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5 Great Reasons Why We Need Female Muslim Entrepreneurs

When you think of a Muslim female, what image comes to mind immediately? Maybe a housewife and homemaker, baby on hip, phone to ear with pancakes tossing in the air. Or a girl in the far corner of the library, head buried deep in a book, furiously taking notes.

What about an entrepreneur and CEO of a successful business. No? It’s almost impossible for a Muslim woman to be seen as the decision maker in any business let alone owning her own company! Although a lack of female entrepreneurs is not something that is specific to the Muslim community, it’s even higher in Muslim communities as women are usually the homemakers of the household whilst men are the main bread winners.

However in this golden age of the internet, women are finding creative ways of running a successful business whilst raising a family.

So here are five reasons why we desperately need more Muslim women entrepreneurs:

1. Social Enterprise

Women are more often social entrepreneurs and consider the social, environmental and ethical implications of the businesses they run or are involved in compared to men (59% compared to 48%) (A Survey of Social Enterprise Across the UK, DTi, 2005)

This can have a positive impact on society and the planet at large. The Muslim world, often riddled with problems (economic, social, political) could also benefit from female led businesses as women would more likely value social development versus just profit making which helps in tackling many of the issues that exist head on.

2. Equality

It’s a fact, there are far more male led business than there are females led ones, and this can often create working environments that do not reflect the needs of women. Female led business are more likely to understand the need for flexible working hours as well as being able to accommodate women who have families, and choose to work from home. More Muslim women entrepreneurs could result in more female friendly businesses, encouraging Muslim women to take part in the world of work without having to compromise the needs of their families and home life.

3. To fight stereotypes

Muslim women are often wrongly portrayed as being oppressed or weak, having more Muslim women entrepreneurs will challenge this perception and counteract stereotypes which undermine a Muslim woman’s ability in making good and well thought out business decisions.

4. Tackle female unemployment

A recent study by the Muslim Council of Britain revealed that 70% of Muslim women between the ages of 16-24 are unemployed. One way of tackling this high number of young Muslim female unemployment is through entrepreneurship as this could help remove many of the barriers that may prevent Muslim women from entering the world of work.

5. Lack of female role models

There is an increasing number of studies which suggest that the current generation of young people are the most entrepreneurial group yet. However, young Muslim girls may find it hard to find role models that they can identify with or seek guidance or mentoring from. An increase in entrepreneurship in Muslim women will create inspirational role models that young girls can imitate and will also portray the path to entrepreneurship as a viable and rewarding one to pursue.

These are only a few points and there are definitely many more reasons why the world needs more Muslim female entrepreneurs. Muslim women have immense potential and it’s important that governments as well as local communities work towards a more entrepreneurial society which empowers Muslim women and provides them with the right tools to thrive and succeed.

Source: TheMuslimVibe

March 9, 2017
Yaacob: S$1.5 million Set Aside To Support Teaching Of Maths, Science At Madrasahs

The Government will provide S$1.5 million from this financial year to support the teaching of secular subjects like maths and science at madrasahs, announced Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim on Thursday (March 9).

This will be matched by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) for the teaching of religious subjects.

The bulk of the S$1.5 million each year (S$1.4 million) will go towards financial incentives for teachers. Each of the 127 teachers of secular subjects will receive S$4,200 to S$8,700 a year in cash and Central Provident Fund savings, with the amount depending on their qualifications.

The financial incentives from Muis for teachers of religious subjects, as well as training, will amount to S$1.1 million a year. This is a lower amount because the number of teachers of religious subjects is 112.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had first announced greater support for the six full-time madrasahs in the teaching of secular subjects at the 2015 National Day Rally.

New training grants of S$1,000 per teacher per year will also be available, and Muis and the madrasahs will identify the training needs and priorities for eligible teachers.

For madrasah students who do well or show the most improvement, the Government and Muis will set aside S$100,000 each annually for student awards.

The money from the Government will be for secular subjects, and about 350 awards will be given per year. A similar number of student awards for religious subjects will be funded by Muis.

On the Mandatory Asatizah Recognition Scheme, which came into effect in January, Dr Yaacob said about 2,500 asatizah – estimated to be 90 per cent of the Islamic religious teachers in Singapore – have been registered. This year alone, 280 applicants have come forward and 117 of the applications have been processed.

