KUALA LUMPUR (IRNA) -- The head of Iranian delegation attending the international conference on zakat (annual obligatory alms under Islamic law) urged Muslim states here Tuesday to help establish a global zakat organization.

Addressing the opening session of the one-day conference in Kuala Lumpur's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araqchi said promotion of the culture of zakat in Islamic countries was a must.

Zakat is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam and refers to giving a fixed portion of one's wealth for the needy and poor.

It enjoins every adult, mentally stable, free and financially able Muslims, male and female, to pay a certain amount of money to support specific categories of people.

The idea of establishing an international zakat organization was mooted by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as a way of helping poor Islamic countries address their socio-economic problems.

The ongoing conference is deemed the first step towards establishing such an organization.

Over 200 participants from 15 Muslim countries are participating in the conference, where they will share their views and ideas on the subject.

Besides Iran, other participants in the conference are Brunei, Qatar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Syria, Egypt and Bahrain.

Araqchi in his speech said Iran's Imam Khomeini Relief Committee has a long and rich history of promoting the culture of helping the poor and removing poverty from the face of society.

He said that the committee would be willing to share its experiences with other Muslim states in promoting the new culture of fighting poverty in all Muslim states.