Category: Singapuraku

Learning To Appreciate Islamic Thought In Modern Context

A programme for aspiring Islamic religious leaders to better understand religious teachings in the context of contemporary, plural societies was launched yesterday.

A total of 40 recent graduates and final-year undergraduates from universities in the Middle East and South-east Asia are attending the Islamic Thought in Context: Living in Plural Societies series at the Singapore Islamic Hub over 10 days this week and the next. The sessions are organised by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore’s (Muis’) research and education arm, Muis Academy, together with the Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at Nanyang Technological University.

They cover such topics as syariah in a modern context, and diversity and Islam in modern Singapore.

On Friday, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim announced plans to study the feasibility of setting up an Islamic college here to provide a higher quality of religious education that is better tailored to the local context.

Dr Yaacob also told reporters over the weekend that such a college could have its first cohort in, say, five years, but a full-fledged institution might need a longer timeframe of between 15 and 20 years.

In the meantime, sessions like this month’s aim to help equip local religious teachers with an appreciation of current trends, and skills to better teach the religion today.

Sessions will be taught by lecturers from both RSIS and the Muis Academy, as well as international scholars such as University of Melbourne Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies Abdullah Saeed, and University of Notre Dame Professor of Islamic Studies Ebrahim Moosa.

Participant Muhammad Ashraf Anwar, 23, said the series would help him better understand current issues facing the community. Said the final-year Islamic theology student at Al-Azhar University in Cairo: “In Egypt, we learn traditional Islam from credible sources, but the community in Egypt is very different. We have to learn how to contextualise what we study to better serve the community here.”

Muis Academy’s vice-dean, Ustaz Mohammad Hannan Hassan, said: “The programme was created to help students consult the Islamic tradition and place it within the context of Singapore’s plural society.” He added: “This contextualisation is not something outside of Islam, it’s an established part of our tradition.”

As for an Islamic college, SRP Head of Studies Mohammad Alami Musa said it would benefit madrasah graduates, who are now not able to pursue higher religious education locally. A pool of some 15 asatizah (religious teachers) with master’s and doctoral degrees could be part of the faculty, he said.

Other community leaders also welcomed the college. Managing director of education group SimplyIslam Mohamed Nassir Abdul Sukkur said it was “long overdue”.

Mr Alami said: “It has been a dream of asatizah from the pioneer generation to have an Islamic college here.”

Source: Berita MediaCorp

July 19, 2016
Failed Coup In Turkey: Returning Travelers Recall The Fear And Chaos

With helicopters buzzing overhead, the sound of gunshots and soldiers in full battle dress with weapons at the ready – it was total chaos at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport in the hours after Friday night’s attempted military coup in Turkey.

Singaporeans who returned from Istanbul to relieved family members yesterday described scenes of fear, with travellers hiding in toilets to wait out the siege.

Jet planes would take off and thunder past so close that the windows would vibrate.

“It sounded like explosions,” said Ms Joanne Lim, 33, who is in between jobs.

She was one of the Singaporeans who arrived home yesterday evening on a Turkish Airlines flight. She spent 24 hours waiting for a plane out of Turkey after her initial flight was cancelled.

Another Singaporean, Ms Grace Feng, 33, said she was at the airport waiting for her flight to depart at about midnight, when all flights were suddenly cancelled.

Ms Feng, a teacher, said it was “a huge mess” and that travellers were piecing together what happened from television broadcasts and news on their mobile phones.

People also started running in panic after a glass wall broke at the airport, she said.

Ms Feng said that what was “most scary” was the sense that “anyone could just walk in” to the area where travellers were huddled in the airport in the middle of the night. She added that people were sleeping at restaurants in the transit area.

At Changi Airport yesterday, travellers were also faced with a frustrating wait at the baggage belt, as luggage from their flight went through additional screenings.

At the Terminal 1 belt, security staff were also seen scanning people with metal detectors.

Two hours after the flight landed at about 8pm, families were still waiting anxiously for their loved ones. Some, like Ms Feng, shared a tight embrace with family members after finally coming out of the baggage area.

Many family members said they were worried after hearing about the attempted coup and the airport being closed.

Musician John Chua was waiting for his cousin, who told him that bombing sounds could be heard at the airport.

“We were worried, we also weren’t sure if he was telling us everything that was happening,” said Mr Chua, 31.

Mrs Lyn Sam, 71, said her son – who was returning from a business trip – had to queue for more than three hours to get his ticket revalidated for the new flight.

