By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, December 4 (IslamOnline) - Indonesia has potential to collect over Rp 1.8 trillion (Rp8900 = 1.00 US$), of zakat money if Muslims of the country contributed fully as expected at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Professor Dr Suwito MA, an Islamic scholar and expert in Islamic social affairs said it was a huge amount of money that could be collected every single year and it could contribute largely to the betterment of life in the country, news agencies reported on Tuesday, December 3.

He urged Muslim authorities in the country as well as the government to consider collecting the zakat from every single individual who are eligible.

“I urge the proper authorities to weight the importance of it, since this money could be used to assist the Muslims in development in the future,” said the professor as reported Antara news website.

Suwito calculated that every single Indonesians eligible to pay the Zakat could contribute less than two U.S. dollars every year at the end of the holy month of fasting.

Indonesia has a large population of Muslims that makes up to 85 percent of its estimated 212 million people.

Suwito said the little amount of money contributed by every individual could be used extensively to better the lives of the poor and needy in the economically embattled nation.

In several provinces of Indonesia, zakat fita is collected by the Bait-Ul-Maal office, which then distributes it to the poor or uses the funds for educational and other Islamic purposes.

In Oil rich Riau Islands, which has a gross population of less than 5 million people, zakat contribution is very high due to the fact that most of the people earn large salaries.

Most of the money is used to improve the existing Islamic schools if the money is not channeled to those in need of assistance for educational or even business purpose.

In the Java Island, the two largest Islamic organizations, the Muhammadiyah and the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) also collect the zakat fitr.

The funds are used exclusively to assist the poor in these hard times when the economy of the Java Island is at its lowest ebb, sources said.

Indonesian Muslims take very seriously the action of giving away the zakat fitr at the end of Ramadan, with many well off individuals or families contributing willingly to the local mosques and Islamic schools.

“In Java, it is not difficult to find individuals or organizations that collects the fitr money, which is an Islamic obligation on every single working Muslims,” Abdul Majed, working in a hotel in Jakarta said.

He added that it would be a good idea to have a central body where the zakat fitr would be collected but said he preferred the old ways off his grand parents who would go around town to find who deserves the fitr.

“It reinforces the spirit of brotherhood and make us feel the pain of others when we are doing well and our other Muslim neighbors are not,” he added.

Other experts on Islamic issues, besides Suwito are also debating the issue of a central body where the funds would be collected and channeled into several sectors to assist Muslims.

They say zakat fitr money could be used to help Muslims develop strong businesses in the country.

With strong businesses, Muslims will have jobs openings and this will help stem several social ills that have crept into the country due to economic slow down since the last decade.

Suwito said this is only about zakat fitr whereas the zakat maal itself could represent a huge amount of money.