Publication

K4D Helpdesk Report

Using Zakat for International Development

Published on 23 March 2018

This review focuses on Zakat, a particular form of almsgiving within Islam. The value of Zakat is estimated to range from US$ 200 billion to US$ 1 trillion per annum across the world (Stirk, 2015) or around US$ 187 million among countries in the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (Shaikh, 2016). Therefore, interest in mobilising Zakat for poverty alleviation in Muslim majority countries as well as for international development is rising. Zakat is an important source of funding for Muslim humanitarian organisations which operate across the globe. However, de-risking, a term coined in the banking sector to reduce the risk of money laundering and funding of terrorism by blocking international transactions or raising the criteria for processing them, is the most serious challenge faced by Zakat collecting Muslim charities.

Cite this publication

Ismail, Z. (2018) Using Zakat for International Development. K4D Helpdesk Report. Birmingham UK: University of Birmingham.

Publication details

published by
Institute of Development Studies
authors
Ismail, Zenobia
language
English

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