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Financials

Serving The Greater Houston Muslim Community

Zakat Eligibility

WHY CAIR QUALIFIES FOR ZAKAT & HOW WE USE ZAKAT DONATIONS

CAIR tracks all zakat-designated donations using professional accounting software technology. Our accounting department oversees this process and maintains a master list of donations designated as zakat. CAIR gives anyone who donates directly to us online, through a fundraising mailer, or over the phone, an opportunity to designate their donation as zakat.

Although all of CAIR-Houston’s activities ultimately go towards fulfilling our faith-based mission, we do not treat all of our activities or expenditures—such as honorariums for speakers—as zakat-eligible.
Based on the advice of respected scholars, we currently designate zakat-eligible funds for the services provided by the following CAIR-Houston departments:
  • Legal Department, which represents Muslim Americans victimized by anti-Muslim discrimination, including Muslim students, workers, travelers and incarcerated individuals.
  • Government Affairs Department, which is dedicated to advocating for policies and laws that benefit the Muslim community by–for example–protecting their right to practice their religion, advocate for causes of justice, and travel freely and safely, among other things.
  • Research & Advocacy Department, which is dedicated to monitoring, exposing and countering Islamophobia and other forms of bigotry.
  • Communications Department, which is dedicated to educating the public about Islam and Muslims, countering anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms, and advance our legal, policy and research work.

What Our Scholars Say?

 

Numerous Muslim scholars have concluded that Zakat is payable to organizations that exist to serve the Muslim community by protecting their rights. This is based on the conclusion that the work done by CAIR (and other such Muslim organizations) can be classified as fi-sabilillah, which is one of the eight categories of Zakat recipients detailed in the Quran (Chapter 9, Verse 60). In addition, CAIR works to help fulfill the Muslim American community’s communal obligation (fard kifayah) to protect the right to practice Islam and defend people experiencing unjust oppression.

Annual 990 IRS Tax Form