The scheme started in Dec 2005 and was voluntary. Muslim community leaders called for it to be made mandatory last year amid a more diverse socio-religious landscape, and for more assurance that religious guidance would be compatible with the values of multi-cultural Singapore.

Meanwhile, to help Malay Muslim professionals, managers, executives and technicians (Pmets) who may be affected by economic changes, a new committee co-chaired by Parliamentary Secretaries Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Amrin Amin will be set up. The committee will help Malay Muslim PMETs to retrain, tap their SkillsFuture credits and bounce back from employment setbacks.

Providing an update on mosque building Dr Yaacob said the Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands will open to the public in April.

Source: TodayOnline

March 9, 2017
Ethnic Chinese Embrace Islam, But Keep Names To Resist ‘Becoming Malay’

Chinese Muslims converts are baulking at taking Malay or Arabic names upon embracing Islam, claiming the discriminatory practice forces them to abandon their culture and traditions.

Several Chinese Muslims in Malaysia are fighting for the right to keep their original names, in defiance of the convention of replacing their surname with ‘Abdullah’, in a bid to keep their culture alive.

“I will not change my ethnicity. I was born Chinese and I will die Chinese, I will not become Malay.

“I did not want to change my name to show that Islam is a universal religion for all nations, not just for the Arabs or Malays only,” the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA) Malacca president Lim Jooi Soon told the BBC in a recent interview.

Like Lim, several other Chinese Muslims view changing their names to include Arabic or Malay names to be unnecessary as they were adopting a new faith, not a new race.

“My name may change but my face remains the same. Here, Malaysians say that if someone converts to Islam it means they’re becoming Malay. If I did not change my name, then I remain Chinese,” Ting Swee Keong said, also having kept his Chinese name after converting to Islam.

Even the practice of celebrating Chinese festivals are at risk, Muslim convert Nur Caren Chung Yock Lin said, despite celebrations like Chinese New Year or Mooncake Festival not being rooted in faith.

“This cultural celebration does not go against Islamic law; the Mooncake Festival, the Dumpling Festival, the Chinese New Year celebrations, these are more cultural than religious.

“Judging from history when Ibn Waqas preached in China, he easily accepted the culture since Islam did not kill the culture; the faith changed, not the culture,” she said.

Although the convention of changing an individual’s name when converting into Islam is not in Malaysian legislature, it is commonly practised by all Islamic authorities, the BBC reports.

Lim was the first Chinese Muslim in Malaysia allowed to keep his original name, a right he earned after battling Islamic authorities for five years.

“Five years to talk, debate and discussion, as well as showing strong evidence in favour of me keeping my Chinese name. After that, it made it easy for many people to embrace Islam,” he said.

“If he gets rid of his surname, it’s as if there is no contact with his family. My second name indicates which generation I belong to and my last name, which is my own, means headed for greatness,” he explained.

Although MACMA president Muhamad Thaufiq Loi Fui Liang opted to change his name upon entering Islam, he urged Islamic authorities to do away with this practice so that those choosing to embrace Islam can still keep their cultural identity.

“I have also asked the parties related to the registration of the religion that this practice be changed so that the ethnic Chinese are still able to maintain their personal name and their surname if they convert to Islam,” he said.

Source: TheMalayMailOnline

March 9, 2017
Parliament: New Committee To Help Malay/Muslim PMETs

Malay/Muslim professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) can soon turn to a new committee for help to weather the headwinds from an uncertain economy.

Its focus is to help this growing group to retrain, and rebound from employment setbacks, said Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim on Thursday (March 9). The committee will be chaired by Parliamentary Secretaries Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Amrin Amin.

Dr Yaacob also said in Parliament that the community’s take up of the national SkillsFuture initiative has room for improvement. As of December 2016, out of the 126,000 Singaporeans who have used their SkillsFuture credits, only 8.4 per cent are Malays.

“More can be done to explain and link them to SkillsFuture and other national schemes. We will push hard to encourage more to try, and for those who do, we want to support them,” he said.

He was responding to Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang GRC), who flagged lower-middle income PMETs as a group in need of greater support.

Mendaki’s training arm, Mendaki Sense, will step up its efforts to provide good employment opportunities, said Dr Yaacob.

