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JAMIYAH SINGAPORE
‫ﺻﻮ ﺕ ﺍﻹﺳﻼﻡ‬
of Islam
Suara Islam
MCI (P) • 116/09/2014
Exemplary
Mother Award
A Time To Honour
Our Mothers
iLearn Quran
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oct - Jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
The Al-Usrah
Lecture Series
A Brand New Lecture
Series For The Family
Issue 1 / 2015
Voice
Contents
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Contents
Cover Story
Family & Health
Muharram
Beyond Borders
06 Exemplary Mother Award 2014
08 A Chat With The Iron Lady
10 Bulan Muharram
11 Rope of Unity
12 Aladdin’s Magic Musalla
Events
14
15
16
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Challenging Hate: Islam, Conflict & Peacebuilding
US Ambassador Visit to Jamiyah Children’s Home
What Threatens the Iman & Aqidah of Today’s Youth
Understanding the Importance of Mazhab
Between Culture & Syariah
Qurban Ritual 1435H
Maldives Minister Visit to Jamiyah Halfway House
SCORE CEO Visit to Jamiyah Halfway House
Courting Courts
Stitching Lives
Education
24
26
27
28
30
Kids Give Back Project
Mother Tongue Language Symposium 2014
Jamiyah Kindergarten Visits The Zoo
ECE Graduation 2014
Launching of iLQ48H & Little Huffaz Graduation
06
32 Mental Health
34 Keeping Fit As A Family
36 World Alliance of Religions for
Peace (WARP) Summit
38 The 14th Meeting of ISESCO
Supreme Council
42 Together We Stand
Photo Diary
44 Photo Diary
Features
43
50 Al-Akhi (The Brother)
Dakwah
52 ‫ﺍﻟﺤﻔﺎﻅ ﻟﻠﺼﻐﺎﺭ‬
53 ٢٠١٤ ‫ﺍﻟﺠﻤﺎﻋﻲ‬
54 Alhamdulillah
‫ﺍﻟﺨﺘﺎﻥ‬
30
38
Voice of Islam
3
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Editorial
Editorial Board
Advisor
Prof (Adj) Dr
Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar
Editor
MOHD HOSNI ABDUL MALIK
Editorial Board
DR H. M. Saleem
DR ISA HASSAN
Mohd Noor Said
AZEEMAH MUSTAFA
Contributors
SITI NOOR AINA BTE HAMIRUDIN
NUR FAEZAH BTE ROSTAN
ANDI ABDUL KADIR ANDI KITTA
siraj salman
mohamed khan
jehan salleh
rahimah beevi
Syeda Tahiya Husain
Nisa’ Tuzzakirah
siti sarah ishak
Iylia nurliyana
Asnira hassan
Farhana aziz
Designers
NOOR HIDAYAH
SYAZWANI SYAFAWATI
Azhar Kamar
Published by
Jamiyah Singapore
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Jamiyah Singapore
31 Lorong 12 Geylang
Singapore 399006
Tel: +65 6743 1211
Fax: +65 6745 0610
Email: info@jamiyah.org.sg
Website: www.jamiyah.org.sg
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Like us on Facebook
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4
Voice of Islam
Editorial Note
Alhamdulillah, it’s a brand new year. We pray that this year will be
one filled with blessings as we strive towards a bright future and a better
tomorrow.
Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw said that, “A happy family is but
an earlier heaven”, and I cannot help but concur. It is with our family that
we first form relationships, where we first learn to love. It is also where
we find comfort and strength to rise above the darkest of our days. In
this issue, we honor mothers and the pivotal role they play in our lives.
Apart from family, we celebrate health and its benefits. Sister Sarah talks
about mental health in Singapore while Sisters Nura and Ahdiah share
with us ways we can make fitness a part of our lives.
Islam has always been a big advocate of peace and unity. In our feature
article, ‘Rope of Unity’, we remind ourselves of the importance of finding
common grounds to unite under a single banner of Islam. Brother
Mohamed Khan discusses two qualities that we should have in order to
be global Muslim citizens. We also look at how simple acts such as saying
‘Alhamdulillah’ can be of great magnitude in appreciating the blessings
Allah swt has showered upon us. Through an array of events such as the
Al-Usrah series, Challenging Hate: Islam, Conflict & Peacebuilding and
Stitching Lives, we discussed pertinent issues within societies and ways
we can rise above it as one Ummah.