“It sounded like a harrowing experience, with the helicopters and soldiers standing outside the glass door with guns,” said the housewife.

Earlier yesterday morning, a group of 10 ITE College Central students and their lecturer also arrived back from Istanbul via Kuala Lumpur.

The group, comprising students aged between 18 and 21, were stranded at Ataturk airport for about 13 hours and had hid inside a toilet, said an ITE spokesman, who added that they were relieved at the “safe return of all students and staff”.

Source: The Straits Times

July 19, 2016
Imam Shafie: For The Little Ones

Carrying a cardboard box, 42-year-old Mohd Shafie Mohd Hanapiah made his way to a room in the Pusara Aman Mosque at Lim Chu Kang Road.

When he entered the room, Shafie placed the box on a table and carefully took out its contents, laying them out in front of him on a stainless steel slab.

The box contained four foetuses and a few other surgical remains which he collected earlier from Changi General Hospital.

After reciting a quick prayer, Shafie began to carefully wash each foetus and each of the surgical remains. A sombre mood hung over the room.

Shafie said that he treats the foetuses as if they were his own.

“Sometimes when we do our duty and cleanse the foetuses, I will talk to them and say that they are like my children,” he said.

Working with an assistant, Shafie proceeded to carry out the necessary Islamic rites before shrouding the foetuses and surgical remains, then putting them back into the cardboard box to transport for burial later.

As an Imam with the Singapore Muslim Casket (SMC), it is Shafie’s responsibility to cleanse, shroud and bury unclaimed foetuses and surgical remains in accordance with Islamic ritual.

“It is wajib (compulsory) in Islam to wash, shroud and bury the foetuses. We cannot just dispose of them anyhow,” said Shafie.

Unclaimed bodies handled by SMC and MTFA

Working together with the Muslimin Trust Fund Association (MTFA), the SMC handles the burial of miscarried and aborted foetuses, surgical remains and unclaimed Muslim bodies in Singapore.

MTFA pays for the burial services for the burial of unclaimed Muslims bodies who have passed away in Singapore, as well as those whose next-of-kin are unable to pay for the burial rites. The services also include burying foetuses and surgical remains.

MTFA said the number of burials that includes unclaimed bodies, surgical remains and unclaimed foetuses varies from month to month.

In 2015, the association buried 27 bodies, 239 foetuses and 489 surgical remains. The number of foetuses rose by 15 per cent to 239 in 2015 after declining in the previous two years.

Unmarked graves

A former Company Sergeant Major with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Shafie has been preparing the foetuses, bodies and surgical remains for burial for the past 28 years. He started volunteering to cleanse and shroud Muslim bodies when he was 14.

The bachelor sees it as his responsibility to ensure that the unclaimed bodies, especially foetuses, are given proper burials.

“According to Muslim laws, even a small part of the body needs to be buried. We cannot just anyhow put the remains (foetus or body parts) at any plot of land. It has to be buried in a cemetery,” explained Shafie.

Shafie takes about 40 minutes to cleanse and shroud each foetus before they are brought to an unmarked piece of land at Lim Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery for burial.

Each plot is divided into two parts, and up to 20 foetuses are buried in each part, he said. At the cemetery, another quick prayer is recited after the foetuses and remains are buried.

There are no tombstones to mark the area.

Despite doing this job for almost 30 years, Shafie admits that burying a foetus is always heartbreaking.

“The feeling of sadness is there. We do have feelings for it (the foetuses) and it is not an easy task to do but we still have to proceed with it,” he said with tears welling up in his eyes.

Source: Yahoo News

July 19, 2016
Family Upset About Caterer’s No-Show For Hari Raya Eve Dinner

Lontong, rendang, and sambal prawns – that was what she was looking forward to serving her extended family at a special meal on July 5, the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

But the food, which cost her $600, did not appear on the dining table.

Ms Darniyati Majid, 46, is among several customers of a catering company who claim they did not receive what they ordered and also did not get refunds.

Attempts by The New Paper to contact the owners of the company several times last week were unsuccessful.

A search with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) shows that the business is still listed as a live company.

Ms Darniyati, a quality inspector, said: “My mother is not feeling well, so I wanted to order a feast for her to host 30 to 40 family members visiting on Hari Raya eve.”

On July 4, a day before the delivery, she sent a Facebook message to the company to confirm the delivery timing, but there was no reply.

Ms Darniyati said she was “so worried I could not sleep” so on the morning of July 5, she contacted another catering company to order food for the dinner. It cost her $300.

