CAIRO: The Islamic Research Center said on Thursday that no Muslim is obliged to deliver zakat money through the government. The Research Center's statement was a response to a draft law which the government referred to the Center for advice. The proposed law would have zakat money (a fixed sum which is compulsory alms to the poor in Islam) be under the control of the finance ministry, which will be charged with distributing it. "The law didn't make it to the People's Assembly (PA), said Sheikh Mahmoud Megahed, MP and member of the religious affairs committee. "We have to accept the decision of the Islamic Research Center, he added, saying that he now expects the government to "kill the proposed law. Last week, National Democratic Party MP Alam Al-Din Al-Sakhawy, who was the first to table the law, suggested that the government's involvement in zakat distribution "to achieve social solidarity. Abdel Fattah Al-Sheikh, chairman of the committee at the Islamic Research Center charged with examining the law, told the media last week, that the proposal would have put Muslims in a difficult position. "If the proposal had gone through, people would be obliged to disclose their actual income to the government because zakat money can only be calculated if the exact salaries are known. "This situation will create uneasiness among the public, Al-Sheikh said, citing it as the main reason for rejecting the law. Al-Sheikh also said that in case Muslims decide to pay their zakat money to poor relatives, which is allowed in Islam, the law would have also meant that they should provide the government with reports about the status of their poor relatives which could be a source of embarrassment.
