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Two-Day Zakat Fair 2024 Begins in Dhaka
The two-day Zakat Fair 2024 commenced at Dhaka’s Aloki Convention Centre, urging the affluent to contribute through zakat for poverty eradication.
Eminent economist and former advisor to the caretaker government, Professor Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, highlighted zakat as an ethics-based instrument for transforming financial inclusion into the financial empowerment of the poor during the inaugural seminar, “CZM’s Zakat-based Programs: A pioneering Innovation for Poverty Alleviation.”
Organized by the Centre for Zakat Management (CZM) under the theme ‘Making a Difference with Zakat,’ the event aimed to explore the potential of zakat in addressing global financial inclusion and empowering impoverished individuals.
Professor Hossain Zillur Rahman emphasized the need for cautious management of zakat to lower costs, enabling the funds to serve a larger population.
The inaugural function, chaired by Md Shahjahan Mia, Prof Emeritus of the University of Southern Queensland, included addresses from former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdur Rouf, former Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank Abdul Awal Sarker, Dr. Fazle Rabbi Sadek Ahmed (Deputy Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation), former government secretary Arastu Khan, and Islamic scholar Prof Mokhter Ahmed.
Several leading business houses, including Rahimafrooz, Khadim Ceramics, Kohinoor Chemicals, Rahim Steel, South Bridge, and Hajj Finance Company Limited, sponsored the Zakat Fair, facilitating discussions on business zakat calculation methods.
Justice Abdur Rouf emphasized that zakat in Islam aims to prevent wealth accumulation in the hands of a few and promote equitable distribution.
CZM CEO Dr. Mohammad Ayub Mia revealed that the organization has assisted 15 lakh people in the last 15 years, with 12,000 individuals currently receiving regular food support.
Abdul Awal Sarker highlighted that proper zakat collection could generate an annual fund of Tk 80,000 crore, sufficient for poverty alleviation in the country.
The Zakat Fair, open from 9 am to 7 pm, features stalls from various financial and zakat institutions, including a zakat consultation desk and stalls with Islamic books.
The event will host six sessions, including a seminar on the ‘Importance of Zakat, Ushar, and Waqf in Human Welfare’ for Khatibs and Imams and a round table session on the ‘Role of Islamic Social Finance in Reducing Inequality.’ The latter, chaired by former caretaker government advisor Abdul Mueed Chowdhury, will have Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud, Chairman of the Economic Research Group, as the chief guest. Eminent personalities like former Chief Election Commissioner Justice Muhammad Abdur Rauf and former Minister M Nuruddin Khan are expected to attend as special guests and speakers.
Leaders of the quota reform movement have resolutely refused to negotiate with the government, insisting that their movement will persist until their demands are met.
In a Facebook post, Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the movement, declared, “No discussion through stepping onto blood.”
Asif Mahmud, another prominent leader, echoed this sentiment, stating, “There can be no dialogue with bullets. I would prefer death over this betrayal.”
He further elaborated, “On one side, there are bullets. On the other, there is a call for dialogue. We can’t sit for dialogue while stepping onto the blood of our brothers.”
Earlier, leaders of the quota reform movement accused the government of escalating the law and order situation towards violence, asserting that their movement was peaceful until the government’s intervention.
Vowing to continue their struggle, Asif Mahmud stated, “We will continue our protests till we achieve our demands for reformation of the quota system, reopening of the halls and campuses, making university campuses terror-free, withdrawing political forces from the campuses, and punishing the killers and attackers.”
He added, “The people of the country have encircled those who tried to corner us. No conspiracy will be able to derail our movement.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged both local and international investors to invest in the extraction of marine resources from Bangladesh’s extensive sea areas.
“In order to fortify the blue economy through the diverse utilization of our marine resources, I call upon local and foreign investors to seize the opportunity to invest in Bangladesh. This will enable us to harness more of our marine resources,” she announced.
The Prime Minister made these remarks during the inauguration of the Bangladesh International Aquaculture and Seafood Show-2024 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka.
She emphasized the importance of adhering to proper standards in the collection, distribution, and processing of fish to boost exports, aiming to make fish the country’s second-largest source of foreign currency.
Sheikh Hasina pointed out that her government has made limited progress in harvesting fish and other sea resources from the deep sea due to a lack of interest from local investors.
“Therefore, we need foreign investment to advance in this area. This is the reality we must face,” she noted.
She also suggested that both local and foreign investors can collaborate in joint ventures or invest separately in this sector to achieve better results.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate and moderately heavy rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across all eight divisions of the country over the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
In its weather bulletin issued this morning, the BMD stated, “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers with temporary gusty wind is expected in a few places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Additionally, one or two places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, and Barisal divisions may experience similar conditions, with moderately heavy falls anticipated at several locations in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions.”
The bulletin also highlighted that the current mild heat wave sweeping across the Rangpur division and the districts of Tangail, Chuadanga, Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra, and Netrokona may persist.
Daytime temperatures are expected to rise slightly, while nighttime temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged throughout the country.
On Wednesday, the highest recorded temperature was 36.7 degrees Celsius, observed in Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Rajarhat. The lowest temperature recorded today was 26.0 degrees Celsius, noted in Bandarban and Teknaf.
Over the last 24 hours, rainfall amounted to 16 mm in Bandarban.
For the capital, the sun will set at 6:48 pm today and rise at 5:21 am tomorrow.
