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Tag: Iftar

  • Halimah Yacob Does Not Confirm Running For Elected Presidency

    Halimah Yacob Does Not Confirm Running For Elected Presidency

    With eight constituencies and many invitations from different organisations to break fast, Madam Halimah Yacob said her days have been packed all the way till Hari Raya, and time with family has been hard to come by.

    The mother of five children, all in their 20s and 30s, said she is thankful her family “accepts” her schedule.

    “I’ve broken fast at home on only a few days, all the rest of the days have been out,” she said.

    She was quick to add that she does enjoy breaking fast outside, particularly with her residents.

    Madam Halimah said that sometimes she does not even have time to have a proper meal between events.

    During such moments, she shared that she slips into nearby mosques “incognito”.

    “The good thing is that every mosque here provides something to eat, so it’s quite interesting to break fast and then perform my maghrib (evening) prayers before I go off to my event,” she said.

    In 2015, on Polling Day, Madam Halimah’s mother died as she was doing her rounds. This year will be the second Hari Raya that she will be celebrating without her, but it never gets easier.

    Said Madam Halimah: “What I miss about mum is her presence. Sitting there, she used to sit on the sofa, just having her there would mean tremendous comfort because she’s been the pillar of strength for me all the while.”

    Hari Raya is not just a time to celebrate family, but to also remember the loved ones lost, as she pointed out.

    With a laugh Madam Halimah said: “I cook lontong for breakfast every Hari Raya morning. So the children have asked me this year if I am going to cook and I told them I will see how.

    “But no lah, I will make it this year, every year I will cook it.”

    Other than lontong, Madam Halimah is looking forward to having time for herself this festive weekend.

    “That’s the wonderful thing about Hari Raya, at least the first two days will be off limits,” she said.

    When asked if she sees herself becoming busier in the future, on account of the upcoming presidential election which she is widely rumoured to be considering, Madam Halimah laughed, reiterating that she had a lot on her plate.

    “I’ve been very busy actually. My time is really packed and, of course, in Parliament as Speaker the last few years have been very packed,” she chuckled.

    “Our Members of Parliament have been pretty active filing motions and so on, so that has kept me pretty busy.”

     

    Source: www.tnp,sg

  • Yayasan Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Anjur Iftar Bagi 200 Keluarga Memerlukan

    Yayasan Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Anjur Iftar Bagi 200 Keluarga Memerlukan

    Sebanyak 200 keluarga memerlukan dari Kelompok Masjid Barat Laut menerima habuan Ramadan dan Hari Raya oleh wakil Yayasan Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

    Timbalan Ketua Misi di Kedutaan Amiriah Arab Bersatu (UAE) di Singapura, Mohamed Salim Al -Falahi turut menaja majlis iftar yang diadakan di Majid Yusof Ishak semalam (13 Jun).

    Setiap keluarga menerima hamper bernilai $200, mengandungi barangan makanan untuk bulan Ramadan dan Hari Raya dari yayasan tersebut.

    Iftar istimewa ini adalah salah satu inisiatif yang disokong oleh yayasan itu untuk memperluas rangkaian hubungannya dengan institusi-institusi lain yang juga berkongsi matlamat yang sama, iaitu membantu dan membawa keceriaan kepada yang memerlukan serta memperkaya kehidupan mereka baik tempatan mahupun di luar negara.

    Menerusi satu kenyataan media yang dikeluarkan oleh Kedutaan UAE, Encik Mohamed Salim berkata: “Majlis iftar ini membuka peluang bagi diri saya dan juga rakan-rakan sekerja saya untuk mengenali dengan lebih dekat lagi bagaimana masyakarat Muslim di Singapura meraikan Ramadan dan bagaimana masjid-masjid memainkan pelbagai peranan untuk berkhidmat dan memenuhi keperluan masyarakat dari segi sosial dan agama.”

    Turut hadir di majlis tersebut adalah Pengerusi Yayasan Rahmatan Lil Alamin (RLAF), Po’ad Mattar, Ketua Eksekutif MUIS Abdul Razak Maricar serta para pegawai dan wakil kelompok masjid dan RLAF.

    Yayasan Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan ditubuhkan pada bulan Julai 2007 oleh Presiden UAE, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

    Visi yayasan itu adalah untuk “Merintis Inisiatif Kebajikan” dan strategi-strateginya ditumpukan kepada kesihatan dan pendidikan di peringkat domestik, serantau dan global.

    Pelbagai bantuan yang dihulurkan oleh yayasan itu di seluruh dunia sejauh ini, melebihi 87 negara sejak ditubuhkan.

    Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan mengisytiharkan tahun 2017 sebagai Tahun Pemberian didorong oleh nilai-nilai memberikan layanan yang baik dan sifat bermurah hati.

