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Tag: Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs

  • 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/

  • Good News For Malay/Muslim Community – Yaacob Ibrahim Confirms Not Contesting Reserved EP

    Good News For Malay/Muslim Community – Yaacob Ibrahim Confirms Not Contesting Reserved EP

    Aspiring candidates for the presidential election have to see the office not as a job but as a calling, Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim said on Thursday (June 1).

    They must also be able to reach out to all Singaporeans, and uphold multiracialism, he said.

    “Whoever is willing to step forward to take on the job must continue to carry the ethos of multiracialism, which is important,” Dr Yaacob said. “He or she must continue to do their best to rally all Singaporeans, not just the Malay community.”

    Dr Yaacob, who is Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, was speaking to reporters at the inaugural madrasah student awards ceremony.

    He also reiterated that he was not interested in running for the presidency, a point he made in an interview with Malay daily Berita Harian that was published in January this year.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Yaacob Ibrahim: Perkuat Silaturahim, Sepadu Elak Pecah-Belah

    Yaacob Ibrahim: Perkuat Silaturahim, Sepadu Elak Pecah-Belah

    SEMENTARA isu keselamatan negara ditangani oleh agensi relevan, warga Singapura boleh memainkan peranan secara peribadi bagi memastikan bahawa perpaduan masyarakat tidak berpecah-belah.

    Menteri Perhubungan dan Penerangan, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, berkata demikian sebagai mengulas penahanan lapan warga Bangladesh Selasa lepas kepada media selepas sesi perbincangan bersama golongan belia pada malam hari yang sama.

    “Di Singapura, sebagai masyarakat Melayu/Islam, kita harus pelihara perpaduan sosial yang ada di sini.

    “Kita lihat bagaimana kita boleh berganding bahu dengan masyarakat lain bagi menentukan bahawa apa pun yang telah berlaku tidak akan memecah-belahkan negara kita.

    “Ini salah satu perkara yang penting dan harus terus ditekankan,” ujar Dr Yaacob yang juga Menteri Bertanggungjawab bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam.

    Lapan warga Bangladesh yang ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) itu telah merancang melakukan serangan pengganasan di negara mereka.

    Mereka berusia antara 26 dengan 34 tahun dan merupakan sebahagian daripada kumpulan yang dinamakan Negara Islam Bangladesh (ISB).

    Dr Yaacob menambah bahawa masyarakat Melayu/Islam perlu “terus memperkuat tali silaturahim dalam masyarakat dan memelihara perpaduan sosial yang kita telah capai buat bertahun-tahun lamanya”.

    Dalam pada itu, Ketua Pengajian Dasar, Sekolah Pengajian Antarabangsa S. Rajaratnam (RSIS), Universiti Teknologi Nanyang (NTU), Profesor Madya Dr Kumar Ramakrishna, menekankan bahawa masyarakat Singapura tidak harus memulau pekerja asing.

    “Sebahagian besar daripada mereka yang datang ke sini semata-mata mahu mendapat kerja dan menyara hidup mereka,” jelas Dr Kumar.

    Beliau berkata penahanan lapan pekerja Bangladesh itu menunjukkan kerjasama antara Singapura dan pihak berkuasa Bangladesh perlu dipertingkat, lebih-lebih lagi ini kali kedua penahanan dibuat.

    “Pendidikan mengenai cara mengesan sebarang kelakuan radikal boleh juga dianjurkan bagi pekerja asing agar mereka dapat berfungsi sebagai ‘mata’ dan ‘telinga’ tambahan’,” saran Dr Kumar.

    Pengasas kumpulan penjagaan susulan antara agensi, Aftercare Group (ACG), Encik Abdul Halim Kader, yang juga Presiden Taman Bacaan, akur dengan pandangan bahawa masyarakat Singapura, tidak kira bangsa, tidak harus meminggirkan pekerja asing.

    “Kita harus mendekati mereka terutama semasa waktu lapang mereka; jangan biarkan mereka terasing.

    “Saya telah merancang dengan beberapa pihak tertentu bagi memperkenalkan sukan sepak takraw dan bola tampar kepada pekerja asing terutama warga Bangladesh pada minggu-minggu akan datang,” ujar Encik Abdul Halim yang juga Presiden Persekutuan Sepak Takraw Singapura (Perses).

     

    Source: www.beritaharian.sg

  • Yaacob Ibrahim’s Jihad

    Yaacob Ibrahim’s Jihad

    Yaacob is the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs since 2002.

    The Malay community hates him because allegedly he never stood up for their rights, especially on wearing the tudung.

    It matter not, the number of mosques he has helped built or the work he has done with MUIS and MENDAKI to help the community progress.

    Maybe we do know the good work that we has done but we are deliberately turning a blind eye on them and focusing only on his negative things.

    It is tough to be Yaacob.

    The community did not choose him. We did not elect him. Yaacob knows this,  yet he continues to do his job….

    There are now more Malay first class graduates, more professionals… blah blah blah.. But you already know that because you can see our community progress with your own eyes. You saw how the mosque has evolved from just a place of worship into a space that functions as support pillars for families with quality teachers and facilities. You have seen the lives of the less fortunate being transformed after being given a second chance.

    Yet, we criticise him all the same. We even cast doubt on his faith and that he is not fit to lead us because he is not the Muslim that we think he should be.

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    Who are we to judge if an individual is more Muslim than others.

    We want Muslim ladies to be able to wear the tudung without prejudice but how do we get about doing that?

    We have been asking the government to allow our Muslim ladies wear the hijab for the past decades. Yet here we wait.

    Singapore is a secular society and by definition it is not connected with religious or spiritual matters.

    Yet we have a Minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs fighting for our rights with whatever power he has in him.

    It is tough to be Yaacob Ibrahim.

    But he is a tough man because as a Muslim he knows that it is his responsibility to keep persevering in his fight for our rights – some call it a lost cause, we call it is his Jihad.

     

    Source: https://thoughtsofrealsingaporeans.wordpress.com

  • Yaacob Ibrahim And Laselle College Of The Arts Should Shoulder Some Responsibility On Wine Bottle Debacle

    Yaacob Ibrahim And Laselle College Of The Arts Should Shoulder Some Responsibility On Wine Bottle Debacle

    Admin,

    For the record, I condemn what has been made of Yaacob Ibrahim’s photo at a Laselle College of the Arts function. It was mischievous and tried to paint him, the Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, in a very bad light. It was in very bad taste and is very unbecoming of a Muslim, if the person or people behind the photo is or are indeed Muslims.

    Lasalle Event

    Yaacob has been quick to condemn the photo and had even called on WP’s Faisal Manap to condemn the act.

    He should be reminded of the saying, there is no smoke without fire.

    As a Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs,he should not have been caught in that situation. There are many confetti poppers so why does one that looks like a wine bottle had to be used? If it hadn’t been used, it wouldn’t give people the opportunity to milk it for political mileage. I’m sure his assistants or even he himself would have been briefed about the programme. Or maybe they weren’t thorough enough?

    Then you also have the event organiser Laselle. It is a secular arts school but it does not mean that they cannot be aware of the sensitivities of a Muslim politician holding a wine bottle(even though it is a fake). Again, confetti poppers come in all shapes and sizes so why the need to go for one that looks like a wine bottle? Are they really that ignorant?

    What this incident shows is that there are people who are still unaware of racial and religious sensitivities, We cannot take for granted that everyone undersands Islam and the obligations of its adherents. As a Muslim, it is our duty to be mindful of such matters and advise the people of a better way to do things.

     

    Unwine

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