Zakat billions out of mosques surveillance

Each year, mosques collect billions of Fitr Zakat money starting from mid-Ramadan to distribute them on needy people while there are no exact figures from religious affairs provincial departments.

This year Fitr Zakat was fixed at 100 DZ per person. The money shall be put in Zakat funds at mosques then minutes would be prepared in presence of imams, residents and mosque commissions.

In each fasting month of Ramadan, Muslims give a sum to poor people as Fitr Zakat shortly before Eid El Fitr.

The religious affairs ministry does not have exact figures about Zakat money as the operation is not fully tracked.

Economists criticize the ministry for not putting a mechanism to collect Zakat money.

Professor Malek Serai believes that it is difficult to get exact figures because the collection operation is limited in mosques only.

He suggests to create a Zakat Fund as an independent institution.

Former adviser at the ministry Ada Felahi says Zakat money value has never been calculated as religious affairs departments have never had exact figures.

“Even former minister Bouabdallah Ghoulamallah did not obtain figures about Fitr Zakat money,” he told Echorouk.

Chairman of Imams’ National Council Djamel Ghoul said the ministry does not follow up the collection operation and relies on mosques to do that.