New Mufti & Social issues facing by the Muslim Community

Salam,

It was announced without much fanfare, the appointment of Ustaz Fatris Bakaram.  I remember attending his classes way back in 1994/1995 - the Fardu Ain if i am not wrong. May Allah SWT guide him well in his new capacity as Mufti of Singapore

I didn't attend for long as I am always being taunted by the children at the mosque. You know the usual teasing, bullying...

Anyway that's beside the point.

Yesterday, my colleague email some of us with regards to the changes or feedback that we desire to see with the appointment to the new Mufti.

I am not sure whether there has yet to be changes. The jurisdiction of the MUIS office is never an independent organization but is tied up to MCYS - if you get my point.

Currently, religion is a personal and secondary issue and is never a paramount issue in any secular matters.

However being a Muslim is to integrate that into your secular life. It should not actually trouble you much in being someone secular.

Firstly, i would question:

1. What makes a Singapore Muslim?
2. How do you identify a Singaporean Muslim?
3. Why is it necessary to be identified?

Our community is close knitted. I sincerely believe we all know each other. Look at weddings. thousands turn up just to a wedding. This shows that there is still an acknowledgement of "silaturrahim" within the community.

However, how many of us would greet a fellow Muslim in the lift, along the corridor or just smile sincerely?

Do we keep our home door open or close all the times?

Do we know our neighbours?

Dont apply this to Muslims, how about non-muslims? Are we being the persons that our religion obliged us to?

And unlike other communities - who have issues, we also have issues too:

1. Majority of the Muslims here are malays and we have been plagued by issues like - education progression, salaries difference, housing debts etc...

2. We rarely take time to acknowledge the other Muslims brethren such as Indian, Chinese.

3. Our moralities - are we sending the right message to be a modern Malay/Chinese/Indian Muslim that practise our religion and we also can adhere to the growing demands of the global platform?

I would prefer a very much a whole review of the entire community choice of life or way of living. True it is definitely a personal matter but there must be a certain guiding point in our life - lead by the Islamic Council. This would definitely helpful - considering that youth nowadays spends more time on the web than out of the home.

Let's tackle the 2nd point first:
Notice that since the day i ever stepped into the mosque until now, all khutbahs are generally in the Malay Language. no doubt that the Malay language is the national language. However, i notice that in recent years, there are Muallafs around on Friday prayers. Notice that some of them do LOOK lost when the khutbah is being read to them. The intepretation screened on TV may not help if they happen not to be around near it or short sighted - they take off spectacles when they go prayers usually.

I am fairly certain that majority of the elders now are those that belong to majority that are able to understand and converse in the English Language. Many decades have passed since LKY insistence that everyone must learn English. I am sure it must have rubbed a bit on some of them.

There should be a review of this. It is important. Otherwise our Muallaf may get bored, and if the end up asking the next person what is being talk about (he is not supposed to while Khutbah is being read) will cause unnecessary misunderstanding between 2 brethrens of Islam.

True that the Khutbah is available online. Frankly speaking, i rarely go online and look out or read the khutbah as i have already heard it in Malay the language i understand. But how may of the Muallaf will do that?

Being said that, it is up to each individual on how to find the source of the khutbah however the starting point must be right too & i believe this ought to be considered.

The first issue is endless. It covers all issues regarding education, jobs and money.
For years, our Malay Muslim community have strive their very best to improve and i think we seeing better results now than 20 years ago. However, it seems that there is always a black mark somewhere. I have come across articles which seems to say "melayu must do better" or "more can be done" or "melayu giving up" or in short - sometimes i feel the appropriate title would be Melayu Masih Bodoh.

I dont deny that some of us in our community are slow in progress. However that does not necessary means we are slowing as a community.

Frankly, i am proud of our community but at the same time disappointed. For some reasons nowadays, people rarely help you with full sincerity. For helping someone, there must be something in for you. no keikhlasan if you asked me. Social standing is important too. The size of your HDB flat indicates your superiority among your family members. The amount of money, your job, your clothes, your possession is far far far more important than anything else. The number of trips to Makkah for Haj or Umrah seems to be worldly acknowledgement which has something to do with - social standing. Does going more trips to the Holy City makes you more holy and superior than others or it is supposed to bring you down gently to earth and acknowledge that no one is superior or above each other and only He has dominion over us all?

I dare to say this because I have seen this shoved in my face many times. I admit, I am who i am but that doesn't mean i dont listen. Wisdom comes to all and we regret many things that we done in our youth. We just hope that the past will not catch up with us and we can move on towards the path that leads to Eden.

I am fairly sure, that in terms of education, we have been pulling our socks high. There is one aspect i believe MUIS can make a suggestio. However i know that it is very rare for one Statutory board to dip their fingers into another but that does not mean they cant nor there isn't any precedent for it.

I believe education is the key to the well being of the Ummah. Therefore, perhaps MUIS can review the Civic  & Moral education subject that is being taught. Aside from the 5 pillars of Islam, more details can be emphasized on the appropriate attire required of the Muslim Man & Lady, the significant of the call to prayer etc.

I have 2 sisters, one was pretty scrawny while growing up and the other is quite robust, in fact bless with a good figure. I am very uncomfortable seeing her in skirts in school uniform. I have seen eyes leering at her. I have seen mature men looking at her. I am not saying that my sister is gorgeous. definitely not. I am uncomfortable with men having thoughts about her.

I often wonder why. This will be the subject that will be part of point 3.

If during PE lessons, they are allowed to wear trackpants, i sincerely believe if they were to think about it, they too can allow, pants for girls too. I pray for the day will come. Hijab is not necessary. At this time, i am thinking the need of being secular and uniformity of the uniform and integrating the need for a Muslim to guard her modesty while being secular. This is only a thought. I will still have to respect the rules. After all the law of the country is man-made. Muslim laws came from Him.

