Dubai-UAE: 24 February, 2015

Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) has announced that the total value of zakat (alms) distributed according to Islamic principles on behalf of minors and other categories within AMAF's care amounted to AED6,196,270 million in 2014. The money was accumulated from cash, shares, bonds and property investments that belonged to minors.

AMAF currently has 2,001 minors under its care that are mandated to pay zakat according to Islamic sharia. While the total value of zakat in cash registered AED2,384,456 million, the value of zakat raised through properties and investments was AED3,811,814 million. The number of beneficiaries from AMAF's zakat fund for 2014 included 550 minors and adults. Zakat was paid out as in-kind allowances for residential, educational and health charities, in addition to emergency aids.        

His Excellency Khaled Al Thani, Deputy Secretary General of AMAF, said: "As AMAF is the only entity responsible for minors in Dubai, the Foundation pays special attention to preserving and managing the finances of those in similar circumstances and categories. We also work to develop the capabilities of minors to help them become productive members of their communities."

"The zakat was distributed to the more underprivileged minors as part of the Dubai government's efforts to take care of their basic needs as well as those of their families," he added.

Ahmad Al Yasi, Director of Financial Affairs Department at AMAF, said: "The financial department supervises the extraction of zakat in cooperation with the sharia committee, while special cases that need a sharia ruling are presented to the committee for its evaluation."

Al Yasi pointed out that the zakat paid in 2014 was 51% less than in 2013 as many minors had become adults and did not require this contribution to be handled on their behalf.

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About AMAF
The birth of the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) came with the issue of law No. 6 in 2004 during the era of the late His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. With the expansion of the institution in its work and functions, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler Dubai issued law No. 9 in 2007 organizing the work of the institution, to ensure the provision of a conducive environment for greater achievements in the development of 'awqaf' and minors' funds, and the care of their affairs, according to a well-aimed plan, and a conscious vision and insight.

The main objective of the establishment of AMAF stemmed from Government of Dubai's keenness to embrace and care for minors, invest their money, and provide them with rehabilitation. The institution set its eye on becoming a global role model in the development of the 'waqf' and rehabilitation of minors.

In order to achieve its strategic objectives for the institution, AMAF is keen to nurture talent and provide an environment full of creativity, excellence and teamwork in order to improve the quality of daily transactions to consolidate the credibility in the minds and hearts of its team and people it works with.

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© Press Release 2015