At Jamiyah, our programs and services are catered to people of all ages.
During Little Huffaz Graduation, we had the opportunity to witness our
young friends showcase their ability in memorizing Quranic verses with
accurate tajweed. Our students from the Global Child Development
Centre, learnt the value of giving back to society in their Kids Give Back
Project, an annual food drive program aimed at providing aid to less
privileged families.
This year holds a special meaning for all Singaporeans because we
turn 50 this year. In our upcoming issues, Jamiyah shares this joy as
we celebrate our nation’s achievements throughout the years. As we
embark on a new chapter, we hope to foster better relations with the
community and improve the lives of those in need, Insya Allah.
Mohamad Hosni Abdul Malik
Editor, Voice of Islam
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And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His
mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship,
and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows]
until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of ] forty years, he
says, “My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have
bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of
which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed,
I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims.”
– Surah Al-Ahqaf Verse 15 –
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Cover Story
“Mothers hold a very
special place in our hearts
and that’s because mothers
give unconditional
love and mothers make
sacrifices for the family.”
– Ms Low Yen Ling
President of Singapore, Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, presenting Mdm Jamila Abdul Karim with the presidential shield honouring her as the Exemplary Mother of 2014, observed by
Ms Low Yen Ling (2nd from right), Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar and Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Chairperson of the panel of judges (extreme left)
Exemplary
Mother Award 2014
Jamiyah Singapore awards its
Exemplary Mother of the Year at a
joyous ceremony held at Fairmont
Ballroom, Raffles City Convention
Centre, Swissotel the Stamford, last
Saturday, 27th of September 2014
at 2pm. At the occasion, Dr Tony Tan
Keng Yam, the President of Singapore
and the Guest of Honour, presented
the prestigious presidential shield
to the Exemplary Mother of the Year,
Mdm Jamila Abdul Karim, who was
unanimously chosen by the panel of
judges.
6
Voice of Islam
Astonished by the crowning of
the state prestigious award, Mdm
Jamilah, 53, was speechless. She
holds her tears reminiscing the
sacrifices she made in raising her
five children. Toiling on multiple
odd jobs day and night such as
cooking for catering orders, sewing
curtains, manning a stall at a hawker
centre in Tekka, she hardly had
anytime for herself and there is no
‘holiday’ in the cause for her family.
The bitter painful past has today
bear fruit as her eldest daughter,
Mathiya Begum, 28, is a paralegal,
Nasreen Kamal Begum, 27, is a
HR Executive, Mahabunisha, 23,
is pursuing a Bachelor Degree in
Banking and Finance at Singapore
Institute of Management (SIM) and
her twin daughters Shamima Banu
and Nashima Banu, both 21, are
pursuing a Degree in Life Sciences
at National University of Singapore
(NUS) and Diploma in Education at
National Institute of Education (NIE)
respectively.
Mdm Jamila’s hard work earned her
the title of ‘Iron Lady’ among her
Cover Story
friends. Her friends were amazed
and inspired by her perseverance
and
endurance
amidst
her
challenges. Her positive attitude
and thoughts for others around her
and the community has made her an
outstanding candidate. No doubt,
her sensitivity for the community is
emulated by her children. Her school
going children are active volunteers
with the Indian Activity Executive
Committee (IAEC) sacrificing their
time to organize and participate in
the multiracial programmes and
activities of the committee.
Mrs Yu-Foo affirmed that “During the
course of shortlisting, we identified
various attributes that the mothers
have and these included immense
hard work and perseverance in
overcoming all odds for the sake of
their children. Her deep love and care
for her children is reflected in her
‘never-give-up’ attitude towards life
and resilience during tougher times.
She upholds good communication
within her family, ensuring that
her children are given a voice and
avenue to share their thoughts and
feelings. This Exemplary Mother
Award is about recognising mothers
for their special attributes.”
Mdm Jamila went home with the
Presidential Shield, a cash prize
of $6,000, a 4 days 3 nights trip to
Taipei for 2, a plaque and certificate.
4 runners up winners received $2,000
each, a 4 days 3 nights trip to Kota
Kinabalu for 2, and other gifts. 7
other shortlisted mothers received
consolation prizes of $1,000 each
courtesy of Mr Ameerali Abdaeli in
remembrance of his late mother
Mdm Zehra Abdeali.
