Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad speaks at the Tuanku Mizan Mosque in Putrajaya March 12, 2020. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — The Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) has launched a fund to help Muslim communities affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

In a press conference today, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said the government will channel the collections to Muslims in need.

“In simple terms, we don’t want anyone to starve. We don’t want anyone to not even have rice to eat.

“We ask all our NGOs to help. We’ve got to provide as much help as we can,” he said in a press conference that was broadcast live via Bernama TV today.

The minister later clarified that the fund will help all Malaysians including, but not exclusive, to Muslims.

Zulkifli said contributions may be made via the Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad account number 16027010001528 opened for “Tabung Saadah Jakim Covid-19”.

On a related matter, the former Federal Territories mufti also announced that Jakim has provided emergency assistance to 4,000 takmir (religious) teachers and 35,000 Quran and Fardu Ain (Kafa) teachers nationwide as their classes were cancelled during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.

“We have provided ways to give full RM800 payment to 4,000 takmir teachers and we have provided an ease of access for them to claim the funds.

“At the same time we also granted aid to 35,000 Kafa teachers at RM1,000 each as they can’t teach because the classes were cancelled during this time,” he said.

* A previous version of this story contained an error which has since been corrected.