Kuala Lumpur: Muslim NGO Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah Organisation (Aswaja) has raised concern over e-commerce platform Zakat Shopee being appointed as the Zakat collector.
NGO’s president Zamihan Mat Zin pointed out that Zakat can only be collected by a Muslim, so on what basis is shopee appointed as its collector.
Chief executive officer Shahrul Azam Shaari announced that the Muslim consumers can now make the payment in Zakat using the Shopee e-commerce platform from Friday. They can do it by selecting Deals, Top-ups & Bills” in the Shopee application and follow the simple steps provided.
He questioned who owns Shopee and who will collect the tax on behalf of them, a Muslim or non-Muslim? He asked what is the true role of Shopee in this, will they act as a middle agent, facilitator, or a ghost.
He also questioned if the services provided by Shopee are free or will it be paid from Islamic councils fund or from the Zakat collection.
Meanwhile, a campaign will be initiated from 22 to 31 December to increase the Zakat collection. In addition, 200 Shopee coins will be given to the first 1,000 selected payers every day.