More than 1,000 guests were seen
enjoying their Saturday evening
to a sumptuous hi-tea, tuning to
the multiracial performances with
families and friends while lucky
members went home with attractive
prizes.
This year, the Exemplary Mother
Award received strong support from
its partners, National Trade Union
Congress (NTUC) Women and Family
Secretariat, People’s Association,
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Mesra and its esteemed donors.
Exhibitions entitled ‘Beacons of
Life’ and a special edition of ‘Mum’s
the Word’ was launched by Ms Low
Yen Ling, representing the Ministry
of Social and Family Development
International Year of the Family
Secretariat.
“Mothers hold a very special place
in our hearts and that’s because
mothers give unconditional love
and mothers make sacrifices for
the family. Today we are here to
honour five wonderful mothers
who exemplify all these qualities in
a very admirable way. In organizing
this award, Jamiyah Singapore
honours and show appreciation
to all mothers to make invaluable
contributions to their families. MSF
would like to give strong support
in such initiative especially since
this is the International Year of the
Family. Mothers form the heartbeat
of the family and families form the
foundation of our nation,” said Ms
Low Yen Ling.
The President and the First Lady of Singapore (center) together with (L to R) Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Ms Low Yen Ling, the 5 finalists of the
Exemplary Mother Award 2014 and Mdm Aisah Osman, Advisor to the Women & Family Department of Jamiyah Singapore
Voice of Islam
7
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Cover Story
Mdm Jamila Abdul Karim (center) with her daughters and grandson
The Iron Lady
It’s hard to imagine how anyone
could ever go through so much
discrimination,
slapped
with
financial struggles and faced with
endless strings of obstacles -- only
to overcome all these and move on
towards a better life. Mdm Jamila
Abdul Karim, a mother of five
daughters, was recently crowned
Exemplary Mother in Jamiyah
Singapore’s inaugural signature
event, held at Raffles City Convention
Centre, Fairmont Ballroom on 27th
September 2014. Her crowning
glory moment drew the attention
of a fresh panel of 10 judges, who
believed that her inner strength was
built in her journey to give a better
future for her beloved daughters.
8
Voice of Islam
The VOI Team sat down with the 53
year old, as she shared with us her
life story from a spectacled point of
view, over a cup of masala chai.
It was no ordinary house decor.
Handmade items, each and every
one of it, we were told. From rugs to
handkerchiefs, you name it all and
Mdm Jamila has probably either
sewn or knitted them before. As her
daughters were describing here as
a person skilled in handicraft, Mdm
Jamila struts into the living room
to join us after a long day at work
and after running several household
errands. In her hands, was a tray of
2 teacups. “Masala chai,” she said,
“Drink it please. You will love it.”
Her humble abode - a 5-room
maisonette flat situated in central
Tampines - is home to her five
daughters Mahthiya Begum, 28,
Nasreen Begum, 27, Mahabunisha,
23, Shamima Banu and Nashima
Banu, both 21, a son-in-law and
a grandson. Her entire family
members were present that day and
indeed, the atmosphere in the house
could have never felt more complete
than this.
Sitting comfortably in an armchair,
Mdm Jamila relates how she has
come a long way. Growing up, she
never knew what it was like to have a
father figure in the family. Her father
passed away when she was very
Cover Story
young, leaving behind few memories
for her to hold on to and think about
every now and then. Those were
‘tough times’ as Mdm Jamila often
referred to.
The mood suddenly turned tense and
emotional as Mdm Jamila continued
the conversation with an etched
smile on her face. “My children are
my world,” she described, “I want to
work hard for them now so that I can
relax when I’m older”. The struggles
she went through only made Mdm
Jamila more adamant that her
daughters should lead comfortable
lives. Hence, she made numerous
sacrifices to ensure that they are
provided with good education
and will one day, Insya Allah, lead
comfortable lives.
110% effort, sweat and soul is put
into everything she does just so she
could provide her daughters with
something better, something good.
Apart from running a food stall at
Tekka Centre, Mdm Jamila is also
a part-time seamstress. “I’ll come
home after work, do some household
chores and look after my grandson.
Then I’ll sew till 3am, so I don’t
really have much sleeping time,”
she explained. She describes the
Ramadhan month as stressful yet full
of barakah as she practises fasting
and completing Tarawih prayers in
the midst of the piled orders of Eidh
outfits that kept coming in. “I know
it may look like I’m overworking
myself, but honestly, I got used to it,”
she added.
