Award winning jewellery retailer Pure Gold Jewellers, has assisted Zakat Fund Abu Dhabi to free ten prisoners in the UAE who were in jail for not being able to pay back their debts. More than AED 230,000, from a donation of AED One Million made by Pure Gold Jewellers to Zakat Fund, was used to obtain the release of the prisoners.
Most of them fell into debts when they lost their jobs and did not have the financial means to pay it back. The money they owed ranged from over AED 3,000 to more than AED 40,000. The released prisoners include three Pakistanis, three Egyptians, two Jordanians, a Syrian and an Emirati national.
Speaking on the initiative, Firoz G Merchant, Chairman of Pure Gold Jewellers, said: “It is unfortunate that these men fell into the debt trap. They all have families who depend on them for a living and being in prison it becomes even more difficult for them to pay back their debts as they are not in employment. I have always believed it is every human’s moral duty and part of our social responsibility to help those in dire circumstances and I’m grateful to the Almighty that I have been given an opportunity to do so. I feel extremely blessed to be in a position to help these men to make a fresh start in life and reunite them with their families who are eagerly awaiting their return.”
Jamal Khalaf Al Mazrouie, Head of Zakat Sources and Media Department at the Zakat Fund Abu Dhabi, commented: “Many people unfortunately fall into debt when they lose their jobs and have nowhere to turn for help. As a result, they languish in jail with no hope for release and their families refuse to leave hope. We appreciate the effort of Pure Gold Jewellers in lending a helping hand to these men and bringing a ray of hope into their lives.
This act of kindness will greatly help them and their families to resume their lives. We hope many others will come forward to meet their Zakat obligations and help those who are desperately in need.”
One of the released prisoners said: “I can’t express how happy I am for being released from prison. I was jailed because of a debt that I was unable to pay back. I can’t imagine what would have happened to my family if I had stayed in prison especially since they depend on me financially. I thank Almighty most of all, and Zakat Fund and Pure Gold Jewellers for this initiative. And because I suffered personally as a victim of unpaid debt, I call for anyone who can help others in similar situations because God will help them one day; and I hope many more institutions will cooperate with Zakat Fund”.
Zakat Fund is committed to raising the importance of paying Zakat and how it can be used to help people in unfortunate situations.
