The Sunni Muslims, popularly known as Barelvi sect, in Mumbai fund a well-knit network of madrasas in north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A group of youth from among them has floated an outfit under the banner of Sunni Islah Committee (SIC). It has launched a reform movement to educate the Muslim about the loopholes in the Zakat collection system and widespread misuse of Zakat by certain vested interests.
A substantial portion of Zakat is collected for these madrasas out of which a major share never reaches the concerned madrasas. It is either siphoned off by the middlemen or is spent on non-essentials. According to Mohammed Hanif, the founder of the SIC, a Zakat contributor is not aware about the end use of the Zakat nor he is made aware about the most deserving category for Zakat.
SIC through an outdoor campaign created awareness amongst Muslims to donate Zakat preferably to their poor relatives. Posters educating Muslims about the sayings of Prophet Mohammed (SAW), "Your relatives deserve more your goodness” were plastered outside the mosques this year.
Handbills informed that even non-dependent relative such as brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, etc., can receive the Zakat if they in need of financial help. “Because of the propaganda by the madrasas lobby, the Zakat which should go to poor relatives is diverted to madrasas whose number is mushrooming in the North”, said Hanif. “SIC efforts are targeted at educating Muslims that Zakat should reach the hand of the most deserving instead of professional Zakat collectors who take away commission to the tune of 40 per cent of the total collection”, he added.
SIC volunteers were on high alert in Mumbai during Ramazan trying to spot the Zakat-cheaters. They in fact exposed a couple of fraud cases and handed them to police. The banners displayed in Muslim majority localities generated the awareness amongst the Muslim.
They involved educated youth and used technology in creating awareness. Blogs, sms, social networking sites to sound the alarm.
The outcome of the campaign, according to the SIC, is that a substantial portion of the Zakat was diverted to the poor and needy relatives of the Zakat contributors. Many of the professional Zakat collectors whom Islamic Voice spoke to, confess that their collection this year is down to 40 per cent as compared to previous year.
According to Hanif, SIC is not against contributing Zakat to the madrasas but only aiming to cleanse the collection and disbursement process so that genuine madrassas get benefitted.
SIC conducted field work to detect the dubious and spurious madrasas and circulated the list amongst the philanthropists and businessmen, lest they fall prey to the glib talk of the Zakat fraudsters from North India.
The reform movement within the Sunni sect is on, since 2001. A number of groups from within are working simultaneously targeting the slew of un-Islamic practices. Unlike past, these reform groups have not severed their ties with the Sunni sect. By being proactive in the religious gathering of the Sunnis, these groups are subtly creating awareness about the un-Islamic practices in vogue in the society.
Another group within the Sunnis is actively educating the locals about the Islamic practices in the month of Moharram. Due to their efforts the corrupt practices that have come to be associated with Moharram have come down considerably in certain Sunnis dominated areas in south Mumbai. The resources wasted on these activities are now utilised for helping the poor and needy and for education and health care. Another reformist group targets bars serving liquor as well as dance bars. Many of the youths including bar dancers have mended their ways because of their efforts.
No doubt the activities of these reform groups are few and not enough to bring in any revolutionary changes in the behaviour or outlook of the Muslims. But it certainly marks the initial step.
