The Role of the Zakat System during the Colonial-period in Malaysia and Uzbekistan: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

During the colonial period, the zakat system in both Uzbekistan and Malaysia experienced serious changes due to imperial powers’ intervention. The zakat system was an important source of economy for these states. This paper highlights the zakat practices of pre-colonial and colonial Uzbekistan and Malaysia, and clarifies the nature of encounters of different civilizations such as Islamic and Christian in these regions. The main objective of this study is to find similarities and differences in the imperialists’ influence on structural level of taxation and zakat systems between the countries studied. This study reveals that there are similarities such as in the administration of zakat collection after the arrival of the imperial powers, where in both countries, the colonial powers appointed supervisors over local zakat collectors, in order to control revenues. This research also found some important differences that arose because of the intervention of the colonialists, where British helped in establishing centralized zakat collection, whereas Russians totally abolished zakat system by turning it into conventional taxation.