Jakarta, Aug. 28 -- The potential of zakat, which continues to grow each year, can be further optimized to help address poverty in Indonesia, the Religious Affairs Ministry has stated.

The ministry's Director for Zakat and Wakaf, Waryono Abdul Ghafur, noted that zakat collection growth has outpaced the country's overall economic growth rate.

"Zakat shows stronger growth than the economy in general. For instance, while the President recently mentioned national economic growth at 5.9 percent, zakat growth reached 17 percent - a remarkable increase," Ghafur said on Thursday.

Zakat funds are being channeled into healthcare, education, housing, and clothing for the poor, as well as disaster mitigation efforts carried out by the National Zak...