The Muis50 Awards and a President’s Challenge cheque presentation ceremony for 2018 were held in Singapore on October 6. All awards were presented by the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mdm Halimah Yacob.
The awards recognised 20 people – the highest in the award’s history – who have been making impactful contributions to the socioreligious life of the community.
Ustazah Sukarti Asmoin received the Jasa Cemerlang (Outstanding) Award while seven community leaders received the Jasa Bakti (Service) Award. The Jasa Cemerlang (Outstanding) Award is conferred on an individual
honoured for his lifelong achievements and contribution to the community, while the Jasa Bakti (Service) Award is given to individuals for
their exemplary long service to the community.
The Jasa Bakti Award winners this year are:
- Hj Abu Bakar Omar, a mosque leader currently overseeing Masjid Maarof;
- Faridah Eryani Pairin, Appeal Board* member and a Principal Legal
Counsel in the Housing Development Board (HDB), a panel member in the Wakaf Dispute Resolution Committee and a panel advisor to the Youth
Court;
- Ustazah Harinah Abdul Latiff, Vice-Principal at Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah, who also serves on the
Appeal and Asatizah Recognition Boards;
- Hj Mohamed Patail, who has been volunteering at Masjid Sultan since the 1990s;
- Hj Noordin Abdul Sukor, who is leading Masjid Al-Firdaus;
- Dr Shaik Ahmad Buhari, Senior Consultant at the Department of Surgery in the
National University Hospital and an Assistant Professor at the Yong Loo Ling School
of Medicine in the National University of Singapore; and
- Ustazah Sumah Fadalee, a religious teacher who is also contributing to Darussalam mosque.
Seven individuals received the commemorative Muis50 Distinguished Award and five outstanding youths received the first-ever Muis50 Inspiring Youth Award. The Muis50 Distinguished Award recognises individuals who have contributed to Muis and the wider community in the last 50 years. Their contributions vary from being involved in aspects of religious life such as management of Hajj, mosque and waqf, as well as providing guidance to the community on socioreligious issues.
Muis50 Distinguished Award winners are:
- Hj Shafawi Ahmad, a community leader who is a member of the Board of Governors for
Madrasah Al-Irsyad Zuhri. He is also a founding member of Yayasan Mendaki;
- Ustaz Pasuni Maulan, a religious teacher, Muis Council Member and Vice-Chairman of the Asatizah
Recognition Board. He is also Chairman for Masjid Tentera-Di-Raja;
- Hj Sallim Abdul Kadir is a Director of Human Capital for global wireless software solutions provider and system integrator CONSISTEL and a Muis Council member. He is also a Board Director of Warees Investment;
- Appeal Board member Hj Abdul Rahim Abdul Jalil, a former District Judge, who is also Co- Chairman
for the Malay Oral History Committee of the Singapore National Archives Board;
- Ustaz Ali Mohamed, Co-Chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group, Muis Council
Member and a Fatwa Committee Member;
- Ustaz Mohamad Hasbi Hassan, President of the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious
Teachers Association (PERGAS) and a Muis Council
Member, Fatwa Committee Member; as well as Co-Chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group;
- Almarhum Syed Abdullah Haroon Aljunied, a religious scholar, received the award posthumously.
The Muis50 Inspiring Youth Award shines the spotlight on youth who have made impactful contributions in the socioreligious field. They have inspired their fellow youth and also the wider community to be model Muslims through their volunteerism, embodying the Rahmatan Lil Alamin (Blessings to All) ethos of the Singaporean Muslim.
Muis50 Inspiring Youth Award winners include:
- Abbas Ali Mohamed Irshad, founder and current President of Roses of Peace, a non-profit organisation which aims to inspire religious harmony in Singapore; Ambassador for the Singapore Kindness Movement, an appointed member of the
Facebook Community Leadership Global Advisory Board and a Nominated Member of Parliament;
- Mohksin Mohd Rashid, an advocate for youth involvement who is also co-founder and CEO of Majulah Community, a not-for-profit
organisation that nurtures ground-up community service projects. He is also Vice-chairman of the Mosque Management
Board in Masjid Alkaff Kampung Melayu;
- Ustaz Muhammad Zahid Mohd Zin, CEO of the Muslim Youth Forum, a
platform which facilitates dialogues on positive socioreligious values and practices for
youths;
- Ustaz Muhammad Tarmizi Abdul Wahid, CEO of Safinah Institute, an Islamic learning centre; and
- Nur Khairiana Mohamad Malek, founder of FiTree, a non-profit group consisting of tertiary
students and graduates which aims to raise the awareness of the Muslim community that
being environmentally-friendly is an Islamic value.
Ustazah Sukarti, winner of the Jasa Ceremerlang Award, currently serves as the VP of the Singapore Islamic Scholars & Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) Council and is Dean of the Islamic Studies Department at Madrasah Al-Maarif Al-Islamiah. She also serves on the Asatizah Recognition Board.
She said: “My passion has always been education and I would like to contribute for as long as I can. Receiving an award never crossed my mind, my only hope is to continue to share knowledge with the community. I would like others to also share what they have learnt to cultivate a culture of learning.”
The inaugural Muis50 Inspiring Youth Award honours five young and inspiring Muslim individuals who have made sterling contributions to the community. Mohksin Abdullah, co-founder and CEO of Majulah Community which spearheads ground-up community service projects both locally and abroad, received the inaugural youth award. He empowers youth to lead projects through training programmes.
All Muis50 Distinguished Award recipients have pledged to pay forward the monetary award of S$3,000 each to five charitable organisations. Muis has matched and topped up these pledges, to bring the total amount to S$50,000 equally disbursed to five charitable organisations - Ain Society’s Serenity Centre, Casa Raudhah Women’s Shelter, Club HEAL, Rainbow Centre and the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN).
Muis has organised the Muis Awards since 1990. Candidates for the Muis Awards are nominated by members from the mosque fraternity
and the Muslim volunteer organisations. Muis also identifies nominees who may be
considered for the awards, based on their past contribution and service to the socioreligious
sector.
A total of 120 individuals have been conferred with the Muis Awards over the past 28 years.
A cheque worth S$100,000, raised by the community for the President’s Challenge, was also presented the same evening to President Halimah.
*Members of the Appeal Board are appointed by the President of Singapore to hear appeals by those who are aggrieved
with the decisions of Singapore's Syariah Court and Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM). Faridah is the first women to serve the board. This has enabled a ruling from the Appeal Board to be
enriched with a woman’s perspective in Islamic jurisprudence.