The world of national zakat was shaken by the release of the “List of 108 Institutions That Have Conducted Zakat Management Without Regulations Permits” on January 20, 2023, by the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag). This Ministry of Religion step is surprising because it is counterproductive and contradicts efforts to increase public trust in zakat institutions to optimize the potential of national zakat funds to accelerate poverty reduction.
The release of 108 unpermitted institutions, all of which are amil zakat institutions (LAZ), is a negative campaign for LAZ formed by civil society. Even though zakat institutions on the list have been established for a long time, even long before the commencement of Law no. 23/2011, effective since 2016 as the new LAZ licensing regime. They are generally widely known by the public, trusted, and have high credibility, as evidenced by the muzakki’s trust and consistent collection of funds, which continues to increase occasionally, regardless of licensing issues.
