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Towards A Unified Zakat System

Towards A Unified Zakat System

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2.1.1.2 Social, Cultural and political backgroundBahrain is the second smallest country in the GCC and hasthe smallest economy. Although the population is Arab andMuslim, more than half the population is from the Shiitesect. The rulers, however, are Sunnites. Because of thesmall size of the Island, Bahrain society is predominantlynon-tribal as opposed to most other societies in the Gulf.The head of state comes from the ruling family and has aveto over the partly elected parliament.Despite being the poorest GCC country, Bahrain comparesfavourably with other GCC countries when it comes to itshuman development. In 1994, life expectancy was the thirdhighest (72.0 years), infant mortality was third lowest(20%)in the GCC. Bahrain also has the highest adult literacyrate (84%), the highest school enrolment (95%) and thelowest population growth rate (3.7%) (United NationsDevelopment Programme (1997). Overall, Bahrain has thehighest human index value of 0.87 in the GCC (Radwan (1998).Bahrain also relies on a large number of expatriates whorepresent 39% of its population. (Gulf News, 1997). Becauseof the liberal nature of Bahrain society, women's activityrate is the second highest in the GCC, with womenrepresenting 20% of the total workforce (Kapiszewki, 1998).18

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