Later that day, someone from the catering company sent her a message via Facebook, promising to refund her for the non-delivery, but she did not get a refund.

On July 6, she made a police report. A police spokesman told TNP a report was lodged and investigations were ongoing.

Another customer, graphic designer Zara Samsudin, 37, had ordered iftar (breaking of fast) meals for the entire duration of the fasting month.

From June 7 to June 24, the orders were fulfilled, but from June 27, she stopped receiving any food.

Ms Zara said: “The owner messaged me to say that her cook had been injured (due to an incident involving) hot oil.”

She said the company gave her a full refund of $145 on July 5.

Other customers have not been as lucky.

At least four people, who posted messages online complaining about the caterer, told TNP they did not receive their orders and refunds. They said they could not reach the owners after Hari Raya.

The amounts owed are between $69 and $149, according to their claims.

One of them, housewife Sheree Deen, 28, said: “The owner keeping quiet would not assuage our worries.”

When reporters visited the owner’s flat in Woodlands last week, he was not in. A woman at the flat, who declined to be named, said the catering business had closed down the week before.

PAGE TAKEN DOWN

The company’s Facebook page, which has been taken down since Tuesday night, listed the address of a food stall in Sembawang.

When TNP visited the stall last week, the cooksaid the owner was in Johor Baru.

Mr Seah Seng Choon, executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), advised that consumers seeking for refunds from a registered business may file a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT).

Mr Seah added: “If they get a judgment in their favour but the business refuses to pay, they can enforce the judgment by way of a writ of seizure and sale to recover their money.”

Case said no complaints have been registered against the catering company in the past.

Consumers can contact Case for advice on filing a claim at the SCT via their hotline at 6100-0315.

Ms Darniyati said: “I hope caterers won’t take orders if they can’t cope. I would not want this to happen to anyone.”

Source: The New Paper

July 18, 2016
Pelakon Adi Putra Dilapor Senyap-Senyap Nikah Lagi

Pelakon kelahiran Singapura yang sudah menebarkan sayapnya di negara jiran sekali lagi terpalit kontroversi baru-baru ini.

Adi Putra, didakwa sudah bernikah kali kedua secara senyap-senyap, lapor laman Astro Gempak.

Perbuatannya itu terdedah setelah gambar yang menunjukkan beliau bersama seorang wanita berpakaian sedondon dalam sekitaran majlis pernikahan tersebar menerusi aplikasi Whatsapp.

Sebelum gambar-gambar itu tersebar, laporan Harian Metro menyatakan pelakon KL Gangster itu didakwa berkahwin kali kedua dengan seorang janda anak satu baru-baru ini.

Perbuatan Adi Putra mengejutkan ramai orang, termasuk isterinya, Aida Yusof, 41 tahun, yang dikatakan tidak mengetahui berita perkahwinan suaminya itu.

Astro Gempak cuba menghubungi Adi Putra namun tidak berhasil.

Menurut laman mStar, Adi Putra membatalkan majlis Aidilfitri bersama kelab peminatnya, yang dijadual hari ini (17 Jul), pada saat-saat akhir.

Beliau memuat naik gambar di laman Instagramnya memohon maaf kerana terpaksa membatalkan perjumpaan tersebut.

“Assalammualaikum wmb. Saya memohon maaf kepada semua hotlovers kerana perjumpaan raya dan ulang tahun hotlovers esok 17 Julai, harus dibatalkan atas sebab-sebab yang tertentu. Saya sekali lagi mohon kemaafan,” katanya dalam laman sosial itu.

Pada bulan Disember 2013, Adi Putra pernah mencetuskan kontroversi setelah beliau dilaporkan mempunyai skandal dengan isteri orang dari Johor sehingga melibatkan laporan polis dan disiasat mengikut Seksyen 509 Kanun Keseksaan, menurut laporan mStar.

Namun, kes itu ditutup dan diklasifikasikan sebagai “no further action” atau tiada tindakan lanjut.

Rumah tangga Adi Putra dengan Aida sebelum ini juga pernah berdepan dengan masalah apabila beliau memfailkan perceraian di Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Kuala Lumpur terhadap Aida pada 11 Mei 2012 namun membatalkan hasrat itu kemudiannya.

Pasangan Adi Putra dan Aida sudah bernikah sejak 14 April 2006 namun tidak dikurniakan cahaya mata, tetapi mengambil seorang anak angkat perempuan berusia empat tahun, menurut mStar.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

July 18, 2016