Tag: Islam

Workers’ Party: Set Up Committee to Address Malay-Muslim Concerns

SINGAPORE – Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap of the Workers’ Party yesterday called for the formation of a committee to address concerns of Malay-Muslims over how their loyalty to the nation is viewed.

But in a swift rebuttal, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower Hawazi Daipi deemed his suggestion unnecessary as this was an issue that could be overcome by strengthening inter-racial ties.

The exchange began with Mr Faisal saying that more needed to be done to “address and find solutions” to community concerns highlighted in a recent report. He quoted the findings of the Suara Musyawarah committee, which said Malay-Muslim participants felt left out in certain policies and practices which “question the loyalty of Malays to the country”.

The committee was formed in 2012 to gather feedback on the thoughts, concerns and aspirations of Malay-Muslims. Its report highlighted personal accounts of employers expressing a preference for non-Malay workers and surfaced concerns over exclusion from certain parts of the Singapore Armed Forces.

Mr Faisal acknowledged that progress has been made in terms of opportunities afforded to Malay-Muslims in education and national service, but said the committee’s formation could offer a “quick solution” to achieving a “more inclusive and open Singapore society”.

Responding to his speech, Mr Hawazi and Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) later asked Mr Faisal if the latter had ever felt that his loyalty to the country was questioned, and what his own views on the issue were.

“I’m concerned (that) if we highlight the differences, we will be widening (them) not only among one community but all communities,” said Mr Hawazi, adding that schools and community activities are means to forge greater social cohesion.

In response, Mr Faisal stressed that the issue of loyalty among Malays was surfaced by the Suara Musyawarah report, and not him.

Mr Hawazi then suggested that Mr Faisal had cherry-picked portions of the report, failing to highlight, for example, that Malay-Muslim participants also said they were “very committed” to Singapore on issues that include defence and security.

Maintaining that he was reflecting concerns on the ground, Mr Faisal said: “I have said in my view that I am aware and agree there is progress made, but because there are still many people who say that this issue is present, I, as a voice of the people, would like to voice it out.”

Source: The Straits Times

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May 29, 2014
Syariah Court Require Divorcing Couples with Kids To Discuss Co-Parenting at Counselling Stage

SINGAPORE — From early next year, the Syariah Court will require divorcing couples with children who are minors to discuss their co-parenting plans at the counselling stage, as part of efforts to better protect children during divorce proceedings.

The move, announced by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim at a seminar yesterday, will help ensure that parents consider the best interests of their children from the onset of the divorce process, he said.

On average, more than 2,000 children below the age of 18 are involved in divorce proceedings every year, said the Syariah Court in a statement.

In his speech yesterday, Dr Yaacob said divorce hurts the family even when it is amicable and that the impact on children can continue into adulthood.

“Research has shown that those who experienced divorce as children face challenges breaking the cycle in adulthood,” he said. “The last thing we want is for the legacy of tragedy to be passed on from one generation to another.”

To ensure a more child-centric divorce process, the Syariah Court said couples with children below the age of 18 will need to submit a post-divorce co-parenting and care arrangement plan for their children. The plan must be prepared at the marriage counselling stage before divorce proceedings commence in court.

“This would make it compulsory for parents to consider their children’s welfare and the custody, care and control and access arrangements when making decisions that would inevitably affect their children,” said the Syariah Court.

As part of the Syariah Court’s collaboration with Malay-Muslim self-help group Mendaki, a family social services initiative called Nadi Khidmat will be extended to the court’s clients, especially those with children who are minors, to help them access information and referral services to national agencies for other forms of assistance.

In August, the Syariah Court’s marriage counsellors will undergo a skills-based workshop to enhance their knowledge of working with children. This will provide them with a better understanding of the complexities of helping divorcing couples who have children.

Currently, existing administrative measures to safeguard the interests of children include pre-divorce briefings conducted by the PPIS As-Salaam Family Support Centre and the Muslim Law Practice Committee.

The Syariah Court also refers cases of divorcing couples who have children to the Housing and Development Board, so they can receive guidance on housing after the separation.

Social welfare reports are also prepared to help the court make informed decisions on cases that involve child custody disputes.

Source: TODAY

May 29, 2014
Non-Muslim Openly Say Islam is Disease and Evil on Facebook

Credit: Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali

Credit: Ari Preziosi

Credit: https://www.facebook.com/mikenonis

Credit: Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali

We received a tip-off from one of our readers Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali regarding a Singaporean named Nonis Michael Aloysious who posted distasteful anti-Islam remarks on his Facebook wall.

We are extremely disturbed and disappointed in a small number of Singaporeans who harbour such negative thoughts on Muslims and Islam. Singaporeans have lived together for so long as neighbours, and yet some of us do not make an effort to try understand those people who do not share the same faith. It is more convenient to hastily generalised people, and for this unfortunate case stereotyped Muslims as Evil, Jihadist, Disease.

We would like to remind our non-Muslim readers that Islam is not a bad religion like what Nonis Michael Aloysious have occasionally mentioned in his Facebook postings over a period of time from 2011 till year 2014.

Islam is also not a disease. Islam is not evil. In fact no religion in this world is evil. All religions teach human beings to be good and love each other regardless of colour, language, race, and/or religion.

The Internet allows us to share information and connect easily with one another. We should harness this powerful tool positively and responsibly. Let’s remember to be mindful of our words and to respect one another. We must uphold our racial harmony and social cohesion.

