The Centre for Zakat Management (CZM) will host a two-day Zakat Fair at the Aloki Convention Center on Gulshan-Tejgaon Link Road in Dhaka on 22 and 23 February.
Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin will inaugurate the 13th Zakat Fair at 11 AM on Saturday, highlighting the theme “Zakat for Building a New Bangladesh.”
The organisers will keep the Zakat Fair open to all from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Dr Mohammad Abdul Majid, Chairman of the Fair Organising Committee of CZM, announced the programme during a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity Sagor-Runi Auditorium on Thursday.
He said that since the July Revolution of 2024, people in Bangladesh have embraced a vision of a just, poverty-free, and equitable society. Zakat can play a crucial role in realising this vision.
“Zakat is not charity—it is the right of the poor over the wealth of the rich. It serves as a social movement that eliminates inequality and builds a dignified society,” he stated.
Renowned organisations, including Rahimafrooz, Khadim Ceramics, Kohinoor Chemical, Rahim Steel, South Bridge, Hajj Finance Company, IDLC Islamic, and SMC, are sponsoring the Zakat Fair.
The organisers have planned various activities for the event, including stalls from financial and zakat organisations, a zakat consultation desk, and displays of Islamic books.
Munwar Misbah Moin, Convenor of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Zakat Management and Group Director of Rahimafrooz Group; Dr Mohammad Ayub Mia, CEO; and Colonel (Retd.) Muhammad Zakaria Hossain, Head of Corporate Affairs, CZM, also attended the press conference.
During the briefing, Dr Mohammad Abdul Majid reiterated his belief that zakat can significantly contribute to building a just, poverty-free, and equitable society, a vision that emerged among the people of Bangladesh after the July Revolution of 2024.
Proper zakat distribution not only supports the needy but also empowers them to become self-reliant, potentially turning them into donors themselves. This approach helps reduce socioeconomic disparities, he said
He noted that Bangladesh generates approximately Tk 1 lakh crore in zakat annually. According to a recent UNDP report, 41.7 million people in Bangladesh live in extreme poverty, with 18.7 million facing severe food insecurity.
About 13% of the population goes to bed hungry. However, he asserted that if the Tk 1 lakh crore in zakat were distributed effectively, no one in Bangladesh would remain hungry, he added.
Distributing this amount among 18.7 million food-insecure people would provide each person with Tk 53,475—enough to meet their annual food needs, he explained.
Through institutional zakat management, such as the system implemented by CZM, distributing BDT 1,000 crore in zakat could meet the basic needs—food, clothing, housing, education, and healthcare—of 5.3 million people.
The organisers have scheduled seven sessions for the Zakat Fair, including the inaugural seminar titled “Role of Islamic Social Finance in Economic Empowerment and Human Development” on 22 February at 11:00 AM.
The seminar will feature distinguished attendees, including Datuk Dr Mohammad Ghazali Noor, Secretary General of the World Zakat and Waqf Forum, and Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M. Nooruddin Khan, Former Minister and Member of the Advisory Council of CZM. Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Former Advisor to the Caretaker Government, will chair the session.