DUBAI, October 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The United Arab Emirates has banned schools from raising charitable donations without the consent of the government-controlled Red Crescent society, a newspaper reported Saturday, October 23.

Education Minister Ali Al-Sharhan has banned donations in cash or kind in both public and private schools without coordination with the Red Crescent, said the Al-Ittihad.

It did not say why the ban was imposed, but the move is in line with other steps and similar restrictions on fund-raising in neighboring Gulf states, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Charitable donations in Muslim countries usually surge during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Follow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Kuwait imposed similar restrictions barring any donations except through bank transfers.

"We have authorized the five main charity organizations and their 124 branches to collect donations. But this must be done through officially-stamped coupons authorizing deductions from the donors' bank accounts," said Nasser Al-Ammar, head of the Charity Societies Department at the ministry of social affairs.

Since the beginning of 2004, Saudi Arabia issued several regulatory resolutions that restricted the activities of charity institutions in the kingdom.

Al-Haramain Charity, the largest among Saudi charities, has been dissolved on October 5, 2004 and all its assets and funds have been transferred to the National Saudi Authority for Relief and Charities Abroad.