We would like to thank Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali and Ari Preziosi again for sharing this information with us.

May 29, 2014
JAKIM: Not All Products With ‘E’ Code Contain Pork DNA

Credit: Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim)

Tidak semua nombor E yang digunakan untuk membuat sesuatu produk makanan berasaskan dari sumber yang haram. Bahan-bahan aditif ini boleh bersumberkan tumbuhan, sintetik, mikrob, semulajadi, kimia dan haiwan.

Sehubungan itu, sekiranya produk tersebut merupakan produk tempatan dan mendapat sijil Pengesahan Halal Malaysia, maka ia boleh digunakan tanpa was-was sekalipun mempunyai kod E-kod. Tetapi sekiranya produk tersebut bukan produk tempatan serta tidak mendapat sijil pengesahan halal Malaysia walaupun menggunakan e-kod yang sama, pengguna dinasihatkan agar berhati-hati dalam memilih produk tersebut.

Penjelasan daripada Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Melaka Biotech; En Bardul Hisham Badrudin berhubung carta aliran pengesanan DNA Babi dalam makanan dan minuman.

Credit: Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim)

PUTRAJAYA: Local products with the ‘E’ code in their halal certificate can be consumed by Muslims, according to the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

Jakim Director-General Datuk Othman Mustapha said food products with the E code or number on the labels were not necessarily processed through haram or prohibited sources.

“However, consumers should be cautious if the product has an E code but is not processed locally and does not have the Malaysian halal certification,” he said in a statement, here, today.

He said the E code referred to additives and commonly used by European Union countries, Australia, New Zealand, northern America particularly Canada, and Israel.

“The numbering scheme is based on the International Numbering System set by the Codex Alimentarius Committee.

“It is a collection of various standards, codes of practice, recognised international guidelines related to food, food processing and food safety aimed at safeguarding public health and to ensure compliance with the ethical trading code of conduct,” he said.

Additives are labelled as follows:

E100 – E199 – colour
E200 – E299 – preservatives
E300 – E399 – oxidants, phosphates, anti-oxidants and acid inhibitors
E400 – E499 – thickeners, moisturisers, stabilisers and emulsifiers
E500 – E599 – salt, acidity regulators and anti-caking agents
E600 – E699 – flavour enhancers
E900 – E999 – sweeteners and glazing agents
E1000- E1999 – additional chemicals

“Not all additives with the E serial number to make food products are from non-halal sources. The sources of the additives could be plants, synthetic, microbes, natural, chemicals and animals,” said Othman.

However, he said, E471, a mono and diglyceride emulsifier, had been the most queried additive.

“It is synthetic fat derived from glycerol and natural fatty acids found in plants such as oil palm or animal fat.

“It is generally a compound of various edible substances similar to natural fat,” he said.

Othman urged food industry players to clearly define the additives in their products so as to leave no room for doubts among Muslim consumers as to the food’s status.

Jakim through its Halal Hub division would also require companies which apply for the halal certificate to fully declare the contents of their products including additives, he said.– BERNAMA

Sumber: Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim), Bernama, Sinar Harian, Berita Harian

May 28, 2014
The Fabulous Baker Boy is NOT Halal Certified

Credit: Concerned R1C Reader Tinily

Credit: Concerned R1C Reader Tinily

Credit: facebook.com/Thefabbakerboy

The owner of The Fabulous Baker Boy has announced that the restaurant has never been halal. We would like to applaud TFBB for making it clear to customers that the restaurant serve alcoholic beverages on their premises, and some of the food served contain alcohol. It shows that they care about their customers.

For those who do not know, The Fabulous Baker Boy is a renowned restaurant owned by Muslim siblings Juwanda Hassim and his sister Hanita Hassim.

We heard really good reviews about the food and desserts (yums*), and we do not deny that we are sad because we do not get to try them. Hopefully in future TFBB will consider making the restaurant 100% halal certified by MUIS. Sure many more Muslims will show support to another halal joint.

Photos contributed by R1C reader Tinily

EDITOR’S NOTE

Thank you Tinily for the photos and informing the readers of Rilek1Corner that the restaurant is not 100% halal certified. Sharing is caring 🙂

We wish to inform everyone that the consumption of halal food is an individual responsibility. Whether you want to eat halal or not, it is ultimately your choice. No one should fault the business owners regarding their decision to obtain halal certification from MUIS/SMCCI or decide not to go halal at all.

However, it is important for all business owners like TFBB to make it very clear that the food served is halal certified or the restaurant as a whole is 100% halal certified. This is to avoid confusion and cause unnecessary distress to old and prospective customers.

Muslims can patronise an establishment that is not Halal-certified as long as they are confident and can ensure that the food has been prepared according to the Islamic Law.

‘Halal-certified’ refers to products which have been endorsed as Halal by a credible Islamic body (third-party certification). Often times, Halal certification involves a series of steps including ingredient verification, inspection/audit and approval by committee. In general, all Halal-certified products are Halal, but not all Halal products are Halal-certified.

If you have any questions regarding halal certification, please contact MUIS:

Halal Certification Strategic Unit
Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
Singapore Islamic Hub
273 Braddell Road
Singapore 579702

Tel: (65) 6359 1199
Fax: (65) 6259 4733
Email: [email protected]

Click here for more information on MUIS Halal Certification.

Click here for listings of Halal establishments in Singapore.

Click here for more information on SMCCI 100% Muslim-Owned F&B Establishment

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May 26, 2014