Discussion Abstract
How to Promote Islamic Philanthropy for Social Justice
By Chaider S. Bamualim
In a country like Indonesia where the state fails to realize the nation’s goal to bring justice and prosperity to its people, the role of civil society is fundamental. Civil society can play a role in revitalizing the rich and potential third sector whose resources are huge. One of the potential resources is Islamic philanthropy. Research (PBB UIN, 2004-2005) has shown that Muslims in Indonesia pay around 19.3 trillion rupiah on religious obligations such as zakat, infak and sedekah annually. In the meantime, research has also discovered that the total value of national wakaf resources, which contain property, land, and moveable items, reaches 590 trillion rupiah.
Unfortunately, these resources are not managed in a proper way so that they cant function to provide much benefit to broader public interests. In other word, Islamic philanthropy institutions fail to fulfill their primary goal to bring prosperity to the nation and justice to disadvantaged people. The Research has shown that many opportunities for philanthropic funding are not being used optimally and the distribution of funding is often random/decentralized. There is a trend of a proliferation/propagation of philanthropic funding agencies which are not being coordinated at any level. Levels of accountability and transparency of the administration of zakat and waqaf funds are also in infancy stage. Efforts to raise these levels are insufficient, uncoordinated and therefore lacking in efficiency. This provides many opportunities for the mismanagement of philanthropic funds on all levels and society at large is largely unaware of, and incapable of involving themselves in, any supervision of philanthropic matters, i.e. of the money they themselves have donated.
There are three factors will be addressed:
Advocacy Remarks
How to Promote Islamic Philanthropy for Social Justice
By Chaider S. Bamualim
In a country like Indonesia where the state fails to realize the nation’s goal to bring justice and prosperity to its people, the role of civil society is fundamental. Civil society can play a role in revitalizing the rich and potential third sector whose resources are huge. One of the potential resources is Islamic philanthropy. Research (PBB UIN, 2004-2005) has shown that Muslims in Indonesia pay around 19.3 trillion rupiah on religious obligations such as zakat, infak and sedekah annually. In the meantime, research has also discovered that the total value of national wakaf resources, which contain property, land, and moveable items, reaches 590 trillion rupiah.
Unfortunately, these resources are not managed in a proper way so that they cant function to provide much benefit to broader public interests. In other word, Islamic philanthropy institutions fail to fulfill their primary goal to bring prosperity to the nation and justice to disadvantaged people. The Research has shown that many opportunities for philanthropic funding are not being used optimally and the distribution of funding is often random/decentralized. There is a trend of a proliferation/propagation of philanthropic funding agencies which are not being coordinated at any level. Levels of accountability and transparency of the administration of zakat and waqaf funds are also in infancy stage. Efforts to raise these levels are insufficient, uncoordinated and therefore lacking in efficiency. This provides many opportunities for the mismanagement of philanthropic funds on all levels and society at large is largely unaware of, and incapable of involving themselves in, any supervision of philanthropic matters, i.e. of the money they themselves have donated.
There are three factors will be addressed:
- Paradigm. Islamic philanthropy (zakat/infak/sedekah/wakaf) is
much seen as religious obligation/duty –which is Islamic,
personal, akhirat oriented— rather than civil/social income
system/asset which is social and public interest. This paradigm has
to be changed. How to change this?
- Politics. In a ‘secular’ state like Indonesia,
religion is restricted in public place; while Islam does not
acknowledge such church-state demarcation. This in many respects
creates tension between state and Muslims.
- Legal framework. Legal framework available is not comprehensive and adequate. All aspects of Islamic Philanthropy should be devised geared to empowerment of the poor and towards social justices for all.
Advocacy Remarks
- The creation of a new conceptual framework
(paradigm/philosophy) and practical strategy (blue print) including
vision, mission and resources redistribution plan and
accountability. How to promote the utilization of philanthropic/ZIS
resources for public benefit? Zakat funds ought to be placed in a
national civil income system and legislation is needed to
facilitate this. Improved systems of accountability and
transparency are needed to reach public trust.
- How to do with initiatives and efforts to convince donors that
zakat resources are not used to benefit ‘matters
Islamic’ in the traditional sense only, but that these
resources can also be used to the advantages of broader segments of
society and a wider variety of public interests.
- The creation of legal framework to provide Islamic philanthropic institutions with opportunities to function and coordinate to be able to promote social justice. Zakat Law no. 38, 1999 to be amended as it is deemed inadequate to regulate philanthropy institutions. Is it possible to transform it into the national taxation system/law? (How to integrate zakat issue into Tax Law No.16 Tahun 2000 on Ketentuan Umum dan Tata Cara Perpajakan?)