“Truthfully, I’m thankful that my
children have in one way or another,
matured and eased many burdens
off my shoulder,” Mdm Jamila said
as her daughters flew over to where
she was seated to give her a hug,
“For Shamima and Mahabunisha,
they have been providing tuition
to the needy on a part-time basis.
I’m happy for what they’re doing is
giving back to the society. These are
the kinds of initiatives that make me
proud as a mother. It’s not about
which school they went to or what
they’re working as now. I only want
them to grow up and be nurtured
to become contributing members
to the society. That’s all that I ever
asked for.”
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
To top her list of achievements,
Mdm Jamila was recently crowned
commitments, it never deterred
her from performing her duties as
a mother. She went a step further
and also tries to be a friend to all
of us so I admire her capabilities in
interplaying her roles as a mother
and friend, especially at different
stages in our lives,” shared Shamima,
the youngest daughter. She is
currently studying at the National
University of Singapore, majoring in
Life Sciences.
“Spend time with your
children at least once
a week. Engage your
children and talk about
everything under the
sun. Then, they don’t
have any reason to look
for comfort outside of
home.”
At that moment, we can’t help but
notice Mdm Jamila wiping away
her tears. Her daughters called out
to her, “Amma. Don’t cry Amma,”
as Shamima further explained how
her mother has always encouraged
her and her sisters to be brave and
face any challenges, come what
may. Her second daughter, Nasreen,
a Human Resource Executive and
mother to a an 11-month-old son,
added, “She always tells us to never
be afraid to speak out if we are not
in the wrong. Her being this year’s
Exemplary Mother has indeed set an
example to others. She has proven
that it’s possible to raise five girls to
be holistic Muslims.”
– Mdm Jamila Abdul Karim
with The Exemplary Mother Award
2014. Sharing this glorious moment
with her family were the respected
Guests of Honour for the event, His
Excellency Dr Tony Tan, President
of Singapore and his gracious wife
Mrs Mary Tan. However, the humble
lady only prefers to see the cup as
half-full, stated, “I am proud to have
won the award but this is just a small
milestone for me.”
“Our mother is always there
for us. Although she had many
Before we knew it, maghrib was
about to set upon soon. Our second
cup of masala chai has gone cold
from an hour’s conversation that
involved a mixture of tears and
laughter. Although, we hate to admit
it, the exquisite taste continues to
linger on our tongues till today.
For the final segment, we settled
them for a family portrait. As we
bid them adieu, Mdm Jamila left
us with a few words - taking a deep
breath, she said, “Spend time with
your children at least once a week.
Engage your children and talk about
everything under the sun. Then, they
don’t have any reason to look for
comfort outside of home.”
Voice of Islam
9
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Muharram
Bulan
Muharram
Bulan Muharram bulan yang pertama,
dalam kalendar Islam.
Bulan di mana umat Islam bersatu
untuk menyambut kedatangan tahun yang baru.
Bulan Muharram
bulan yang suci.
Bulan di mana umat Islam bersedia
untuk meningkatkan amalan masing-masing.
Kerana pada satu Muharram,
buku catitan akan diangkat dan diganti
dengan yang baru.
Pada 9 dan 10 Muharram
sebahagian umat Islam berpuasa Asyura’
untuk menghapuskan dosa selama setahun.
Sesungguhnya, puasa dapat melawan nafsu dan amarah dosa.
Muharram,
bulan untuk umat Islam.
Mempunyai matlamat dan tujuan yang baru.
Untuk sama-sama
meningkatkan amalan, mengejar pahala,
membuat kebaikan dan mendekatkan diri
kepada Sang Pencipta.
Oleh
Siti Noor Aina bte Hamirudin &
Nur Faezah bte Rostan
10
Voice of Islam
Muharram
However, along the way, we
have forgotten its message. The
emergence of conflicts and division
in the Muslim world proves that we
lack the tolerance for differences.
We bicker and further divide
ourselves, drawing distinct lines of
‘us’ versus ‘them’. Our poor Akhlaq
and stubbornness to listen to what
is being said further deters us from
achieving common grounds.
Peace and unity is greatly
emphasized in Islam. In the Quran,
it says:
“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah
all together and do not become
divided. And remember the favor
of Allah upon you - when you were
enemies and He brought your hearts
together and you became, by His
favor, brothers.”
