Minister of Education Maszlee Malik gives a speech at the Moral Values Nurturing Programme at Puspanitapuri, Putrajaya June 4, 2018. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

PUTRAJAYA, June 4 — Education minister Maszlee Malik said today zakat funds should be used to assist in the educational needs of the physically-challenged.

The newly-minted minister said that he had a tough time persuading the fund management to sponsor physically- and mentally-challenged children, when he was helping them at special education centres, seven years ago.

“I think there should be a kind of shift of paradigm in the mentality of Muslims, when looking into charity, and how zakat could fund charity purposes.

“When you look at persons with disabilities, Muslims should come forward to help them and they should use zakat. A certain portion of zakat can be channelled to help people with disabilities for educational purpose, for charity purpose, for welfare purpose and what not,” Maszlee told reporters, at the sidelines of a breaking of fast event here in Puspanitapuri.

“So most of the zakat management, they think that according to the traditional way of distributing zakat, people with disabilities are not part of it. But a lot of modern scholars, when they look at it, they say yes, we can use zakat money to help them for educational purposes and what not,” he added.