STC police director in Aden demands annual Zakat from business owners, sparking outrage

ADEN, March 11 (YPA)- One of the directors of a police station affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden, a city under the control of the Saudi-led coalition, demanded that owners of commercial and agricultural establishments hand over their annual zakat to a representative from the police station.

A document issued by Salem Ali Mansour, the director of “Al-Emad Police Station,” revealed his demands for factory, farm, and warehouse owners to pay what he referred to as the “annual zakat” to his representative, “Yaslam Daous.” This move is considered the first of its kind in Yemen.

The move sparked widespread mockery and condemnation on social media platforms, with activists emphasizing that the collection of zakat should be carried out through legitimate religious channels and distributed according to its eight designated categories as outlined by Islamic law.

They argued that collecting zakat through police stations is a clear violation of both legal and religious norms, stressing that zakat is not equivalent to the arbitrary fees and extortion imposed by STC factions at checkpoints on main roads in Aden, Lahj, and Abyan.

@E.Y.M