Singapore Senior Minister of State (SMS), Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, has reiterated Singapore’s commitment to support the capacity-building efforts of the Palestinian people during a working visit to the Palestinian Territories.
In a meeting with Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas, PNA Prime Minister Dr Rami Hamdallah, PNA Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Riyad Al-Maliki, PNA Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Sabri Saidam, and PNA Minister of National Economy Abeer Odeh in Ramallah, SMS Maliki disclosed that Singapore is appointing Hawazi Daipi as Singapore’s non-resident Representative to the PNA to coordinate Singapore’s Enhanced Technical Assistance Package for the Palestinians.
The PNA leaders welcomed the appointment.
SMS Maliki also reiterated Singapore’s consistent position and longstanding support for the two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security. He expressed the hope that both sides would resume negotiations and make progress towards a just and durable solution.
News & trends blog on the shari'ah economy in Asia Pacific/Middle East. Reporting from Singapore.
Showing posts with label Affairs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Affairs. Show all posts
Monday, 7 November 2016
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Update on Muslim affairs in Singapore at the Committee of Supply Debate 2016
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister-In-Charge of Muslim Affairs in addition to being Singapore's Minister for Communications and Information, has updated the Committee of Supply on the success of existing initiatives and announced new initiatives at the 2016 Committee of Supply Debate.
MENDAKI
Yayasan MENDAKI (MENDAKI, the Council for the Development of Singapore Malay/Muslim Community) is a self-help group dedicated to empowering the community through excellence in education, in the context of a multiracial and multi-religious Singapore. MENDAKI recently established the Future Ready Unit to promote SkillsFuture to the community, Dr Yaacob said, and will reach out to the Muslim community through a series of Future Ready Conversations and NextStop engagements. The first-ever NextStop Seminar was organised by the Future Ready Committee on 19 March, for example.
Yayasan MENDAKI (MENDAKI, the Council for the Development of Singapore Malay/Muslim Community) is a self-help group dedicated to empowering the community through excellence in education, in the context of a multiracial and multi-religious Singapore. MENDAKI recently established the Future Ready Unit to promote SkillsFuture to the community, Dr Yaacob said, and will reach out to the Muslim community through a series of Future Ready Conversations and NextStop engagements. The first-ever NextStop Seminar was organised by the Future Ready Committee on 19 March, for example.
"The Conversations will help MENDAKI to better understand the hopes and aspirations of our community, and how it can provide more targeted and effective support," said Dr Yaacob. "NextStop is more targeted. MENDAKI will engage students from secondary schools, institutes of technical education (ITEs) and polytechnics so that they have a better appreciation of the growth sectors in our economy, and relatedly, the range of academic and career pathways under SkillsFuture."
Dr Yaacob also announced that he will introduce Future Ready Mentoring for secondary level and ITE students1 while MENDAKI SENSE will help individuals better understand SkillsFuture through initiatives such as the Making SENSE of SkillsFuture Fairs. MENDAKI SENSE will also offer a number of free courses that support lifelong learning, career readiness and skills-upgrading.
MENDAKI will collaborate with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to better support vulnerable Malay/Muslim families on KidSTART as well as enhance the accessibility of its flagship programme, the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS). "We will expand the MTS@Mosques programme to include Al-Muttaqin Mosque and Al-Mawaddah Mosque. And six more community partners will host MENDAKI Homework Cafes to help students with their school work, bringing the total number to 18 centres for 300 students," Dr Yaacob said.
Modern religious guidance
MUIS, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, will hold the inaugural Conference on Fatwa in Contemporary Societies, bringing together community leaders and religious scholars. "This conference will highlight how we practice Islam in Singapore, and how religious guidance and social policies are shaped within the context they are in. We hope to build this conference into a platform for the discussion and dissemination of progressive religious thinking for minority Muslim communities living in a multiracial society," Dr Yaacob said.
Mosque Building & Mendaki Fund
Dr Yaacob noted that the revision in the contribution rates of the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) was necessary to meet critical needs of the community. "Since 2009, we have built two mosques and upgraded 17 mosques2, providing more prayer spaces for Muslims congregants...When all the current projects are completed by 2018, we can look forward to an increase of 24,700 prayer spaces since 2009," Dr Yaacob said.
The new prayer spaces will come from the upgrading of five mosques under Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 2, including the redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque, the completion of Maarof Mosque in Jurong West later this year, and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands in early 2017. Al-Istighfar Mosque will offer a temporary covered prayer space opposite the mosque later this year, to cater to about 500 congregants. "For the longer term, MUIS will upgrade Al- Istighfar," Dr Yaacob said. He also shared that a site in Tampines has already been chosen for a new mosque.
