KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar has stressed that new Muslim converts, or ‘mualaf’, in the country have never been marginalised.
He said this was evident from the continuous efforts by the government and religious agencies to assist them in starting their new lives, including through zakat aid.
Citing the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) as an example, Mohd Na’im said the religious agency provided 38 zakat aid schemes covering welfare, housing, economic, and medical clusters.
“According to MAIWP’s zakat distribution data as of May 2025, MAIWP has registered 1,098 mualaf compared to only 968 mualaf in 2024 in the Federal Territories. For 2025, the total distribution for the asnaf mualaf (eligible new convert zakat recipients) category is RM9.3 million,” he said in a Facebook post on Friday (May 30).
He added that religious agencies were always prepared to engage with and assist mualaf and other asnaf groups facing difficulties, assuring that they would not be left to face life’s challenges alone.
In this regard, Mohd Na’im urged all new converts to deal directly with zakat counters, religious offices, or official institutions.
“Finally, I call upon zakat agencies, mosques, and religious officials to always be prepared and attentive to the needs of mualaf. We must ensure they are always well-cared for, not left to face their new lives alone,” he said.