In terms of HDB debts, jobs . I believe a certain political party is bring it up in the next election. You may want to give DUE consideration to this. I feel there is a flaw somewhere with the current policy but i am not that analytical of a person to understand the impact it would make if a certain process is taken out from it. Obviously it has not been experimented but it is worth giving a thought.

http://votingrp.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/affordability-of-hdb-flats-a-response-to-minister-of-national-development/

I won't dawdle much on jobs or HDB flats. This issues are non-pressing. We cant control it but we can achieve it - insya Allah.

In recent years, we have been shocked into insensibility with the self made sex videos of our very own youth and I am aware of the fact that there were more children born out of wedlock and also high abortion.

It is obvious. However we turn a blind eye to all this and seems contend that as long as the person doing that deed is not in anyway part of my family, it is none of our business.

This is where MUIS can step in. Review the whole process. Dont just be part of the counselling process. Instead promote it from the root itself. Prevention is better than cure. There are just too much western influences out there.

Civil marriages happens too. I been invited to civils receptions - one of them involved a malay girl with her non-muslim bf turn husband to be and another is a malay chap with a non-muslim gf.

Their back ground is very much the typical like most of us. Industrious hard working parents, spent more time labouring at work trying to pay off the housing debts and keeping up with the social life. Money given to kids seems to be the solution for the time spent at work.

Frankly it is NON of my business. But however, what message are we sending to the rest of the youth? that it is ok to go for civil marriages?

For some reasons the MUIS authority are limited to marriages and divorces. That seems to be the primary role aside from Hajj and announcements of Raya and fasting etc.

More can be done. It is about time MUIS make bold approach towards promoting the Islamic New Year, the Maulidur Rasul or the Nuzul Al Quran etc.

At the same time, share the values of good people of our faith. Encourage this through education. Set aside a time frame of say within a year, at least spent a compulsory 30 days for youth to understand what Islam is all about. Encourage them to be part of the community.

I worked in budget hotel before which has a 2 hour so called transit check in. I have seen males and females alike muslims or not; checking in. They cant be having a rest alright. To put it delicately; shall we say, entertaining each other?

Mosque officials should be reviewed based on KPI & Performances. I have seen mosque officials accepting tokens and monetaries because the giver happens to be wanting for a favour to be done and that token is part of "ikhlas" i mean seriously. They earn a decent salary and being part of the civil group as i recall, should not that be given in the first place?

This i realise is happening whenever a kadi goes to a house to conduct the solemnization. A family member usually the groom's father, will prepare a small token for the kadi. I would like to believe the cos t of that has already been included in the amount that we paid at the office for registering and choosing the kadi himself.

I am not criticizing but there is a difference in giving monies to people. As i recall sedekah is to be given to those who cant afford basic needs, someone who has trouble getting thru life, yet he is patience, love the Lord and do work hard to improve his life, and endure whatever the Lord has given him. These group ought to be help. NOT those who are wheel chair bound and get their help from mosque and later spent it on booze. HEY I HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE OK! Just that i never take pictures of it.

I believe more can be done to help the lowest in society. Religious obligations must be acknowledge. It is from there than  i believe we will progress slowly and cut down on all this children out of wedlock issues, premarital sex and so on.

That is where the school book review comes in handy. Incorporate the Muslim way of life into it. Understanding the way of a life of a Muslim goes hand in hand everyday.

Parents have a role to play. They have to advise what is right or wrong in their children attire. As i mentioned my own personal experience with regards to my sister, i am afraid of things that might happen.

Guys in a group gossip more than 2 aunties in a market. One of them ever mention that malay girls the young ones would do ANYTHING for just a little bit of money.

The details that follow, shamed me to the core. Is this the Malay Muslim image that we are portraying?

Just for $20.00 some of them are willing to give in to the lusty demands and they are young. 15 year olds/16 year olds...against a 35 year old?

I am not sure if he is exaggerating, if he is,it is not by very much considering my own experience; judging by the number of check in i do at my previous employment.

A marriage is for life; however, infidelity is common too. How is this being tackled?

I am not saying it is a compulsory and there are many details and subjected to objections of various faction but i hope it is worth considering. Remember our youth of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and with all the globalisation going on, it is possible to put the context of Islam seamlessly into secular.

do not establish an excuse for it because once it is establish, there will be no way forward.

More issues can be raised but it is up to us as community to look back and asked ourselves if we want to be a slave to worldly matters OR a slave to Him. It is up to each individual which makes the community as a whole to make a difference in our youth or ourselves in fact. Some of you may feel that I am not in a position to raise my point or i do not have a say in this because of my background BUT i dare to say it because, it is an eyesore or a social issue. One day, something will happen and that will take another Minister to blast at us again and will be a farce on the newspaper for weeks!

Finally I have always this to say:

Patience towards challenges has its rewards, for in that challenge one become wiser and i am contend that He will never give me a challenge that is too heavy for me to bear. Insya Allah, with His Help, my plea for help, it will be overcome.

This is for those who are facing issues right now. remember there is no short cut to achieve your dreams. Bukan Senang nak menjadi orang Senang.

For those who have attained their desired level:
Help others. Raise them from the ground. He wants us to do so. Do not take advantage from it. He will reward you for helping - insya Allah.

Salam Aidil Adha

Good Day! :)

It has been a while since i last updated this blog. I been too depressed and busy at work that I dont even have the time to write something decent.

However, taking this opportunity to wish everyone who do visit this blog - Salam Idul Adha and May You Have A Great Day With Family.