– Surah Ali Imran Verse 103
The gravity of its message strongly
refutes the actions of those who
seek to divide Muslims and in turn,
tarnish the image of the religion.
The fast worrying growth of terrorist
organizations like Al Nusra and
ISIS has taught us one thing: Peace
and unity have never been more
imperative in the Muslim world.
Our goals for the new year should
be directed towards rebranding the
image of Islam. Like any organization
which goes through a series of crisis
management, the onus is on us as
Muslims to reconstruct the image of
Islam all over again.
The road to reformation will be
long and hard. Muslim communities
need to work together to create
opportunities for peaceful and
harmonious co-existence. Every
Muslim is an ambassador of Islam
and such pride should be encouraged
in Muslim households, mosques and
madrasahs.
management, the onus
is on us to abrogate
misconceptions
that
plagued the image of
Islam.
Our duty lies in
reviving the true
message of Islam;
one of love and
respect for all.
In secular schools, we are
reminded to respect one
another regardless of race,
language or religion
during pledge recitals.
Such
commitment
towards upholding
peace and unity in
a nation should be
mirrored within
communities
so that our
children grasp
the importance
of peaceful and
harmonious
coexistence.
As we strip
ourselves of
feelings of
hostility and
encourage
dialogue,
insya Allah
we will be
able
to
d i s co v e r
common
grounds
and
bridge gaps of the unknown and
misunderstood. It is high time
that we take accountability of our
Deen because like any organization
who goes through a series of crisis
Unity [yoo-ni-tee]
noun, plural unities
We have forgotten what it means to
be united. As a believer of a peaceful
religion, I grew up being taught
that Islam was brought to guide
and protect humankind and that
it was a religion for all. It does not
discriminate nor chooses one over
the other.
by Iylia Nurliyana
Oneness of mind, feeling, etc., as among a number of persons; concord, harmony, or agreement.
Rope of Unity
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Voice of Islam
11
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Muharram
Aladdin’s
Magic
Musalla
by Mohamed Khan
Mohamed was born and raised in South
Africa. He migrated to Australia when he
was 15 where he completed his studies
in finance and has since worked in both
Australia and in Singapore.
As a child I remember watching
Disney’s Aladdin and wishing if only I
could have a magic carpet for myself
so I could fly around the world on
fantastical adventures. It’s now 20
years later and I may not have a
magic carpet but with international
travel being so affordable and the
world being one big global village,
I have managed to travel and work
in many parts of the world and in
doing so have been able to meet
and make friends with many Muslim
brothers and sisters. I am often
asked about the types of Muslims
in these countries and if one is able
to practice their faith with freedom
and ease. For the most part my
responses has always been positive
but in answering this question and
many more similar to these, I am
cognisant that in order for it to be
a good experience, one also has a
part to play which is adopting the
ethos of being a good global Muslim
citizen.
I recall once a politician saying, to
the extent they follow their religion,
Muslims would be the ideal citizen
of any country as they would not
lie, drink, gamble or steal and they
would be very family and community
orientated thus lending themselves
to building a great and law abiding
12
Voice of Islam
nation. While I find this statement to
be true, a rare exception for words
spoken by a politician, does this
same statement apply to the global
Muslim citizen? Yes I believe it does,
but with the addition of a extra little
something that all Muslims should
have - an abundance of respect and
appreciation.
“And seek help through
patience and prayer...”
– Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 45
In short it’s these two qualities I
believe that have and continue to
make my experiences in living and
working abroad a great one as a
Muslim. We all carry with us biases
or aspects of our faith that we hold
near and dear, the challenge is not
to project these expectations on
others. Rather than spending time
explaining how things are done
where I have come from, I have tried
to spend my time understanding
how and why things are done in the
place I am, but a humble guest. While
there have been many things I might
not have agreed with I have learnt
to respect and appreciate these
differences and realise that it is these
difference that have made my travels
so interesting and have been vital in
developing a great perspective and
outlook of my religion.
Equipped with the teachings of
Islam and qualities of respect and
appreciation it would be hard
pressed to find any global Muslim
traveller not being labelled a good
global Muslim citizen. And as an
added measure be sure to take
with yourself your magic musallah
wherever you travel, for surely its
through salah, du’a and the will of
Allah that we are able to embark on
such amazing adventures.
