Egyptians outraged by fatwa against charity to non-Muslims
Pressure from angry Egyptians on social media has prompted Dar al-Ifta to withdraw a fatwa limiting regular alms-giving to Muslim recipients.
“I live in a foreign country; should I give zakat to non-Muslims?”
The question was posed by a Muslim man in a Q&A video session livestreamed on Dar al-Ifta's Facebook page May 12. The cleric hosting the session, which was later deleted, replied that the annual alms required under Islam should only be given to Muslims, while "sadaqah," a less formal type of Islamic charity, can be given to non-Muslims.
Zakat is one of the five pillars of worship in Islam. Muslims are required to pay alms each year (2.5% of their wealth or savings, including gold and jewelry) to those the Quran designates as being deserving of zakat. Sadaqah, meanwhile, refers to charity in general and unlike zakat is not compulsory, the only restriction being that it must come from lawful gains. In the early days of Islam, the words were synonymous.
The cleric’s response, published in a video on the pro-government Youm7 website and later removed, sparked controversy on Egyptian social media and an outcry from Coptic Christians.
