Singapore's Deputy PM talks about Muslims in multireligious Singapore, self-radicalisation

Singapore Deputy PM (DPM) Teo Chee Hean, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security, spoke about a meeting with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, His Eminence Dr Ahmed Al Tayyeb, at the annual Religious Rehabilitation Group Iftar on 6 June 2018.

"I was impressed by his open approach to inter-religious interactions. He said that Muslims should live and thrive in a multireligious environment. He drew from experiences in Egypt and also lessons from history, that the interaction between Muslims and other communities could take place in a practical way," said DPM Teo.

Such practices included shaking hands and greeting members of other religions on religious holidays. "For example, he always made it a point to greet Christians on Christian festivals. I found his explanations most enlightening and beneficial for a multireligious society like Singapore, where all communities can have meals together, visit one another, and share our joys and sorrows together. We should reject views that limit our interactions and divide us as communities," he said.

He noted that non-Muslim youth ambassadors are involved in MUIS’s Touch of Ramadhan campaign. The campaign focuses on spreading messages of strengthening the family, caring for society and showing concern for the environment. "This shows that people of all faiths can work together to promote common, positive messages that benefit everyone," he said.

The threat of terrorism and radicalisation remains however, with radicalised individuals still present in Singapore. "Indeed, we must remain vigilant at all times, and enhance our community resilience," he said.

"Let us continue the important work that the Religious Rehabilitation Group and various community groups are doing to help save individuals from doing harm to their families and their loved ones," he said.

Singapore Eid sermon focuses on intra-, interfaith harmony

The Singapore Eiduladha sermon released by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has touched on opinions that can cause conflict within the Muslim community as well as opinions which state that Muslims cannot live in harmony with non-Muslims.

"Dear jemaah (Editor's note: congregation), do not let the devil stoke the flames of hatred between us," notes the sermon, continuing on to say that opinions which are more antagonistic towards non-Muslims are typically taken out of context.

"..we will find that those opinions and fatwa were issued at a time when Muslims were living in an environment where there was conflict and tension, and in some instances during times of war. Those opinions are hence inappropriate to be applied in Singapore where we live in peace and have good relations with followers of other faiths," the sermon adds.

The importance of the right teachers becomes paramount in such circumstances, which is why the scholars and senior asatizah (Editor's note: religious teachers) in Singapore, together with Muis and Pergas, set up the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) more than 10 years ago. The ARS enables those who wish to seek religious guidance to identify asatizah who are trained and have the required skills needed.

"It is hoped that with the accreditation system, ARS, the integrity of the Islamic education institution in Singapore will be safeguarded from irresponsible individuals who want to spread religious perspectives that can be problematic or even deviant. Besides that, we also need to take note of the content taught during the religious classes attended by our children, as well as the sources that they access online," stated the sermon.

Parents who notice that their children are talking about violence or supporting certain factions are encouraged to get immediate help from the local mosques, the Office of the Mufti or the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG).

Interested?

Read the complete sermon in English, Malay, Jawi or Tamil (PDF)

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about enhancements to the ARS

Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony calls for next of kin to start compensation process for Hajj 2015

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony of Pakistan, which is responsible for the Hajj pilgrimage beyond Pakistan, released its findings for Hajj 2015 on 3 December and called for next of kin to request compensation as per their Hajj policy.

The Hajj operation began with the first flight on 16 August, 2015 and ended on 28 October 2015, the ministry said.  There were 93 deaths in 2013, 87 in 2014 and 97 in 2015.

In the Haram incident on 11 September, six Pakistani hujjaj and six iqama holders (those who have a permit to work in KSA) passed away. The Mina incident on 24 September 2015 initially saw large numbers of people reported missing but numbers have since been clarified, with persons who passed away naturally in Mina now removed from the totals.

The final totals are:

Pilgrims who passed away in Mina: 82
Iqama holders who passed away in Mina: 17
Pilgrims who passed away from the crane incident in the Haram: 6
Iqama holders who passed away in the Haram: 6
Pilgrims who passed away from natural causes: 97
Iqama holders who passed away from natural causes: 7

A further three pilgrims are listed as missing after the Mina incident, and four iqama holders.

Nominees of pilgrims as listed on the website of the Ministry are requested to apply for compensation (PDF), which varies between Rs50,000 and Rs500,000 depending on the type of death or injury.

Pakistan extends Hajj application deadline

Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony has announced that the date for submission of Hajj application forms has been extended to 17 July 2015.

It was previously 6 July.