Education
A 30-year lease for Madrasah Arabiah at a new site adjacent to the current building in Toa Payoh has been secured. Redevelopment begins next year, Dr Yaacob said.
"Our preparations to implement the enhanced Joint Madrasah System (JMS) curriculum and syllabi for the secondary level are progressing well. Arabic, Islamic law and theology subjects for Madrasah Aljunied, and the Islamic Studies subject for Madrasah Arabiah will be rolled out. In tandem, our teachers are being equipped with the skills and resources to implement the curriculum effectively," he added.
As for using infocomm, Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah collaborated with IDA to set up a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) laboratory to expose students to game designing and educational robotics programming, while Madrasah Aljunied is piloting the teaching of Arabic using iBooks to make learning more interactive, Dr Yaacob said.
To meet demand for adult Islamic learning (ADIL), MUIS has added two more ADIL centres, bringing the number of centres to "MUIS will introduce intermediate modules that focus on the theme of Singaporean Muslims and contemporary challenges. The Office of Mufti (OOM) has also partnered mosques to offer free ADIL modules, and close to 2,400 participants have benefited from ADIL programmes. MUIS will also continue to work with the Private Islamic Education Network (PIENet) to offer quality Islamic education," Dr Yaacob said.
In keeping with Singapore's efforts against extremist influences, Dr Yaacob said that the curricula of both aLIVE and ADIL will include lessons that inoculate youth against online radicalisation. "We are actively engaging parents on cyber safety for their children so that they are more critical with what they read online. In so doing, our young are better protected against radical teachings. For the wider community, OOM and the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) are working together to develop both print and online materials to provide guidance in countering extremist ideologies," he said.
Support for the vulnerable
Zakat collection has risen from S$22.7 million in 2010 to about S$35.3 million (unaudited) in 2015, Dr Yaacob shared. "MUIS disburses zakat to an average of 5,300 beneficiaries annually. With the revision of eligibility criteria of the per capita income and increase in the disbursement quantum in 2014, MUIS was able to increase assistance to the poor and needy from S$13.8 million in 2014 to S$17.2 million last year, constituting almost 50% of the total zakat collected," he said.
MENDAKI's six centres under the MENDAKI@Heartlands initiative enable MENDAKI to connect the less advantaged to social assistance offered by the social service offices (SSOs). "In the past year, the six centres reached out to more than 14,000 individuals through various outreach platforms. Over 400 referrals, including individuals and families, were made to mosques and SSOs for social assistance, while another 600 were matched to educational programmes, job placement and skills upgrading," he added.
Nearly S$10 million was disbursed through the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund, or MMCDF between 2013 and 2015, benefiting on average 55 partner organisations per year. "The funding criteria is based on ground-up initiatives that are in line with Mendaki’s mission to support the community, in areas such as education, youth, family, and employability. Developing and delivering programmes in these areas are not core to the objectives of the mosque. The core objective of the mosque is to facilitate the community’s religious life. Our mosques, nevertheless, can play a supporting role by providing their premises to Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) who deliver such programmes. Mosques can tap on zakat funds to run programmes for families and for the young which are religious in nature or which involve values and character development," said Dr Yaacob.
The Syariah Court, or SYC, will work with MUIS Academy to develop a new certification programme on the practice of Muslim law in Singapore. "The programme will help practitioners understand marriages, divorces and inheritance as practised in Singapore. SYC will also be producing the next set of the Singapore Syariah Appeals Reports (SSAR) in the second half of this year. The SSAR provides a source of reference to Muslim family law, which is vital to the development and advancement of Islamic jurisprudence," Dr Yaacob noted.
The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) is to be amended. "This will aim to strengthen our Muslim institutions, better manage our community’s assets, and improve existing measures with respect to Muslim marriages and families," Dr Yaacob said.
MENDAKI will collaborate with the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) to better support vulnerable Malay/Muslim families on KidSTART as well as enhance the accessibility of its flagship programme, the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS). "We will expand the MTS@Mosques programme to include Al-Muttaqin Mosque and Al-Mawaddah Mosque. And six more community partners will host MENDAKI Homework Cafes to help students with their school work, bringing the total number to 18 centres for 300 students," Dr Yaacob said.
Modern religious guidance
MUIS, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, will hold the inaugural Conference on Fatwa in Contemporary Societies, bringing together community leaders and religious scholars. "This conference will highlight how we practice Islam in Singapore, and how religious guidance and social policies are shaped within the context they are in. We hope to build this conference into a platform for the discussion and dissemination of progressive religious thinking for minority Muslim communities living in a multiracial society," Dr Yaacob said.