My life has been so profoundly
touched by the many people and
especially Muslims that I have met
around the world and as we embark
on our journey into the new Islamic
year I would like to share my duas for
the Muslims around the world who
are suffering or in angst such that
your plight be speedily remedied
and that as a refreshing change the
next time I turn on the news, there
are only the faces of smiling Muslim
men, women and children in a story
that is uplifting and portrays Islam
in the bright and shining light it
deserves to be displayed in.
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Events
Sheikh Prof Mustafa Ceric sharing his views on pertinent Islamic current affairs
Challenging Hate:
Islam, Conflict &
Peacebuilding
On the 29th of August 2014, Jamiyah
Singapore, Simply Islam and
Muslim Expatriates Network (MEX)
collaborated to organize an Islamic
talk titled “Challenging Hate: Islam,
Conflict & Peacebuilding” by Sheikh
Prof Mustafa Ceric, a former Grand
Mufti of Bosnia Herzegovina.
Some 400 members of the audience
were exposed to the challenges
experienced by Sheikh Mustafa, as
the Bosnian society moves forward
to rebuild themselves from the
struggles of the post-Bosnian war.
He also shared with the audience his
views on some of the more pressing
Islamic current affairs issues – such
as the Gaza-Israel conflict and
rivalry between the different schools
of thoughts. The religion of Islam, he
emphasised, is completely against
14
Voice of Islam
the ideology of hatred, and promotes
the concept of peaceful coexistence
and peacebuilding. “Islam means
peace, a peaceful submission to
God,” Sheikh Prof Mustafa Ceric
affirmed. He also emphasized on the
importance of showing love towards
others and the effect it can have on
“Islam means
peace, a peaceful
submission to God.”
– Sheikh Prof Mustafa Ceric
forming good relationships with one
another.
Jamiyah Singapore would like to
thank Simply Islam and MEX for
the successful joint collaboration
and look forward to more working
relationships in the future.
(R to L) Sheikh Prof Mustafa Ceric and Dr Mohd Nawab, moderator for the night
Events
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
US Ambassador’s Visit
to
Jamiyah Children’s Home
President of Jamiyah Singapore,
Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar,
Mr Yunos Shariff, Chairperson of
Jamiyah Children’s Home and
other officials of Jamiyah Singapore
were present to welcome the US
Ambassador to Singapore, His
Excellency Kirk Wagar, at Jamiyah
Children’s Home (Darul Ma’wa) on 24
September 2014. It was his first visit
to the Home since his appointment
to office on 4 September 2014.
Mr Yunos conveyed his thanks in
his speech, to the Ambassador for
the visit, and gave a brief history
of Jamiyah Singapore, Jamiyah
Children’s Home (Darul Ma’wa) and
the close working relationship that
the Embassy has had over the years
with Jamiyah Singapore. With the
good relations between the two
organisations, there have been
various goodwill visits from the
Embassy to the Homes and Centres
of Jamiyah Singapore.
Mr Kirk was brought around on a
tour of the Home and he was treated
to an enthusiastic performance
by Percussion of Joy, a percussion
ensemble by the resident children
of the Home. In his address, Mr Kirk
Wagar said that he was impressed
and inspired by the talent of the
children, and he believes in the
saying that “Steel is forged by fire,
the more the fire, the stronger the
steel,” encouraging all the children
to be strong and work hard for their
future.
He also mentioned that over the
years, the US Embassy has had close
relations with Jamiyah Singapore,
especially with Jamiyah Children’s
Home Darul Ma’wa. Moving forward,
Mr Wagar expressed that he would
like for the US Embassy to continue
working with Jamiyah Singapore
and participate in its activities, as
the work, love care and support for
the children is remarkable.
(L to R) US Ambassador His Excellency Kirk Wagar together with
Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar and Chairman of the home, Mr
Mohd Yunos Shariff
Voice of Islam
15
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Events
Al-Usrah Series: 1
What Threatens
the Iman & Aqidah
of Today’s Youth
The path for our SingaporeanMuslim youths growing into
adulthood is one that reflects the
stress and pressure of a dynamic,
modern society while striving to
achieve iman and aqidah at the
same time. Oftentimes, we find
these issues complicated as we try
to understand these youths and
help in solving their problems in a
more tactical manner.
