The Jakarta Post - Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research

The Jakarta Post - Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research: "Islamic philantrophy fails to help the poor: Research
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian Muslims donate about Rp 19.3 trillion (about US$2 billion) annually, but poor management prevents much of this money from really helping the poor, according to a researcher.
Chaider S. Bamualim, a lecturer and researcher at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN), said that while the Koran talked about social justice, this ideal was not always reflected in Muslim society.
'The religious principle of making donations is strong, but poor human resources make the donations ineffective. Also, the motivation for making donations is to be closer to God. It has to be focused on empowering the poor instead of mere charity,' he said while reporting the results of a study he led on Islamic philanthropy during a seminar on Wednesday"