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Tag: community

  • SG Malay-Muslim Community Can Be The “Beacon For The Rest Of The World”

    SG Malay-Muslim Community Can Be The “Beacon For The Rest Of The World”

    The Malay-Muslim community in Singapore has made concrete progress in the areas of education, jobs and wealth, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday.

    However, it also has to take a hard look at three challenges facing the community – radicalisation, more professionals losing their jobs and a significant over-representation of Malays in crime and drug statistics as well as the prison population.

    He called on Malay-Muslim organisations such as self-help group Mendaki, the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore to step forward and help tackle these issues. The roles that such groups can play include counselling former offenders and supporting their families, as well as turning those who are at risk away from crime and drug abuse, said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister.

    He was addressing about 140 community leaders and volunteers at an annual seminar organised by the AMP. In his speech, he highlighted the significant social and economic progress made by the Malay- Muslim community over the years.

    For instance, the proportion of Malay Primary 1 pupils who go on to post-secondary education has doubled from 45 per cent in 1995 to 93 per cent in 2015. One out of every five Malay pupils who enters the education system will eventually obtain a degree or diploma, he said.

    And while the proportion of Malays who are professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) was 28 per cent in 2010, “I am sure it has gone up more by now”, he noted. On housing, he said nearly 90 per cent of Malay households own their own homes, with 70 per cent of them living in four-room Housing Board flats or bigger.

    “A Singapore Malay today in educational standing, in terms of skills and wealth, is better off than a Malaysian Malay or an Indonesian Malay,” he said. “The same goes for the Indians, and for the Chinese, in Singapore.”

    The Government will continue to provide support to all Singaporeans, with additional help given to Malay-Muslims, he noted. The support includes financial help when infants are born, subsidising childcare and school fees, cash grants to buy HDB flats and healthcare subsidies.

    But while the progress made by the community is encouraging, he warned of dangers posed by radicalisation and exclusivism. He cited a study by US-based Pew Research Centre on Malaysia, which showed 10 per cent of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and nearly a quarter were not prepared to denounce it. “We have to make sure that we do not get there,” he said.

    On the jobs front, a committee led by parliamentary secretaries Amrin Amin and Faishal Ibrahim is being set up to help Malay-Muslim PMETs hit by job losses, he said.

    In addition, Malay-Muslim groups can work with the Government to tackle the problem of “significant over-representation” of Malays in crime, drug and prison statistics, the minister noted.

    He is optimistic that the Malay- Muslim community can overcome the challenges it faces, and be a “beacon for the rest of the world” – one that is confident, modern, vibrant and integrated.

    AMP chairman Abdul Hamid Abdullah said the association can work with the Government to reach out to more families. “Community groups are in a better position to reach out to Malay families because we are on the ground,” he noted.

    On the Malay community becoming an example for other countries, he said: “This is motivating. We can be an example of how a minority community can thrive in a multi-racial country.”

     

    Source: ST

  • Rilla Melati: There Are Good Companies Helmed By Malay Singaporeans

    Rilla Melati: There Are Good Companies Helmed By Malay Singaporeans

    Mini Monsters started off in 2008 as the Education Outreach arm of award-winning Dua M Pte Ltd. The company aims to revise an interest in the Malay language by offering an interesting and fun approach to the teaching of the language.

    Its motto “Berhibur and Belajar” (Entertain and Educate) sums up the company’s philosophy in its approach of developing educational materials, courses and syllabus that are relevant to today’s generation of children. We interviewed Rilla Melati Bahri, Director of Content  Development and Co-founder of Mini Monsters. 

    We’ve heard of stories of successful entrepreneurs playing dual roles in juggling personal and working life. While it’s common to hear of women doing that, Rilla seems to excel in it.

    By day, Rilla actively plays the role of content creator for Mini Monsters. In the afternoons, she’d be busy running off for a shoot for her social issues talk show, “Rudy and Rilla” which has gotten her top spot in Mediacorp for 6 seasons in a row since it was first aired. While she admits being a single mom is a 24/7 full time job, Rilla is on top of her game and certainly at her finest despite challenges she faced as a female Malay entrepreneur.

    Q: What are some of the difficulties you face as a female entrepreneur in Singapore?

    I think Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world for a woman to become an entrepreneur, it is a waste if you don’t become one.

    Complete mobility is important when you are venturing out on your own and a woman can be super mobile without fearing for her safety here. The only difficulty I encounter in Singapore is not about being a woman but more so about being Malay. The difficulty in going onto the mainstream platform and convincing Singaporeans at large that there are good companies that are helmed by Malay Singaporeans.

