that despite a record increase in zakat harvesting in 2020, at least £ 2.7 billion is needed this year. This amount is needed to help refugees in countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Mauritania, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Iran, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Somalia.
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