SHAH ALAM, Oct 20 (Bernama) -- The Selangor Zakat Board (Zakat Selangor) today launched its year-end ‘Kerana Zakat’ campaign, with the slogan ‘Kita Peduli’, to reach out to more than 82,000 families comprising the poor, needy and mualaf (converts to Islam) across the state.
Zakat Selangor chief executive officer Mohd Khaidzir Shahari said the campaign, running from October to December, encourages Muslims to fulfil their zakat obligations before the end of the year to ensure continued welfare assistance for those in need, while benefiting from income tax rebates for the 2026 Year of Assessment.
“This sense of care is a shared responsibility. Zakat payers fulfil their obligations, while Zakat Selangor manages the trust placed in it to ensure the benefits reach those entitled to receive them.
“Through zakat, we can work together to help the asnaf improve their lives and build a better future,” he told reporters after the campaign launch ceremony, which was also attended by Zakat Selangor chief corporate and special projects officer Ariffa Ariffin at Hotel Concorde here today.
Mohd Khaidzir said Zakat Selangor was on track to meet its targets as of last month, but the final quarter of this year would be the key determinant of whether collections would be higher or lower than those recorded in the corresponding quarter last year.
He said Zakat Selangor had distributed more than RM750 million in zakat funds collected from January to September through various forms of assistance and asnaf development programmes.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Mohd Khaidzir witnessed the exchange of strategic cooperation documents for the Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR) programme between Zakat Selangor and Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB), represented by its chief executive officer Abdul Hamid Abdullah.
Under the collaboration, Zakat Selangor will combine the RM20,000 government subsidy provided through SPNB with zakat funding to rebuild dilapidated homes belonging to asnaf or homes damaged by disasters. The estimated cost of each house ranges from RM70,000 to RM90,000.
“Through our collaboration with SPNB, we are leveraging its expertise in assisting the B40 (bottom 40 per cent income group) through the RMR programme. Zakat Selangor is pleased to work with SPNB, which will serve as the contractor for building homes for asnaf in need.
“As an initial step, two pilot houses are targeted for construction this quarter, subject to the stipulated criteria and eligibility requirements. By combining the subsidy with zakat funds, we can provide much more comfortable homes at a significantly lower cost than building them independently,” he said.
Earlier, Zakat Selangor also hosted more than 180 media practitioners at its Sepetang Bersama Media event to strengthen cooperation in disseminating information on zakat and related initiatives to the public.
-- BERNAMA