Building professionalism for Indonesia’s zakat institutions – The challenge of leadership

As Muslim societies modernize and tune into the sophistication of 21st century living, the imperative of modernizing the running of public religious institutions such as the zakat ( religious alms) is becoming hard to ignore.. One core element of such professionalism is good governance which happens also to be a tall order for many developing Muslim societies. The challenge is how good governance can be easily understood by all managers of the zakat institutions at all levels so that it can be implemented effectively.. This article discusses the role of leadership in building professionalism of zakat institutions in Indonesia. The main import is the crucial need for effective communication between staff and management which thus underlines the vital role of leadership .