     

     

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • If Not Ready To Be Inclusive, Please Don’t Use Iftar In Description Of A Non-Halal Potluck

    If Not Ready To Be Inclusive, Please Don’t Use Iftar In Description Of A Non-Halal Potluck

    Someone shared a flyer about “Potluck Iftar Dinner @ Block 101” organised by Choa Chu Kang Zone 3 Committee. To what seem to be a joke or surprise to some, the flyer added a note saying all residents are welcomed. Those who are interested in attending the dinner are expecting to bring at least one signature dish (halal/non-halal per family). The person who shared then suggested that any non-muslim organiser should avoid using Islamic terms like Iftar or Ramadan, ie. Bazar Ramadan, if they are not ready to be inclusive.

    Don’t believe? See it for yourself below.

     

    May I suggest any non-muslim organiser to avoid using Islamic terms like Iftar or Ramadan, ie. Bazar Ramadan, if you are not ready to be inclusive. This is to avoid unnecessary confusion. I would also like to suggest our muslim MPs to remind your colleagues to be more sensitive when using these terms. And RC members, please get the approval from your Muslim advisors or MPs before you disseminate such invitations. Thank you for your understanding.

     

    Source: Zait Ismail Halimah Masa’ed

  • PM Lee Breaks Fast With Congregants At Newly Upgraded Al-Muttaqin Mosque

    PM Lee Breaks Fast With Congregants At Newly Upgraded Al-Muttaqin Mosque

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday (Jun 6) joined congregants and residents from the Muslim community in iftar, or breaking fast, at at Ang Mo Kio’s Masjid Al-Muttaqin.

    Mr Lee also went on a tour of the nearly 40-year-old mosque, which recently completed its upgrading works. The upgraded facility now has a capacity of 3,500, an increase of 500 prayer spaces, and barrier-free access to accommodate the growing number of senior citizens frequenting the mosque.

    Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim who was at the event said Mr Lee was impressed with the mosque’s new look and its enhanced facilities.

    “It is a good occasion for PM Lee to come to Al-Muttaqin as the mosque had just been renovated. We briefed him on the renovation and new prayer spaces that were created as well as new design. The mosque updated him on its various activities including its collaboration with Mendaki,” said Dr Yaacob. “All in all, he is happy with the visit, and he says the mosque design is very welcoming and refreshing.”

    Mr Lee was also joined by his fellow Members of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Daryl David and Gan Thiam Poh.

    “Iftar is something we have done for a long time whereby we open our mosques during fasting month and Hari Raya,” said Dr Yaacob. “We open our doors to all races and backgrounds, we always encourage our mosques to do so across the island. We also have people from the constituency who visit us and this is a testament to the ties that binds us as a society. Coming together over a meal is always a good occasion and iftar offers this, coming together of local Singaporeans, foreign workers and people from all races.”

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/

  • Iftar With Prince Harry: We Even Forgot Prince Harry Was A Royal

    Iftar With Prince Harry: We Even Forgot Prince Harry Was A Royal

    With just half an hour to spare, 32-year-old Nazhath Faheema was told that she would be sitting beside Britain’s Prince Harry when he broke fast with young Muslims at a much-anticipated iftar meal in Singapore.

    “I was confused how to behave and how to act. I even started rehearsing what to say,” said the council member of Singapore’s Muslim Youth Ambassador of Peace (MYAP).

    “I kept reminding myself to call him by his formal title ‘Your Royal Highness’. But once we broke the ice, it felt like talking to a friend,” she said.

    The graduate student at Nanyang Technological University was photographed sharing a joke with the prince, also 32, in pictures that were widely picked up by international media.

    Prince Harry asked her about the significance of breaking fast with dates, and she told him that this was something Muslims practised generally.

    “I explained how Prophet Muhammad did this, and how we Muslims followed in his footsteps. There is a health benefit to breaking fast with dates and porridge and he was fascinated to know about that,” said Ms Nazhath, who reminded him to remove the seeds in the dates as they tucked into the fruit and porridge that were served at sunset.

    “WE EVEN FORGOT HE WAS ROYAL”

    Prince Harry also had praise for the performers of a sychronised silat demonstration just before the iftar session, when he found out how they endured physical training even while fasting, Ms Nazhath said.

    “He talked to the performers and was pleasantly surprised that they put themselves through rigorous training without consuming food or water for the entire day,” she said.

    “And that was thing that struck me about him – he was royalty, but he spared a lot of time and effort talking to people. Be it silat performers, activists or just everyday people, he wanted to speak to all of us if he could.”

    Initially worried about being a good host to the British prince, she said she was pleasantly surprised that it was he who made her feel welcome.

    “He was so casual, cool and dapper – we even forgot that he was royal,” Ms Nazhath said.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com