Jamiyah Children’s Home (Darul
Ma’wa) became the venue for AlUsrah: An Educational Programme
for Families Series 1, titled “What
Threatens the Iman and Aqidah of
Today’s Youth” on Saturday, 1st
November 2014. The discussion
was joined by a panel of esteemed
speakers – Mr Mohamed Khair,
CEO & Consultant, SuChi Success
Initiatives Pte Ltd; Ustaz Muhammad
Nuzhan, Executive Imam, Masjid
Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah and Ustaz Zul
Ramli, Panellist for ‘Tanyalah Ustaz’
TV9 Programme, ‘Al Kulliyah’ TV9
Programme and Usrah Nurani Radio
IKIM FM Malaysia.
audience a deep understanding of
society’s problems. In addition, the
rich combination of information,
inspiration and motivation gave the
audience hope to help our troubled
youths of today to prosper towards
becoming a productive ummah in
society.
Many current issues and thoughtprovoking topics were brought
up during the discussion – LGBT
issues, choosing friends over
families, arguing with parents,
prioritizing
academic
success
over religion and more. It was
through real-life experiences faced
by today’s youths shared by the
panel of speakers that gave the
Al-Usrah Series: 2
Understanding
the Importance
of Mazhab
16
Voice of Islam
Events
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Al-Usrah Series: 3
Between
Culture &
Syariah
In the third and final series of AlUsrah, a programme by the Dakwah
Department of Singapore, Ustaz
Badli Shah from Jabatan Agama
Pahang, and Ustaz Ashraf Fandi
a local Ustaz active in dakwah
activities, shared with participants
at the session on the Syariah
practices and Adat (Culture) of
the Community. The session was
conducted at Jamiyah Children’s
Home (Darul Ma’wa) on 13 December
2014.
In this session, both the Ustaz
shared with the participants, the
common practices in the Malay
On 28th November 2014, Ustaz
Zainal Yahya Ma’arif or more
popularly known as Buya Yahya,
from Indonesia and Ustaz Zahid
Mohd Zin, Honorary Secretary of
PERGAS; shared with some 250
members of an audience about the
importance of understanding and
following the teachings of a Mazhab
at Jamiyah Children’s Home (Darul
Muslim community that would often
be mistaken for Syariah, when they
actually originated from cultural
practices. They also advised what
the Islamic practices should be for
events such as weddings and when
faced with poor health. Audience
members could also pose questions
through Social Media, and they were
addressed by both the Ustazs.
This session concludes the Al-Usrah
series for the year. Insya Allah, we will
be back next year with more exciting
and enlightening programmes. Stay
tuned for updates on our Instagram
& Facebook accounts - @jamiyahsg.
Ma’wa). Some of the concerning
issues raised were how some local
Singaporeans are confused by
the different mazhabs and how it
is a prevalent issue faced by the
community.
Through this session, both Ustazs
shared that it is important to firstly
understand the main crux as to
“So ask the people of
knowledge, if you do
not know.”
– Surah An-Nahl Verse 43
why there is a division of mazhabs
in Islam, their roles and the
significance of following one.
Alhamdulillah, the audience found
the session beneficial. Insya Allah,
we will move on together to share
the knowledge learnt for the better
of our ummah.
Voice of Islam
17
Qurban
Ritual
2014
On the 5th of October 2014, Jamiyah
Singapore carried out its Qurban
rituals at Jamiyah Halfway House
(Darul Islah) after its Eidul Adha
prayers.
Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Minister
of State, Ministry of National
Development & Ministry of Defence
and Mayor, South East District
was the Guest-of-Honour at the
occasion. He was accompanied by Dr
Saleem, Vice-President I of Jamiyah,
Mr Yunos Shariff, Vice-President
II of Jamiyah, Dr Isa Hassan, VicePresident III of Jamiyah and other
senior officials of Jamiyah.
A total of 230 sheep – 100 Australian
and 130 Irish, were slaughtered in
this year’s Qurban. The increase in
number of sheep this year allowed
for Jamiyah to distribute them to
more welfare beneficiaries.
Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman (right) handing
out Qurban meat
Events
Beneficiaries collecting the Qurban meat distributed
at Jamiyah Headquarters
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
18
Voice of Islam
(L to R) Mr Yunos Shariff, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman,
Dr H.M Saleem and Dr Isa Hassan having a chat
A portion of the meat were later
distributed to 300 low-income
families.