“But at the same time, more must be done to make continual learning and training a social norm or a natural impulse of our community,” he added, pointing to Mendaki’s efforts to empower the community through education.

The self-help group, which turns 35 this year, has been tapping on technology.

For instance, it last month piloted its Digital Learning@MTS initiative to heighten the learning experience of students in its flagship Mendaki Tuition Scheme, said Dr Yaacob. This involved 150 students at three centres, but will be expanded into a full-fledged programme for all if successful.

Mendaki is also working to get the community ready for the challenges of the future.

Its Future Ready Unit, launched last year, has reached out to more than 1,000 students and young adults to promote SkillsFuture, particularly among students and parents.

This year, it will launch a new Future First programme to help Malay/Muslim students in Higher Nitec courses develop IT skills and competencies, like critical thinking.

Dr Yaacob also laid out moves to strengthen and safeguard families. Vista Sakinah, which was launched in 2011 to provide specialised marriage education and support programmes for remarrying couples and step-families, has helped more than 1,600 couples through its remarriage preparation programme, and more than 1,200 families through its post-marriage support, he said.

Plans are afoot to expand its outreach efforts and enhance its services. One strategy involves working with asatizah to engage these families, said Dr Yaacob: “We want to encourage our asatizah to broaden how they can serve the social needs of the community, and remarriages and step-families are one group who require support.”

He also spoke of changes in the Syariah Court, which administers Muslim family law relating to divorce and inheritance matters.

Two new presidents – Ustaz Muhammad Fazalee Jaafar and Ustazah Raihanah Halid – came on board last year, he said.

Both are on secondment from Muis – part of a broader collaboration between Muis and the Syariah Court to ensure a robust talent pipeline is in place to lead Muslim statutory institutions.

The duo’s are mentored by Senior President Ustaz Mohamad Haji Rais and President Zainol Abeedin Hussin, both of whom will retire on June 30.

Between them, they have served for close to five decades. Dr Yaacob thanked them for their long years of service, adding that the Syariah Court will continue to tap on their services even after they leave.

In the next two to three years, the Syariah Court will have a new system to boost efficiency. It will include new e-services, like being able to make appointments online, and a new case management system.

Source: ST

March 9, 2017
Malaysia Unveils Proposed Alignment For East Coast Rail Link

Malaysia on Wednesday (Mar 8) unveiled its proposed alignment for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a new railway that will connect its east coast states to the Greater Klang Valley.

The proposed alignment features 23 stations running along a 600.3km route. The new line is projected to connect passengers from Wakaf Bharu in Kelantan and Gombak in Kuala Lumpur in about four hours.

As required by the Land Public Transport Act, Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) also launched a three-month public inspection exercise for the railway scheme on Wednesday.

Members of the public will be able to view the proposed alignment and other details, such as the locations of interchange stations connecting with other rail lines at SPAD’s headquarters, until Jun 5.

They will also be able to do so at 38 “high traffic locations” including the district offices in Kota Bharu, Tumpat, Bachok, Pasir Putih, Besut, Setiu, Kuala Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu, Marang, Kemaman, Dungun, Kuantan, Maran, Temerloh and Bentong, SPAD said in a news release.

Feedback can be submitted through developer Malaysia Rail Link’s toll-free number (1800-222-524), email ([email protected]) or website.

A “GAME CHANGER”: NAJIB

Launching the public inspection exercise, Prime Minister Najib Razak called the proposed railway line a “game changer” that would help close the development gap between the country’s east and west coast and grow the gross domestic product (GDP) of three east coast states in Peninsular Malaysia by another 1.5 per cent at the current rate.

The project will change the economic landscapes of Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang and turn them into trade hubs and tourism destinations, as well as stimulate small and medium enterprises and new investments, he said in his speech.

Najib said the east coast states had huge potential for development in sectors such as agriculture, commerce and tourism but needed a more efficient transport system.

“Besides being environmentally friendly, the ECRL will facilitate movements of the people during the festive season,” he said.

The Malaysian prime minister also defended the involvement of other countries such as China in the project, saying that it would not affect Malaysia’s sovereignty and “should not be politicised”.

“Teaming up with the major economic nations such as China, Saudi Arabia, India, and Japan, will be beneficial to the country and the people,” he said.

Source: CNA

March 9, 2017