The two-day Zakat Fair 2024 began in Dhaka's Aloki Convention Centre with a call to the wealthy to contribute through zakat in order to eradicate poverty.
Zakat could be an ethics-based instrument to transform financial inclusion to financial empowerment of the poor, said eminent economist and former advisor to caretaker government Professor Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman while speckling at the inaugural seminar "CZM's Zakat-based Programs: A pioneering Innovation for Poverty Alleviation".
Centre for Zakat Management (CZM) organised the event with the theme of 'Making a Difference with zakat'.
Hossain Zillur Rahman said that globally financial inclusion is a popular term in the economy. "But zakat could play a major role in the case of financial empowerment of the poverty-stricken people".
Urging the zakat management authority to be more cautious about the management cost, he said, zakat could serve more people if management cost could be lowered.
With Md Shahjahan Mia, Prof Emeritus of University of Southern Queensland of Australia, in the chair, the inaugural function was addressed among others by former chief election commissioner Justice Abdur Rouf, former executive director of Bangladesh Bank Abdul Awal Sarker, deputy managing director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Dr Fazle Rabbi Sadek Ahmed, former secretary of the government Arastu Khan, and Islamic scholar Prof Mokhter Ahmed.
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A number of leading business houses including Rahimafrooz, Khadim Ceramics, Kohinoor Chemicals, Rahim Steel, South Bridge, Hajj Finance Company Limited, are sponsoring the Zakat Fair to facilitate people to know the details of business zakat calculation methods including the accurate calculation of personal zakat.
Zakat Fair will remain open for all from 9 am to 7 pm. It will have stalls of various financial and zakat institutions including a zakat consultation desk, and stalls of various Islamic books.
Justice Abdur Rouf said that zakat was introduced in Islam so that wealth accumulation only in the hands of a few wealthy people could be prevented.
Chief executive officer of CZM Dr Mohammad Ayub Mia said the organisation has so far had 15 lakh people in the last 15 years and now 12,000 people are regularly getting food support from the organisation.
Abdul Awal Sarker said if zakat is properly collected, there would be a fund of Tk 80,000 crore annually which would be enough to utilise in alleviating the country's poverty.
A total of six sessions will be held during this year's Zakat Fair.
A seminar on 'Importance of Zakat, Ushar and Waqf in Human Welfare' will be held for Khatibs and Imams at 11 am and a round table session on 'Role of Islamic Social Finance in Reducing Inequality' will be held in the afternoon on Sunday.
Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud, Chairman, Economic Research Group, will be present as the chief guest in the round table meeting to be chaired by Abdul Mueed Chowdhury, former advisor of caretaker government.
Former chief election commissioner Justice Muhammad Abdur Rauf, former minister M Nuruddin Khan, Emeritus Professor Dr. Shahjahan Khan, Islami Bank's Consultative Forum Vice Chairman AKM Nurul Bulbul and many other eminent personalities of the society are expected to attend the Zakat Fair as special guests and speakers.