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Tag: MUIS

  • Hajjah Fatimah Mosque To Be Restored, Minaret’s Tilt Preserved

    Hajjah Fatimah Mosque To Be Restored, Minaret’s Tilt Preserved

    Singapore’s own “leaning tower” – the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque’s minaret, which tilts at an angle of six degrees – will be restored to its former glory.

    Although the slant will remain, the structure, alongside the rest of the 1846 compound, will undergo a year-long $500,000 restoration to address issues such as moisture damage or plaster cracks on walls.

    The project will be co-funded under the National Monuments Fund, administered by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) division. The National Heritage Board (NHB) said yesterday $2.22 million of the $9.77 million set aside to co-fund the restoration of national monuments will be disbursed this year to eight recipients, including the mosque and St Joseph’s Church.

    To qualify for the grant, the monuments must be non-profit or religious. Of the 72 here, 31 are eligible.

    Mr Alsagoff Mohdar, 74, chairman of Hajjah Fatimah’s mosque management board, said: “The restoration could transform it into a more conducive place of worship for Muslims, make it more presentable for the tourists who often come by.”

    Based on old maps, the land on which the Beach Road mosque sits used to be a mangrove swamp, a factor contributing to the moisture damage across the site.

    The tilt of the minaret is a result of its hand-made bricks. They are less compact than machine-made ones, resulting in moisture seepage and shifting over time, said Mr Chern Jia Ding, assistant director of PSM’s architecture and inspectorate.

    While the tilt cannot be rectified, steps have been taken to monitor the slant. To deal with weakening bricks, salt will be extracted from the structure. Chemicals will be injected into it to form a water barrier. Existing layers of paint will be stripped away and replaced by a new coat of mineral paint.

    Another recipient of the restoration fund is the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. The ongoing restoration of the Queen Street building, to finish in the third quarter of the year, is slated to receive $1.37 million from the authorities. PSM had disbursed close to $1.49 million under the first tranche of the fund, which was introduced in 2008.

    The funding for the cathedral will partly cover structural reinforcement work. The total cost of restoring the monument is $11.8 million.

    Mr Lim Boon Heng, former Cabinet minister and chairman of the steering committee for the restoration and renovation of the cathedral, described it as a long journey.

    The work involved restoring its neo-classical ceiling and retiling its floors to mirror its original design. There is still more to be done – another $2 million is needed for the construction project, which is expected to cost about $40 million in all. This includes the restoration of a two-storey rectory and the building of a new three-storey block.

    Mr Lim said: “We have to make sure this monument stays a long, long time for Singaporeans. It’s part of the collective memory of Singaporeans, not just Catholics.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Masjid Al Ansar Raih Anugerah Emas Dalam Usaha Terapkan Mesra Pengguna

    Masjid Al Ansar Raih Anugerah Emas Dalam Usaha Terapkan Mesra Pengguna

    Buat pertama kalinya, sebuah institusi masjid berjaya merangkul anugerah emas atas usahanya menerapkan unsur mesra pengguna.

    Masjid Al Ansar juga menerima pujian atas penggunaan ruang yang bijak dalam reka bentuk masjid.

    Anugerah tersebut diberikan kepada masjid Al Ansar bagi pensijilan Tanda Reka Bentuk Universal Penguasa Bangunan dan Binaan (BCA). Ia adalah satu-satunya tempat ibadah daripada 25 projek yang menerima pengiktirafan tahun ini.

    Apakah ciri-ciri masjid Al Ansar yang melayakkannya merangkul anugerah emas?

    KONSEP TERBUKA

    Apabila anda melangkah masuk ke masjid Al Ansar, apa yang akan anda rasakan ialah keluasan masjid yang terletak di Bedok North itu. Berbeza dengan masjid Al Ansar yang lama, masjid yang berwajah baru itu menerapkan konsep terbuka dari segi rekaannya.

    Pengerusi Masjid Al Ansar, Zahid Ahmad, berkata: “Salah satu keunikan Al Ansar ialah mungkin dari seni bina, rekaannya, agak terbuka. Yang tidak ada fungsi dinding luar atau pagar. Ia konsep terbuka. Kerana saya dan jawatankuasa, semasa kami membuat reka bentuk itu, dari peringkat rekaan lagi, kami rasakan Islam itu agama terbuka, jadi ia tidak semestinya tertutup.”

    PENGGUNAAN RUANG YANG INOVATIF

    Penggunaan ruang yang inovatif dan bijak juga turut diserap dalam rekaan masjid Al Ansar.

    Encik Zahid menambah: “Kita juga ada kawasan legar atau The Plaza di depan, agak terbuka. Saya kira ini adalah salah satu kawasan legar yang terbesar di masjid.

