Page 19 - Zakat & Waqf: Impact on Women and Community Development

Zakat & Waqf: Impact on Women and Community Development | 9
© Zakat & Waqf: Impact on Women and Community Development
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governing state Zakat administration with the assistance of the Head
of State, who also serves as the Head of Islamic affairs. Only
recommendations can be made by the federal government; the states'
decision to accept or reject them rests with them. Given this, it is
difficult to assert that Malaysia's zakat administration is currently
institutionalised at the federal level. This has been a significant barrier
to Malaysia as a whole administering Zakat in a more organised and
efficient manner.

The diverse organisational structures that each state has adopted show
how independent each is to manage Islamic matters, including zakat.
The Council of the Religion's organisational charts show that each one
organises its administration according to its specific demands. There
may be some things that everyone has in common. For the
administration of Zakat, each council has a division or committee.
Each state's constitution and legislation, in Malaysia, have an impact
on who has the authority to administer Zakat. Each state has its own
legislation governing the management of Islamic matters, which
includes general provisions on the administration of Zakat.

The basic method of collecting zakat, i.e., through the designated staff,
recipients of zakat proceeds, and the risk of legal action for those who
hinder others from paying zakat but do not themselves pay zakat or
pay zakat through illegal means are all covered by these clauses, unless
specifically stated otherwise. Each state has different laws regarding
the severity of the penalties or prison terms that can be imposed for
such offences.

Not all state legislation on Islamic topics, meanwhile, is explicit in these
areas. As a result, it has been determined that Zakat regulations must
be created to outline specific processes for Zakat administration in
each state. However, enforcement is impossible if these regulations

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