If everything is online, why can’t Zakat be online? AMP Launches India’s first Zakat crowdfunding platform
Mumbai, 24 th April 2020: Amid the Covid – 19 crisis, Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Mumbai based
NGO, launched IndiaZakat.com, a unique Crowdfunding Platform to connect Zakat givers with Zakat collectors across India.
With most Muslims giving Zakat in Ramzan, and with the lockdown due to the current Covid-19 crisis, IndiaZakat is a perfect platform that ensures that Zakat would reach the deserving as per the requirements of the Zakat giver, while maintaining the norms of social distancing. IndiaZakat has drawn inspiration from similar centralized Zakat
collection and disbursement platforms as well as crowdfunding platforms across the world.
IndiaZakat is a transparent platform that will connect the Zakat givers all over India to the various NGOs, – educational institutions and other bodies that collect and utilize Zakat in a strategic manner towards overall upliftment of the lower strata of society.
The intent behind the platform is to reach about 10 million Indians and help them through education, skill development, employment and entrepreneurship; thereby enabling them to rise to a level where they stand on their own feet and start positively contributing to society, thereby helping build a better India!
Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam. Every Muslim who has wealth above a particular level for a year is expected to compulsorily donate 2.5% of his wealth to the poorer sections of society. Most of the people pay zakat during the month of Ramzan, but they do so on an individual basis. Such unorganized disbursement has not resulted in any
sustainable solution to economic backwardness of Muslim community. The community lags behind in all socio-economic parameters in India despite having the best poverty alleviation tool.
According to a survey done by AMP in 2019 among nearly 4,600 individuals across nearly 200 cities in India, it was found that more than 60% of the people donate to same set of individuals every year. There is no specific focus on the donation. Interestingly, a vast majority of respondents also believes that there should be collective donation, and that collective zakat has the potential to transform lives.
Zakat is a mandatory charity which Muslims are obliged to pay on their wealth every year @ 2.50%. Most of the people pay zakat during the month of Ramzan, but they do so on an individual basis. Therefore, Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), has taken an initiative for consolidating zakat collection and disbursement through online system by leveraging digital technology. It launched a zakat crowdfunding platform, first of its kind in India,
in the name of IndiaZakat.com at the onset of holy month of Ramzan on 24th April 2020.
The main objective of this initiative is to transform today’s zakat seeker into tomorrow’s zakat giver. Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) is a Platform for all Muslim professionals and volunteers to share their knowledge, intellect, experience and skills for the overall development of not just the Muslim Community but also the society at large, and further empowering Muslims in educational, social and economic front of life.
AMP is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 of India (Reg. No. 2011 G. B. B. S. D 3001) and is one such institution which strives to empower Muslim Community through its various activities of educational and economic empowerment.