    “Ia mempunyai pelbagai guna, ia bukan sahaja untuk dewan solat pada hari Jumaat tetapi digunakan bagi aktiviti-aktiviti lain seperti untuk kelas-kelas agama kita, kanak-kanak berkumpul, sebagai tempat mereka beriadah dan bermain dan juga aktiviti-aktiviti masjid yang lain. Kalau masjid lama, kurang kita ada aktiviti sedemikian.”

    Bagi memaksimakan ruang yang diberi, menara masjid, iaitu satu-satunya bahagian yang kekal dari bangunan masjid yang lama, kini dijadikan terowong lif.

    MESRA KELUARGA, WARGA TUA

    Bukan itu sahaja, ciri-ciri Masjid Al Ansar yang mesra keluarga dan warga tua turut mendapat perhatian.

    Memandangkan kebanyakan jemaah warga emas datang dari kawasan Chai Chee Street, sebuah pintu masuk khas sudahpun disediakan bagi mereka.

    Mereka yang berkerusi roda pula boleh mengggunakan tanjakan yang disediakan. Tempat mengambil wudhu dan ruang solat utama juga berada berhampiran dengan pintu masuk khas itu.

    Ciri-ciri mesra warga tua itulah antara faktor yang membuat Masjid Al Ansar mendapat emas bagi Tanda Reka Bentuk Universal BCA.

    Sebelum ini, masjid Al Mawaddah dan Kampung Siglap menerima gangsa dalam kategori yang sama. Masjid Al Ansar merupakan antara sembilan projek yang menerima emas.

    Secara keseluruhannya, 25 projek mendapat Tanda Reka Bentuk Universal BCA tahun ini, berbanding 37 projek pada tahun lalu.

    Selain Masjid Al Ansar, masjid baru, Al Islah, baru-baru ini turut mendapat sorotan apabila reka bentuk bangunannya diulas dalam majalah seni bina antarabangsa The Architectural Review yang berpangkalan di London.

    Antara lai, majalah tersebut menyebut tentang reka bentuk Al Islah yang mengikut arus kemodenan namun masih lagi mengekalkan ciri-ciri keislaman dalam sebuah masjid.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • RRG, MUIS Mahu Setiap Asatizah Ikuti Modul Cara Tangkis Fahaman Pelampau

    Kumpulan Pemulihan Keagamaan (RRG) dan MUIS bermatlamat mendapatkan setiap asatizah mengikuti modul utama kumpulan itu mengenai cara menangkis fahaman pelampau.

    Demikian menurut Menteri Bertanggungjawab bagi Ehwal Masyarakat Islam, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

    Modul itu adalah sebahagian daripada program Pendidikan Profesional Berterusan yang wajib disertai mereka yang berdaftar di bawah Skim Pengiktirafan Asatizah.

    Dr Yaacob menjelaskan demikian sebagai menjawab pertanyaan dari AP Dr Fatimah Lateef.

    Beliau berkata 80 peratus asatizah sekarang termasuk dalam skim itu.

    Usaha giat sedang dijalankan bagi menggalakkan baki 20 peratus asatizah yang belum berbuat demikian supaya turut serta.

    Menerusi modul itu, RRG berkongsi dengan asatizah tentang pengalamannya membantu bekas para anggota kumpulan pengganas Jemaah Islamiyah kembali ke pangkal jalan dan ke pangkuan masyarakat.

    Menurut Dr Yaacob, MUIS dan RRG akan terus mengemaskini modul itu bagi memastikan ia kekal relevan.

    Dr Yaacob menambah, MUIS juga akan terus memperkukuh kurikulum madrasah dengan bahan relevan yang dibangunkan RRG.

    Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

  • MUIS: Ideologi ISIS Masih Terus Jadi Ancaman Serious

    MUIS: Ideologi ISIS Masih Terus Jadi Ancaman Serious

    PENANGKAPAN terkini satu lagi kumpulan pekerja Bangladesh menunjukkan ISIS dan ideologi pengganas terus menimbulkan ancaman serius.

    Demikian menurut satu kenyataan Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis), semalam.

    Meskipun adanya penangkapan ini, Muis berkata pengalaman pihaknya dengan pekerja Bangladesh selalunya positif.

    Ramai pekerja Bangladesh menyumbang masa dan tenaga sebagai relawan di masjid bersama-sama dengan relawan setempat yang lain.

    “Misalnya semasa bulan Ramadan, mereka membantu menyiapkan makanan dan buka bersama para jemaah yang lain,” kata Muis.

    Ia menambah bahawa masjid akan terus menyambut kedatangan Muslim daripada pelbagai latar belakang dan kerakyatan bagi program keagamaan dan kelas yang dijalankan guru agama bertauliah di bawah Skim Pengiktirafan Asatizah (ARS).

    Muis telah bekerjasama dengan Persatuan Bangladesh Singapura untuk meneroka lebih banyak inisiatif bagi menyokong pekerja Bangladesh dalam kehidupan sosio-agama mereka dan berintegrasi dengan masyarakat setempat.

