MORE than £100,000 has been donated to Muslim people in Bradford over the past 12 months to provide a "lifeline" for them during the pandemic.

UK charity, National Zakat Foundation, has distributed £101,522 to 507 Muslim people in and around the district over the past year.

The money has come from other Muslims, as part of the religious act of donating Zakat.

Zakat, which is understood as 2.5 per cent of an individual's total wealth, is a vital part of the Islamic faith.

The National Zakat Foundation collects this money and distributes it within the UK.

The pandemic has hit many people and families hard, with the charity receiving more than 19,000 applications for various funding over the past year, mainly relating to hardship and housing.

Mahboob Hussain, Head of Marketing Communications at the charity, said: “Zakat is now a lifeline for UK Muslims as many struggle to gain the right monetary support elsewhere.

"The generosity of Muslims in the past 12 months has exceeded our expectations and it’s incredible to see how Zakat is transforming lives and making a difference.”