Ministry of Islamic Affairs has revealed it has distributed over USD 406,000 as Zakat Al-Fitr. The ministry stated the amount collected from the Greater Male' Region and the atolls were distributed before the Eid Al-Fitr prayer.
Zakat is an annual payment under Islamic law on certain kinds of property and used for charitable and religious purposes. The ministry accepted Zakat during the month of Ramadan, during which it received USD 436,800 from 164,392 residents in the Greater Male' Region. Of the total amount received, the ministry distributed USD 406,000 to the poor and needy and provided USD 30,800 to state care centres.
The ministry stated the Greater Male' Region has 1,498 people registered as poor this year of which 1,494 were provided with Zakat, which comes down to USD 272 per person. Furthermore, the ministry stated 1,472 people were provided the funds via their bank accounts and 22 were provided the funds through other means.