Fulfilling the Trust: 50 Years of Shaping Muslim Religious Life in Singapore (396 Pages)

"Muslims constitute about half a million or 15 percent of Singapore's multiracial and multireligious population. In 1968, the Singapore Parliament passed the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), which led to the formation of Muis or the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). The formation of Muis has brought about better administration of Muslim affairs in Singapore in meeting the religious needs of the Muslim community in areas like the issuance of fatwa (religious rulings), provision of halal food, management of haj (religious pilgrimage), collection and disbursement of zakat (charity tithe), running of madrasahs (religious schools) and having access to sound Islamic education. This was achieved with Muis having earned the trust and confidence of the community and ensuring the mutual facilitation of the community's, state's and society's needs. Fulfilling the Trust: 50 Years of Shaping Muslim Religious Life in Singapore is the first book that comprehensively studies the development of Muis' policies over the last 50 years since its founding in 1968. It offers an insight into the multi-faceted considerations and the overall context of the development of such policies, providing a wide-ranging and evaluative analyses of their evolution in the various work domains. The book argues that in order to better appreciate Muis' policies, one has to also understand the critical junctures, socio-historical context, diverse stakeholders and decision-makers' perspectives that led Muis to respond to issues and challenges in a certain way. This book is a valuable contribution to the community's cultural and experiential heritage, providing an indispensable resource for anyone or any institution wishing to pursue a constructive role for religious communities to equally contribute towards the betterment of a thriving plural society ensconced within a secular-based polity."--Publisher's website Contents 6 Acronyms 10 Foreword by Masagos Zulkifli Masagos Mohamad, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs 16 Foreword by Mohammad Alami Musa, Muis President 20 Foreword by Abdul Razak Maricar, Muis Chief Executive 22 Foreword by Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, Mufti of Singapore 26 Muis at 50: A Personal Reflection by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Former Minister for Communications and Information, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs and Minister-in-Charge of Cyber Security 32 Introduction — A Road Less Travelled 32 Building Trust and Professionalism 34 Dialogue and Understanding 37 Diversity and Sectarianism 41 Role of Religion in the Modern World 43 Conclusion — The Road Ahead 46 Acknowledgements 48 Note on Translation, Spelling, and Other Conventions 50 Introduction: Towards a Socio-Historical Analysis of Muis Policies 52 Objective of the Book 55 Central Questions and Book Summary 58 References 62 Part 1 — Building Muis’ Foundations 64 1 The Institutionalisation of Islam in Singapore: The Administration of Muslim Law Act and the Birth of a ‘Majlis Ugama’ 66 Introduction 66 Legislation of Muslim Religious Affairs: Pre-Colonial to Independence 68 The Idea of an Islamic Religious Council 72 The Omnibus Legislation — The Administration of Muslim Law 74 Conclusion 80 References 81 2 Institution Building and Community Development : Dynamics of Muis’ Dual Identity 84 Introduction 84 Expectations on the Singapore Public Service 85 The Case for Institutional Capability Building 86 Lack of Trust and Expertise 86 Lack of Governance and Systems 87 Developing Dynamic Capabilities 88 Leadership and People Development 88 Strengthening Governance 91 Leveraging Technology for Improved Productivity 91 Institutionalising Continuous Improvement 92 Consultative Strategic Planning 92 Benchmarking 93 Sector Remodelling 94 Corporatisation 95 Trade-offs and Challenges 96 Balancing Roles and Addressing Criticisms 97 What the Future Holds 101 References 103 Part 2 — Shaping Religious Life and Education 106 3 Contextualisation and Modernisation: Islamic Thought through Fatwas in Singapore 108 Fatwa Tradition in Islam 109 Fatwa Institution in Singapore 110 Organ Donation 113 Inheritance 118 Conclusion 121 References 122 4 Developing Asatizah in Singapore through the Asatizah Recognition Scheme 124 Introduction 124 Challenges Faced in Post-Independence Singapore 125 The Role of Muis and Community Partners in the Early Years 126 Asatizah Development Today 129 Community’s Readiness for Mandatory ARS 132 Conclusion: Further Centralisation of Religious Life? 137 References 138 5 Madrasah Education: A Journey Towards Excellence 140 Introduction 140 The Evolution of Singapore Madrasahs 142 Juggling Dual Objectives 144 Support from Mendaki and Muis 146 Impact of Compulsory Education(CE) 148 Post-CE Efforts 150 Remodelling the Madrasahs 151 Financial Sustainability 154 Balancing Change and Preserving of Legacy and Heritage 155 Conclusion: Future of Madrasahs 157 References 158 6 Rethinking Islamic Education for the Young 162 Introduction 162 Background of Part-time Islamic Education in Singapore 163 Challenges to the Relevance of Islamic Education Programmes at Mosques 164 Review of Mosque Madrasahs 165 The Singapore Islamic Education System 167 Critiques of the aLIVE Programme 170 Future Challenges for Part-time Islamic Education 176 References 177 Annex A 178 Part 3 — Managing Assets and Services 180 7 Mosques in Singapore: Managing Expectations and the Future Ahead 182 Constructing and Sustaining a Place for Worship 183 Sustaining Mosque’s Socio-Religious and Developmental Mission 187 Manpower 190 Structure 192 Programme 193 Positioning Mosques within the National Landscape 193 The Future of Policy-making at Mosques 197 References 198 8 Doing Things Differently: Zakat and Social Development in Singapore 200 The Institutionalisation of Zakat in Singapore 201 Modernisation of Zakat Management in Singapore 202 Limitations of Zakat 205 Incorporating Social Development and Connecting with National Social Assistance 207 Programmes 207 Controls and Structures 208 Capabilities Development 209 Connecting with National Social Assistance 209 Doing Things Differently 211 The Future of Assistance 213 References 213 9 Enhancing Community Assets: Sustaining the Wakaf Legacy 216 Introduction 216 Financing Wakaf Development Projects 218 First Foray into Property Development 219 Asset Migration 220 Corporatising Warees 222 Enhancing Wakaf Properties: The Next Phase 223 Policy Lessons 225 Conclusion 226 References 228 10 Haj Aspirations: A ‘Hybrid’ of Public and Private Models for Singapore 230 Introduction 230 Background 231 Haj Provision Models Around the World 233 Haj Management in Singapore 235 Contemporary Challenges 237 Mitigating Contemporary Challenges 239 The Future of Haj 240 References 242 Annex A 244 Annex B 247 Annex C 248 11 Managing Demand Growth for Halal Food 250 Understanding Halal Food 252 Halal Food Verification 253 Halal Certification 254 Drivers of Demand for Halal Certification 255 Globalisation of Food Systems 255 Increasing Religious Consciousness 258 Growth Potential of the Halal Industry 259 Emerging Challenges 261 Over-reliance on Halal Certification 262 Proliferation of Fake “Halal” News 263 Conclusion 264 References 265 ANNEX A: KEY MILESTONES OF MUIS HALAL CERTIFICATION 269 12 Seeking the Meaning of Sacrifice: Evolution of Korban in Singapore 272 Major Milestones In Korban Implementation 275 New Korban Operation Regime 279 Criticisms on Korban in Singapore 283 Conclusion 286 References 287 Part 4 — Beyond the Singapore Muslim Community 290 13 International Networking: Bringing the World to Muis 292 Introduction 292 Regional Networks 293 Expanding mission 296 Positive Models 297 Silver Linings 298 Shaping Discourse 300 Recent Developments 301 The Way Forward 303 Reference 305 14 Spirit of Blessings to All: Muis’ Contribution to Social Cohesion 306 Introduction 306 Community’s Intrinsic Spirit of Inclusiveness 308 Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) 308 Individual Efforts: Mufti Syed Isa Semait and Habib Syed Hassan Al-Attas 309 Commitment to Religious Harmony and Social Cohesion 311 Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 311 9/11 and JI Arrests 313 Muis’ Post-9/11 Efforts in Building Social Cohesion 314 Positing the Positive Role of Religion in Society 315 Forging the Singapore Muslim Identity 315 Driving the interfaith agenda 317 “Blessings to All”: Community Narrative to Build Social Cohesion 321 Conclusion 321 References 322 Annex A 324 Conclusion: Diversity and Disruption: Charting New Pathways for the Future 326 Reaping the Benefits of Current Structures 328 Future Challenges 330 Changing Economic Landscape 330 Ageing Population 332 Maintaining a Sense of Identity 333 Impact on the Community’s Socio-Religious Life 335 Charting New Paths 338 References 340 Profile of Contributors 344 Glossary 354 Past & Present Images 360 Index 386 "Muslims constitute about half a million or 15 percent of Singapore's multiracial and multireligious population. In 1968, the Singapore Parliament passed the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), which led to the formation of Muis or the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). The formation of Muis has brought about better administration of Muslim affairs in Singapore in meeting the religious needs of the Muslim community in areas like the issuance of fatwa (religious rulings), provision of halal food, management of haj (religious pilgrimage), collection and disbursement of zakat (charity tithe), running of madrasahs (religious schools) and having access to sound Islamic education. This was achieved with Muis having earned the trust and confidence of the community and ensuring the mutual facilitation of the community's, state's and society's needs. Fulfilling the Trust: 50 Years of Shaping Muslim Religious Life in Singapore is the first book that comprehensively studies the development of Muis' policies over the last 50 years since its founding in 1968. It offers an insight into the multi-faceted considerations and the overall context of the development of such policies, providing a wide-ranging and evaluative analyses of their evolution in the various work domains. The book argues that in order to better appreciate Muis' policies, one has to also understand the critical junctures, socio-historical context, diverse stakeholders and decision-makers' perspectives that led Muis to respond to issues and challenges in a certain way. This book is a valuable contribution to the community's cultural and experiential heritage, providing an indispensable resource for anyone or any institution wishing to pursue a constructive role for religious communities to equally contribute towards the betterment of a thriving plural society ensconced within a secular-based polity"--Back cover