REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - A researcher from University of London, Dr Kostas Retsikas, is interested in analyzing the concept of zakat in Indonesia managed by Law number 23/2011 on Zakat Management. "I am interested in Indonesia because the issue of generosity becomes laws here," Kostas said after the opening of national coordination meeting of National Agency for Amil Zakat (BAZNAS) on Monday. 

Kostas compares the concept of generosity in Indonesia to his country of origin, Greece. "In Greece, there is no legislation on charity because it is done based on the principles of humanity," said the professor of anthropology of Southeast Asia in School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

His research in Indonesia is entitled 'Cultivating Generosity: Islam, the Gift Market, and the Middle-Class in Indonesia'. It concentrates on new emphasis of charity and other voluntary donations among the middle-class Muslims living in Java.

According to recent study conducted by BAZNAS and Faculty of Economics in Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), the potential zakat in Indonesia is equal to 217 trillion IDR per year. However, based on the data of zakat, infaq, and alms reception (ZIS) at all zakat management organization, the actualization in 2010 reached only 1.5 trillion IDR.

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