KUALA LUMPUR: Distribution of zakat (tithe) should not be confined to overseas-bound students who want to pursue religious studies only.
Such a practice is unfair to other poor Muslim students who want to take up non-religious subjects, said Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
"At present, zakat allocations for poor students are confined to religious students, especially those bound for the Middle East. Very little is spent on students pursuing other subjects."
Muslims in Malaysia are weak not because there are not enough ustaz (religious teachers) but due to their failure to grasp strategic and critical sectors such as technology and bio-technology, he added.
Zakat is compulsory on all Muslims, and must be distributed to, among others, the hardcore poor, the poor, the new converts and those who strive for fisabilillah (the way of God), which include those who want to study for the betterment of Islam.
It is learnt that state religious authorities give between RM2,000 and RM4,000 annually to each eligible student pursuing Islamic courses in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and other Middle Eastern countries.
