ISLAMABAD: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in its 2022 annual Islamic Philanthropy report, says over $23.6 million in Zakat funds were received by the Refugee Zakat Fund in the year 2021 and more than 687,000 refugees and internally displaced people in 13 countries, including Pakistan, were assisted through the amount.

The report, released on Wednesday, said that hundred per cent Zakat distribution policy was pursued in the year 2021, assisting more than 1.2 million vulnerable beneficiaries. Similarly, over $11.7m in Sadaqah funds helped more than 596,000 beneficiaries in 10 countries.

UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund distribution activities impacted lives of more than 1.2m beneficiaries in 14 countries. Generous Zakat and Sadaqah donations were received from institutional and individual donors.

For the third year in a row, Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah bin Thani Al Thani Fund provided a sizeable portion of these donations, the report said.

In April 2019, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al Thani made a landmark Zakat contribution in support of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and displaced Yemenis through the fund.

This was the largest contribution the UNHCR had ever received from an individual donor and the first major Zakat contribution of its kind in the organisation’s history.

The report said that several Islamic institutions and organisations provided additional endorsement to the governance and compliance of UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund during 2021. The Muslim World League’s Islamic Fiqh Council, Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy, the International Sharia Research Academy (ISRA), and the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI) issued fatwas, further authorising UNHCR to receive and distribute Zakat among refugees and IDPs.

Additionally, the Fiqh Majlis of Canada endorsed the receipt and distribution of Zakat towards UNHCR’s Aiming Higher Education Scholarships Programme.

In 2022, the UNHCR needs $8.99 billion to assist an expected 102.6 million refugees, IDPs and other people of concern (POCs), out of which $3.1 billion is needed in Zakat and Sadaqah to help 24.8 million refugees and IDPs. This year’s campaigns including Ramadan, Dhul Hijjah and winter will continue to be key drivers towards increasing the impact of Islamic philanthropy on the lives of vulnerable refugees and IDPs around the world.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2022