Mosque Building & Mendaki Fund
Dr Yaacob noted that the revision in the contribution rates of the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) was necessary to meet critical needs of the community. "Since 2009, we have built two mosques and upgraded 17 mosques2, providing more prayer spaces for Muslims congregants...When all the current projects are completed by 2018, we can look forward to an increase of 24,700 prayer spaces since 2009," Dr Yaacob said.
The new prayer spaces will come from the upgrading of five mosques under Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 2, including the redevelopment of Darul Ghufran Mosque, the completion of Maarof Mosque in Jurong West later this year, and Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands in early 2017. Al-Istighfar Mosque will offer a temporary covered prayer space opposite the mosque later this year, to cater to about 500 congregants. "For the longer term, MUIS will upgrade Al- Istighfar," Dr Yaacob said. He also shared that a site in Tampines has already been chosen for a new mosque.
Education
A 30-year lease for Madrasah Arabiah at a new site adjacent to the current building in Toa Payoh has been secured. Redevelopment begins next year, Dr Yaacob said.
"Our preparations to implement the enhanced Joint Madrasah System (JMS) curriculum and syllabi for the secondary level are progressing well. Arabic, Islamic law and theology subjects for Madrasah Aljunied, and the Islamic Studies subject for Madrasah Arabiah will be rolled out. In tandem, our teachers are being equipped with the skills and resources to implement the curriculum effectively," he added.
As for using infocomm, Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah collaborated with IDA to set up a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) laboratory to expose students to game designing and educational robotics programming, while Madrasah Aljunied is piloting the teaching of Arabic using iBooks to make learning more interactive, Dr Yaacob said.
To meet demand for adult Islamic learning (ADIL), MUIS has added two more ADIL centres, bringing the number of centres to "MUIS will introduce intermediate modules that focus on the theme of Singaporean Muslims and contemporary challenges. The Office of Mufti (OOM) has also partnered mosques to offer free ADIL modules, and close to 2,400 participants have benefited from ADIL programmes. MUIS will also continue to work with the Private Islamic Education Network (PIENet) to offer quality Islamic education," Dr Yaacob said.
In keeping with Singapore's efforts against extremist influences, Dr Yaacob said that the curricula of both aLIVE and ADIL will include lessons that inoculate youth against online radicalisation. "We are actively engaging parents on cyber safety for their children so that they are more critical with what they read online. In so doing, our young are better protected against radical teachings. For the wider community, OOM and the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) are working together to develop both print and online materials to provide guidance in countering extremist ideologies," he said.
Support for the vulnerable
Zakat collection has risen from S$22.7 million in 2010 to about S$35.3 million (unaudited) in 2015, Dr Yaacob shared. "MUIS disburses zakat to an average of 5,300 beneficiaries annually. With the revision of eligibility criteria of the per capita income and increase in the disbursement quantum in 2014, MUIS was able to increase assistance to the poor and needy from S$13.8 million in 2014 to S$17.2 million last year, constituting almost 50% of the total zakat collected," he said.
MENDAKI's six centres under the MENDAKI@Heartlands initiative enable MENDAKI to connect the less advantaged to social assistance offered by the social service offices (SSOs). "In the past year, the six centres reached out to more than 14,000 individuals through various outreach platforms. Over 400 referrals, including individuals and families, were made to mosques and SSOs for social assistance, while another 600 were matched to educational programmes, job placement and skills upgrading," he added.
Nearly S$10 million was disbursed through the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund, or MMCDF between 2013 and 2015, benefiting on average 55 partner organisations per year. "The funding criteria is based on ground-up initiatives that are in line with Mendaki’s mission to support the community, in areas such as education, youth, family, and employability. Developing and delivering programmes in these areas are not core to the objectives of the mosque. The core objective of the mosque is to facilitate the community’s religious life. Our mosques, nevertheless, can play a supporting role by providing their premises to Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs) who deliver such programmes. Mosques can tap on zakat funds to run programmes for families and for the young which are religious in nature or which involve values and character development," said Dr Yaacob.
The Syariah Court, or SYC, will work with MUIS Academy to develop a new certification programme on the practice of Muslim law in Singapore. "The programme will help practitioners understand marriages, divorces and inheritance as practised in Singapore. SYC will also be producing the next set of the Singapore Syariah Appeals Reports (SSAR) in the second half of this year. The SSAR provides a source of reference to Muslim family law, which is vital to the development and advancement of Islamic jurisprudence," Dr Yaacob noted.
The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) is to be amended. "This will aim to strengthen our Muslim institutions, better manage our community’s assets, and improve existing measures with respect to Muslim marriages and families," Dr Yaacob said.