    Muis juga menekankan pentingnya masyarakat Muslim Singapura terus berwaspada dan tidak membenarkan sebarang ajaran yang menggalak keganasan dan ekstremis berlaku dalam masyarakat.

     

    Source: www.beritaharian.sg

  • Muslimah Baker: Unfair That Company Discriminated Against Me Just Because I Wasn’t Chinese

    Muslimah Baker: Unfair That Company Discriminated Against Me Just Because I Wasn’t Chinese

    So this past Monday, 2 days ago, I went for a job interview at a well-known halal bakery for the position of a cake decorator. As some of you may know, I’ve been baking for the past couple of years, doing wedding cakes and deserts. I thought that this interview was a really great opportunity for me to continue pursuing what I love.

    The interview with HR went well. We had a great chat, talked about the baking industry, and discussed the role that was being offered so on and so forth. After looking at my portfolio she was keen to move things forward, and so was I. She shuffled up and down the office, making phone calls to coordinate a last minute meeting with the head of the baking department, who was 5 floors above the HR office. I waited for about 15 minutes for the head of the department, and at that point was really looking forward to meeting him. The HR rep then sat me down in a another meeting room next to the waiting room. These two rooms were separated by a glass panel, so you could clearly see what was going on outside.

    So the head of the department arrived with one of his colleagues. I introduced myself to the both of them and we sat down to talk.
    He looked through my portfolio, flipping through the pages very haphazardly. After a few moments, he proceeded to asked me, “Can you coat a cake?”, to which I answered “Yes I can.”.

    Silence… Then he then said we could go up to the bakery so that I could do a demonstration. We stood to got up to proceed upstairs, but then he turned to me, gesturing his hands at me from head to toe and said,

    “From what I see, and the way you look, and not trying to be racist ah, but you Malay, I think you cannot la”

    I was stunned and I just froze. I felt my ears getting a little hot, but I didn’t want to lose my cool. I was taken aback and didn’t quite know how to respond anyway. I just kept quiet because I was shocked. He continued,

    “You know ah, Malays ah they over promise, promise I can do this I can do that, in the end, cannot make it, after 2 days disappear.”

    I answered him,

    “Sir, I haven’t promised you anything. I think you should give me a chance”

    By this point, I was extremely disgusted, angry and in total disbelief. He laughed again and said,

    “Ya ok ok, we will head upstairs and proceed, then we see where we can go from there? Anyways you speak Chinese not? Cos mostly all my worker speak Chinese”

    I answered that I didn’t speak the language but I could understand bits and pieces.

    ‘What the heck,’ I told myself. I had already come this far, I might as well finish this off and do this well for myself. We proceeded to the baking room where I was handed a bowl of frosting, a pallet knife, frosting bag, 4 layers of cake, and a scraper.

    The department head left and sent in another colleague to watch me. He couldn’t speak English well, so we had a hard time communicating.

    I asked him how he wanted the cake to be coated, to try to get a better sense of the technique required, to which he answered “Yes you coat, you coat”.

    So I coated the cake, clean with standard edges and finish. He motioned for me to scrape the edges with a zig zag scraper, so I did. It turned out fine, the edges were clean and I did the best that I could. Not a single crumb in sight, neatly combed.

    The department head returned, walking into the room, laughed while saying, “Aiyo cannot Llah”

    He started talking to his colleague in mandarin, thinking I would not understand him. From what he said I understood that I was actually supposed to be shown a sample cake that I was meant to recreate. “Ni mei you gei da kan sample ah?” Nope, he did not let me see a sample.

    At this point, I grabbed my bag, thanked them both for their time, took back the copies of my portfolio, and left.

    I have no intention of naming or shaming this organisation and its people, but I would like to highlight that racial discrimination in the job market is more real than we think. I’m making a stand and sharing my story because I believe in equal rights and equal opportunity for everyone. How can anyone judge another based on general racial stereotypes? In Singapore, of all places, a supposedly racially harmonious and fair country? Particularly in my case, what I thought was ironic as hell, was that this company actually prides itself on catering to the Muslim community.

    Are we going to start making this right or are we going to sweep it under the rug and just suck it up as “the way things are?”

    The point I’m trying to make is that nobody wants to be generalised or defined by racial stereotypes. Racial profiling is unfair and unjust. We are more than our skin. We are actions. We are people. We are human beings with original thought and different experiences that have shaped us to become unique individuals with so much potential to offer society and the world. And yet I find myself, for the first time, discriminated against and not given a real chance for something I’m confident at, for something that I know sets me apart. Nobody should ever be told that they can’t do something based on the colour of their skin, but the sad reality is that this is real, and this is really happening.

    Needless to say , I probably will never buy flour, cakes, pastes or anything from these people ever again. But I do wish them the best of luck maintaining their halal certification, and I do wonder how they will maintain their minimum Muslim employment quota.

     

    Source: Sarah Carmariah