Determination of poverty among the poor and needy in a developing country / Ahmad Fahme Mohd Ali and Mohd Faisol Ibrahim.

This article attempts to analyse the determination of poverty among the poor and needy of the zakat recipients in Kelantan, Malaysia. The study is motivated from the Kelantan zakat collection (2003-2015) that suggests that the growth alone (high collection) is not enough to eliminate poverty, there are indeed, other elements of poverty eradication like the socio economic, demographic factors, remittances and the investments in social and economic factors like the food subsidy for the poorest, good quality education, opportunities for the most needy, regulation of job markets, and purposively designed social security nets also have significant impact on permanent reduction in poverty. In Kelantan, despite zakat centres having disbursed an increasing amount of expenditure annually on the two categories of zakat recipients, hitherto the number of fuqara (poor) and masakin (needy) households is still increasing (MAIK, 2014; JAWHAR, 2012). Thus, it is important to understand the nature and scale of poverty, the various driving forces that affect it and the determinants of poverty among the poor and needy as linked to this process. A sample of 505 households from 2016 Household Expenditure Survey (HES) among the poor and needy zakat recipients in Kelantan has been used in this study. The findings have important policy implications for Kelantan Zakat Department (MAIK) in making the zakat distribution becomes more efficient and uplift the important role of zakat as one of the poverty alleviation tools among the Muslims. This study recommends the method of zakat distribution should be improved and channelled accordingly in order to strengthen the Muslims economy condition and then, it would facilitate the poverty alleviation programmes by the zakat department

The potential of Islamic Pawn System: a study on the appropriateness on Muassasah Gadaian Islam Terengganu operation in Sabah

Purpose - The need for an Islamic pawnshop has been discussed by the researchers within in Malaysia as well as other countries (for example: Nasifah, Nor Mariana & Nur Azura, 2005; Ismail & Sanusi, 2005; Ismail, 2004; Kon Lim, 2003; Ismail & Nur Zakiah, 1997; Rugayah, 1986). The Islamic based pawnshop transaction is still overlooked in Islamic finance practices and abandoned cases for the state government of Sabah. This issue is important as it might create a greater impact in promoting Islamic financial transactions among local people in the future. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to understand public perceptions with regard to the need of Islamic pawnshop as this would help to improve the delivery of Islamic pawnshop facilities to Sabahan especially in terms of quality of services offered along with features and procedures of the products. Design/methodology/approach - The data for the research were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Out of the 1000 prepared questionnaires, only 500 questionnaires were managed to distribute to Sabahan. Out of these numbers, only 339 questionnaires were usable for further data analysis of the data. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 17. Findings - All of the research objectives, certainly, were tested using survey data. The results indicated that, the majority of the respondents believed that there should be an introduction of Islamic pawnshop system in Sabah. The results also indicated that the respondents were support the collaboration between the states in accelerating the introduction and the development of Islamic pawnshops in Sabah. Furthermore, it is likely reported that, the majority of the respondents prefer to choose "Muasassah Gadaian Islam Sabah" or MGIS for Islamic pawnshops in Sabah. Research limitations/implications - The limitation of the study is the narrow focus on a couple of cities in addition to the limited variables used in the research instrument. Notwithstanding, the research is important to provide insights on the feasibility of establishing Islamic pawnshop system in Sabah. The findings of this study shed some lights on Sabahan perception level of Islamic pawnshop. Originality/value- This research is the first of its kind that examined Sabahan perception with regard to potential of establishing Islamic pawnshop in Sabah, which has limited previously been investigated

Labuan IOFC offshore banking and industry: the growth through product/service innovation

Labuan IOFC is an International financial center located at the "positioned center" of the Asia-Pacific basin. The center is moving ahead to become a premier offshore financial center in the world. In the mean time, it promotes more activities and services to a great extent a truly integrated service provider center. Hence, new activities and innovative products are continuously being developed in Labuan which will benefit investors and other offshore players. It offers wide range of offshore financial products and services and complements Kuala Lumpur as a regional financial center. Besides, the legislative framework is not only business friendly but also prudent to safeguard Labuan's reputation and image as offshore financial center. The main objective of this research is to identify the growth of financial products and services in labuan IOFC Offshore Banking Industry. The significance of the research indudes contributing the direction of marketing financial products and services and attracting customers that has changed through the growth of financial product and service innovations. Through product and service innovations, the offshore bankers may consider the key product and service to achieve competitive edge. Moreover, by conducting this research, Labuan and national economy may be improved through better financial services and higher profit from the offshore banking industry

Sistem pengurusan zakat di Malaysia: analisis strategi penyebaran maklumat menerusi laman sesawang

Internet merupakan alat yang terpenting di era globalisasi ini. Internet ini penting bagi menyebarkan dan mengembangkan sesuatu maklumat khususnya berkaitan sistem zakat. Sebelum ini tidak ada teknologi berkaitan zakat yang dapat menyebarkan maklumat dengan begitu pantas dan menjimatkan masa serta tenaga. Oleh yang demikian penggunaan internet kini telah menjadi suatu kemahiran asas bukan sahaja kepada setiap individu yang sentiasa mencari maklumat tetapi juga kepada setiap institusi yang ingin melebarkan maklumat mengenai organisasi serta fungsi mereka menerusi laman sesawang masing-masing. Oleh itu artikel ini akan mengupas dengan lebih lanjut mengenai strategi yang digunakan oleh institusi-institusi zakat negeri di Malaysia bagi menyebarkan dan menyampaikan maklumat mengenai kewajipan berzakat menerusi laman sesawang. Selain itu artikel ini juga cuba menganalisis kesan pembangunan laman sesawang berkaitan zakat di Malaysia oleh institusi-institusi zakat yang menjadikan laman sesawang sebagai medium utama menyedarkan masyarakat Islam tentang kewajipan berzakat