Hashtags: #COS2016, #SGBudget2016, #YaacobIbrahim
*A Committee of Supply in Singapore consists of the whole Parliament, which will debate to consider the business of supply. It usually sits for seven days or more to deal with the estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year. The Committee considers each ministry’s request for funds and votes on it. In 2016, the debate runs from 6 to 14 April.
1 Future Ready Mentoring will be part of the current Youth-in-Action (YIA), Empowerment Programme for Girls (EPG) and Mentoring@MTS programmes.
2 Mosque-Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 1: Muhajirin, Hajjah Rahimabi, Kampung Siglap, An Nur, Alkaff Upper Serangoon, Al-Ansar; MUP Phase 2: Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah, Mujahidin, Al-Istiqamah, Al-Amin, Darul Aman, Hj Mohd Salleh (Geylang), En-Naeem, Hj Yusoff, Sultan, Sallim Mattar (completed in March 2016), Al-Falah (to be completed in April 2016).
*A Committee of Supply in Singapore consists of the whole Parliament, which will debate to consider the business of supply. It usually sits for seven days or more to deal with the estimates of expenditure for the coming financial year. The Committee considers each ministry’s request for funds and votes on it. In 2016, the debate runs from 6 to 14 April.
1 Future Ready Mentoring will be part of the current Youth-in-Action (YIA), Empowerment Programme for Girls (EPG) and Mentoring@MTS programmes.
2 Mosque-Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 1: Muhajirin, Hajjah Rahimabi, Kampung Siglap, An Nur, Alkaff Upper Serangoon, Al-Ansar; MUP Phase 2: Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah, Mujahidin, Al-Istiqamah, Al-Amin, Darul Aman, Hj Mohd Salleh (Geylang), En-Naeem, Hj Yusoff, Sultan, Sallim Mattar (completed in March 2016), Al-Falah (to be completed in April 2016).
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Muis invites applications for medical and assistant pilgrim officers
Application forms for honorary medical, nursing and assistant pilgrim officers for Hajj 2016 are now available for download on the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) at http://www.muis.gov.sg/.
Singapore Pilgrim Affairs Office (SPAO) personnel shall be provided with return airfare, accommodation, land transportation.
The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, 14 March 2016, 5pm.
Singapore Pilgrim Affairs Office (SPAO) personnel shall be provided with return airfare, accommodation, land transportation.
The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, 14 March 2016, 5pm.
posted from Bloggeroid
Monday, 7 December 2015
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.
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.
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Sunday, 13 September 2015
India's MEA, Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs update on Makkah situation
The Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, India said on 12 September that 19 Indian Hajj pilgrims are reported to be injured, none critically.
A further two Indians have passed away, one from West Bengal and the other from Kerala.
Doctors, paramedics and Arabic interpreters are deployed in all Government hospitals to monitor the cases of Indian pilgrims admitted in the hospitals, the MEA said. The Consul General and the Deputy Consul General have visited the pilgrims admitted in the hospitals, and met with the Saudi Assistant Health Minister Dr Hamad Mohammed to ensure proper medical facilities to the pilgrims.
Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs published a list of 23 pilgrims affected by the accident, at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, King Faisal Al- Shisha Hospital and King Abdul Aziz (Al-Zahir) Hospital, all in Makkah. Of these, the injuries of 17 were listed with little information on the remaining six.
The Hajj will continue as scheduled.
Interested?
View the affected pilgrims' details
A further two Indians have passed away, one from West Bengal and the other from Kerala.
Doctors, paramedics and Arabic interpreters are deployed in all Government hospitals to monitor the cases of Indian pilgrims admitted in the hospitals, the MEA said. The Consul General and the Deputy Consul General have visited the pilgrims admitted in the hospitals, and met with the Saudi Assistant Health Minister Dr Hamad Mohammed to ensure proper medical facilities to the pilgrims.
Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs published a list of 23 pilgrims affected by the accident, at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, King Faisal Al- Shisha Hospital and King Abdul Aziz (Al-Zahir) Hospital, all in Makkah. Of these, the injuries of 17 were listed with little information on the remaining six.
The Hajj will continue as scheduled.
Interested?
View the affected pilgrims' details
posted from Bloggeroid
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs meets Saudi's Minister of Hajj
Dr Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar, Minister of Hajj, has met the Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Luqman Hakim Saifuddin, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The two discussed issues pertaining to the Indonesian pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj season. The Indonesian minister also thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for providing services at the two holy mosques.
The two discussed issues pertaining to the Indonesian pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj season. The Indonesian minister also thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for providing services at the two holy mosques.
Thursday, 9 July 2015
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.
It was previously 6 July.
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