    I don’t understand why when Malays are outstanding, their achievement is only celebrated within the community. That only the community ought to know them and recognise them. The rest of Singapore seems oblivious to their existence. Either that or the same Malay individual is showcased again and again. That is the difficulty I face. How do I exist beyond being just a token representation of a Malay female entrepreneur in Singapore.

     

    Source:  https://ladyboss.asia

  • Call To Embrace Diversity In Islam

    Call To Embrace Diversity In Islam

    There is a growing confidence in the Malay-Muslim community about its place in Singapore, said Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim.

    But even as it enjoys successes, challenges remain, he said, highlighting the need for the community to embrace diversity in Islam.

    In an interview with Malay newspaper Berita Minggu, Dr Yaacob said the community has made progress in three areas.

    First, Malay students are doing better in education. Besides more of them scoring well in national exams at the primary, secondary and polytechnic levels, there were also more who achieved first-class honours in universities last year, he said.

    There was progress made in the religious life of Malay Muslims too, he added. He cited how donations to mosques have increased, and low-income families are getting help through their programmes, among others.

    A third area of progress, which Dr Yaacob described as “more innate”, is that more Malays are stepping forward to do more not just for the community but also for other Singaporeans. Some have launched start-ups, while others do community work such as serving food and cleaning the homes of poor Singaporeans of other races.

    The community has progressed on many fronts, Dr Yaacob said. “Divorce rates are coming down, our educational achievements are going up, home ownership is stabilising, wealth is increasing in the community, (there are) better jobs and there is a greater diversity of talent.”

    But as the community grows in self-confidence, it also has to embrace diversity in Islam. The Islamic faith is “very diverse” and there is a need to respect differences, he said.

    As a vocal minority online and in the region has sought to sow discord against Shi’ites, Dr Yaacob said there is a need to respect minority Shi’ite Muslims in predominantly Sunni Muslim Singapore, noting that senior Muslim scholars have all along considered Shi’ites as part of the mainstream in Islam.

    “They pay MBMF (Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund). They come to our mosques. They pray together with us. They celebrate the same Hari Raya. So why are we not treating them as fellow Muslims but different?” he said.

    He gave the example of how the chairman of the Moulana Mohamed Ali Mosque at UOB Plaza, Mr Mirza Namazie, is Shi’ite while the majority of its board is Sunni. “That’s a great example of how we deal with diversity, and we have to continue with that,” he added.

     

    Source: The Straits Times

  • Feeling Alone As Sole Malay Nominee For Her Cohort, Pri 4 Girl Rejected Prefect Nomination, Against Father’s Wishes

    Feeling Alone As Sole Malay Nominee For Her Cohort, Pri 4 Girl Rejected Prefect Nomination, Against Father’s Wishes

    Durrah brought back a form. She got selected to be a prefect. She held the role for 2 yrs already. This time, she told me she didnt want it. As a mom, I asked and she has explained. I hear her reasons. One of them was for the fact that she is the only Malay nominated within the P4 cohort. So she felt “alone”.

    Then the girl consulted the father. For her father, I could understand when Hid tried to coax her to take up the given role. He shared his sadstory, “Last time, I want to be a prefect but was never selected”. But what made me laughed was when he added, “Durrah, you are the only Malay nominated. Which is what made u special. Take it. For us; for the Malay community”.

    Alas, Durrah chose not to accept but she said she will think abt it; especially when she learned that living her dad’s wish will bring her more of Allah’s blessings.

     

    Source: Raudha Robu

  • Halimah Yacob: Build Community Ties To Guard Against Terror

    Halimah Yacob: Build Community Ties To Guard Against Terror

    Incidents like the terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin show that Singapore cannot be complacent, said Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob yesterday.

    Building strong community ties is important to guard against such tragedies, she added.

    “Before we ever reach such a situation, if we do, we must be sure that we build a very strong foundation,” she said.

    Twelve people were killed in Monday’s attack – for which the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria terror group claimed responsibility – when a truck was driven into a Christmas market.

    “It is really, really sad, and it is really not reflective of what Islam is all about,” said Madam Halimah.

    She was replying to a question from the media at Toys Carnival @ Marsiling, a Christmas celebration for needy children from Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, where she is a grassroots adviser.

    It was the second time this year that a truck was used as a terrorist weapon targeting large crowds.

    On July 14, 86 people were killed after they were run over by a truck in Nice on Bastille Day, the French national holiday.

    Madam Halimah said events such as Toys Carnival @ Marsiling, in which families of all races take part, are key to fostering ties. “These are the platforms that we must consciously create to develop strong community bonding… It is not possible to legislate harmony, but we can build harmony.”

    Now in its second year, the annual event brought festive cheer to around 150 children on the morning of Christmas Eve.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com