Dr Mohammed Maliki Osman, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Singapore, said that the Muslim community supports the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Bill (MRHA), and announced a new certification for asatizah to bolster religious harmony.
"We believe that as the global socioreligious landscape continues to evolve, the amendments to the MRHA will ensure it remains an effective legal safeguard to protect religious harmony, and bolsters the community’s ongoing efforts to strengthen our social cohesion. The Bill underscores Singaporeans’ conviction that we will not have others prescribe for us how we should live our religious lives.
"MUIS has been consulted on the specific amendments to the MRHA, and supports them. I too welcome and support this Bill," he said in a speech at the parliamentary debate on the second reading of the Bill.
He said the Bill will further strengthen religious harmony in Singapore. "The community recognises the importance of practising one’s religion in a way that is respectful towards those who may profess a different belief," he said.
"Singapore is a multireligious society. Singapore is a successful, thriving nation-state not just because Muslims and non-Muslims live side-by-side in peace and prosperity, but because many Singaporeans deeply believe that our diversity does not divide us, and instead is a source of strength. We believe that Singapore can flourish as a cohesive society and as one united people, only if we safeguard the common space for people of all races and religions, including those who do not profess one."
He added that the proposed amendments are aligned with the current approach of managing Muslim affairs in Singapore. He said the community must chart its own way forward based on values that have allowed Singapore and Singaporeans to thrive in an increasingly polarised world.
"The practices of our mosques and religious institutions under MUIS are already aligned to the enhanced safeguards in the MRHA amendments, in particular, to ensure local leadership of our religious institutions, as well as regulations on foreign funding. For example, all members of the MUIS Council and the board members of our madrasahs, are Singapore citizens. We are also proud that the strong support of the Muslim community in Singapore – through the monthly contributions to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) – has allowed us to raise funds from our community to build and upgrade mosques in all our estates and to support education in our madrasahs without the need for foreign funding.
"We can and must continue to be self-reliant so that as a Singapore Muslim community we are able to address our own needs without becoming susceptible to manipulation by foreign parties for their own agendas and risking the peace and harmony we have enjoyed as a society," he said.
The Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) is key to the management strategy, he noted. Members in the scheme must possess specific qualifications as well as abide by the Asatizah Code of Ethics, which states that religious teachings must not encourage extremism or violence, nor denigrate other faiths, and instead inculcate respect and understanding toward others. The ARS was introduced as a voluntary scheme in 2005, and made mandatory in 2016 after support from community and religious leaders.
"Today, we have more than 4,500 asatizah registered under the ARS. Several crucial ingredients make the ARS work. First, the Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) - comprising senior and respected asatizah in the community – oversees the ARS, supported by MUIS. Second, the Board and MUIS take ARS registration seriously, instituting provisional periods of observation and requiring additional interviews as the Board deems necessary. Third, ARS asatizah are required to attend regular Continuous Professional Education training programmes, and their suitability as an asatizah is periodically reviewed. Their accreditation will be revoked if they breach ARS standards," Minister Maliki said.
"In summary, the ARS is a robust, community-led system. It shows the Singapore Muslim community’s strong sense of ownership and commitment to ensuring that its religious teachers are credible and that their teachings are in line with Singapore’s multireligious context.
"To enhance further, starting next year, all returning religious graduates from overseas Islamic universities must also undergo the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS) programme to be registered under the ARS. The PCICS will enable local asatizah who have been trained in overseas Islamic institutions to remain anchored to Singapore’s multireligious context. Under the PCICS, they will learn about other religions in Singapore, and through this, appreciate the importance of interreligious understanding in strengthening social cohesion."
"We believe that as the global socioreligious landscape continues to evolve, the amendments to the MRHA will ensure it remains an effective legal safeguard to protect religious harmony, and bolsters the community’s ongoing efforts to strengthen our social cohesion. The Bill underscores Singaporeans’ conviction that we will not have others prescribe for us how we should live our religious lives.
"MUIS has been consulted on the specific amendments to the MRHA, and supports them. I too welcome and support this Bill," he said in a speech at the parliamentary debate on the second reading of the Bill.
He said the Bill will further strengthen religious harmony in Singapore. "The community recognises the importance of practising one’s religion in a way that is respectful towards those who may profess a different belief," he said.
"Singapore is a multireligious society. Singapore is a successful, thriving nation-state not just because Muslims and non-Muslims live side-by-side in peace and prosperity, but because many Singaporeans deeply believe that our diversity does not divide us, and instead is a source of strength. We believe that Singapore can flourish as a cohesive society and as one united people, only if we safeguard the common space for people of all races and religions, including those who do not profess one."
He added that the proposed amendments are aligned with the current approach of managing Muslim affairs in Singapore. He said the community must chart its own way forward based on values that have allowed Singapore and Singaporeans to thrive in an increasingly polarised world.
"The practices of our mosques and religious institutions under MUIS are already aligned to the enhanced safeguards in the MRHA amendments, in particular, to ensure local leadership of our religious institutions, as well as regulations on foreign funding. For example, all members of the MUIS Council and the board members of our madrasahs, are Singapore citizens. We are also proud that the strong support of the Muslim community in Singapore – through the monthly contributions to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) – has allowed us to raise funds from our community to build and upgrade mosques in all our estates and to support education in our madrasahs without the need for foreign funding.
"We can and must continue to be self-reliant so that as a Singapore Muslim community we are able to address our own needs without becoming susceptible to manipulation by foreign parties for their own agendas and risking the peace and harmony we have enjoyed as a society," he said.
The Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) is key to the management strategy, he noted. Members in the scheme must possess specific qualifications as well as abide by the Asatizah Code of Ethics, which states that religious teachings must not encourage extremism or violence, nor denigrate other faiths, and instead inculcate respect and understanding toward others. The ARS was introduced as a voluntary scheme in 2005, and made mandatory in 2016 after support from community and religious leaders.
"Today, we have more than 4,500 asatizah registered under the ARS. Several crucial ingredients make the ARS work. First, the Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) - comprising senior and respected asatizah in the community – oversees the ARS, supported by MUIS. Second, the Board and MUIS take ARS registration seriously, instituting provisional periods of observation and requiring additional interviews as the Board deems necessary. Third, ARS asatizah are required to attend regular Continuous Professional Education training programmes, and their suitability as an asatizah is periodically reviewed. Their accreditation will be revoked if they breach ARS standards," Minister Maliki said.
"In summary, the ARS is a robust, community-led system. It shows the Singapore Muslim community’s strong sense of ownership and commitment to ensuring that its religious teachers are credible and that their teachings are in line with Singapore’s multireligious context.
"To enhance further, starting next year, all returning religious graduates from overseas Islamic universities must also undergo the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS) programme to be registered under the ARS. The PCICS will enable local asatizah who have been trained in overseas Islamic institutions to remain anchored to Singapore’s multireligious context. Under the PCICS, they will learn about other religions in Singapore, and through this, appreciate the importance of interreligious understanding in strengthening social cohesion."