ISLAMIC SOCIAL FINANCE AND SDG 2: MEASURING THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS AND MALAY TRADITION COUNCIL IN PERAK STATE

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are becoming the global pressure to ascertain sustainable development in a country or any institutional level worldwide. It affects the policymakers in providing future direction and responding to current developments. Thus, the study attempts to examine the performance of Majlis Agama Islam dan 'Adat Melayu Perak/Islamic Religious and Malay Tradition Council in Perak State (MAIPk), Malaysia, on the SDGs achievement, which relates to the issue of zero hunger in the society. The study adopts in-depth interviews with the stakeholders of MAIPk and performs a survey of Islamic social finance recipients in Perak State, focusing on the monthly financial and food bank assistance programs, which the number of recipients is 11,769 and 25,144 recipients. The finding of the study reveals that MAIPk successfully contributes to the achievement of SDG 2, which create social impact for the recipients, such as an increase in the ability to access healthy food, increase physical and mental health, and motivate the recipient to be involved in altruism activities. The study pioneers the scientific examination of the social impact assessment in the State of Perak, Malaysia case. Additionally, the findings of the study imply that the Islamic social funds' institution needs to increase its awareness of measuring social impact on society instead of only focusing on the output-based measurement.