Baznas Rejects Donation Of IDR 1 Billion From McD For Palestine

JAKARTA - The National Amil Zakat Agency (Baznas) decided to reject aid worth Rp. 1 billion from McDonald's Indonesia to Palestine. This decision was taken after Baznas drew criticism from the Indonesian people who believed that McD was affiliated with Israel. Deputy Chairman of Baznas Mokhamad Mahdum said that this rejection was not intended to hinder a party in doing good. "Baznas really appreciates all forms of assistance received to be distributed to Palestine. "However, if it turns out to be disturbing to the public, we will not accept it at all. Especially for McD, because it has become public unrest, we follow the public's desire that Baznas will not accept any donations from McD," he stressed, Sunday, April 7. Mahdum said that his party had also communicated this matter to McD. He said, McD could understand Baznas' decision regarding the rejection of the donation. "Alhamdulillah McD understands Baznas' position, because Baznas is a community institution and who judged the community. (Previously) the funds received by Baznas were approximately Rp 1 billion," he said.

Furthermore, Mahdum said, in the future Baznas will be more careful in accepting donations. He said that his party would conduct a more stringent screening of the donors. "So today we really will see that if the donors turn out to be affiliated with Israel, we suggest using other institutions," he said.