On Tuesday, the Maldives' Islamic Affairs Minister Shaheem Ali Saeed announced that his government has initiated efforts to donate food to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who are facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
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Arrangements to deliver the donation to the territory besieged by Israel began under the instructions of President Mohamed Muizzu and through the Zakat fund, a kind of charitable contribution from wealth dictated by the Quran, according to a publication by Saeed on the X platform.
On the initiative, a Ministry of Islamic Affairs official assured the Sun newspaper that more details would be shared soon and expressed hope to deliver the food to Gaza as soon as possible.
Coming from Arabic, Zakat means to purify and is one of the five pillars of Islam, so fulfilling it is a religious duty for Muslims.
It should also contribute to the pursuit of social justice and poverty alleviation, so the amount collected will go to orphans, widows, the indebted and others in need.
In January this year, President Mohamed Muizzu officially inaugurated the Maldives Zakat House to strengthen the Zakat system, do everything necessary to expand its function and organise social programmes, among other objectives.