Events
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Maldives Minister Visit to
Jamiyah Halfway House
On 26th August 2014, Jamiyah
Halfway House (Darul Islah) received
a delegation from the Republic of
Maldives – Honourable Minister
Mr Umar Naseer, Minister of Home
Affairs and his official delegation –
Mr Azim Moosa, Commissioner of
Prisons; Mr Hassan Zilaal, Deputy
Commissioner of Prisons and Mr
Ismail Naveen, Chief Superintendent
of Police.
Dr H M Saleem, Vice-President
I, Jamiyah Singapore; Mr Yunos
Shariff, Vice-President II, Jamiyah
Singapore;
Ms
Leonie
Tan,
Director, Singapore Corporation of
Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE);
Mr Shariff Yatim, Executive Director,
Darul Islah; Mr Faizal Abas, Executive
Officer, Darul Islah and officials from
Jamiyah Singapore and SCORE
respectively welcomed the visitors.
During the tour around Darul Islah,
Minister Umar Naseer shared that
drug abuse is one of the biggest
challenges that Maldives is currently
facing. He was impressed by the
shared ideas and rehabilitative
processes conducted in Singapore
and at Darul Islah itself – highlighting
religious activities and professional
help as one of the biggest takeaways
from his visit.
Together with Darul Islah and
SCORE, Minister Umar Naseer also
strongly believes in giving these exconvicts a second chance of life, by
helping them reintegrate back to
society in a more seamless manner.
With this shared vision, Minister
Umar Naseer and the delegation
hopes to put into action their plans
based on their visit to Singapore.
Jamiyah Singapore thanks Minister
Umar Naseer and his official
delegates for their visit to Darul
Islah and thanked SCORE for their
unstinting support.
The delegation from Maldives and officials from Jamiyah Singapore at Jamiyah Halfway House (Darul Islah)
Voice of Islam
19
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Events
SCORE
CEO’s Visit
to Jamiyah
Halfway
House
Mr Stanley Tang, newly appointed
CEO of Singapore Corporation Of
Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE)
visited Jamiyah Halfway House on
4 September 2014. This was also
an opportunity for the House to
recognise their community partners;
those who have worked with the
Home to provide employment and
also courses for the residents to
rebuild their lives.
Chairperson of the House, Dr Isa
Hassan, also commented on the
Mr Shariff Yatim gives Mr Stanley Tang a tour of the newly revamped centre
importance of the partnerships
with companies and organisations
to create opportunities for the
rehabilitating residents who need
to rebuild their lives once they have
left the 6 month programme at Darul
Islah.
Memorandums of Understanding
were also signed between the
Halfway House, Jeewa Limited,
JBS International College and
Jamiyah Education Centre, as an
agreement to support the Home
Dr Isa Hassan (right), Chairman of Darul Islah, presents a token of appreciation to Mr Stanley Tang
20
Voice of Islam
with programmes and opportunities
catered specially for the residents of
Darul Islah.
Some residents were also presented
with Certificates of Attendance after
they successfully completed their
Basic Conversational Mandarin
Course and F&B Course, both with
JBS International School. Through
the provision of these courses, Darul
Islah hopes that the residents will
leave the House better prepared to
face the real world.
Signing of Memorandum of Understanding
Events
Dr Isa Hassan, Vice-President III, delivering his address at the Appreciation Dinner
Courting Courts
Jamiyah Singapore has had a long
cherished relationship Courts Asia
Limited. With a similar passion to
help the community, Courts Asia
Limited, fronted by their Chairman
and CEO Mr Terry O’Connor has
been involved in many community
activities, amongst which is the
Exemplary Mother Award.
Courts is known to be one of the
largest furniture, electronics and IT
retailer in the region. Courts started
with the policy of making ownership
of beautiful home furnishings
affordable to the lower income wage
earners through its low interest
installment scheme, and its concept
had been widened to make ‘lifestyle
made affordable’.
The passion and commitment of
Courts Asia Limited towards helping
the community has led them to
organise a Charity Golf Event for
Jamiyah Home for the Aged (Darul
Takrim) held at the Appreciation
Dinner held at Laguna National Golf
and Country Club on 17 October
2014 attended by Dr Isa Hassan,
Vice-President III and Mr Mohd Noor
B Mohd Said, Executive Secretary
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
TOP: Participants won prizes at the Appreciation
Dinner
BOTTOM: Mr Terry O’Connor (center) in
conversation with Dr Isa Hassan (left) and Mr
Mohd Noor Said (right)
of Jamiyah Singapore. The Home
was presented with a cheque for
its efforts to raise funds at the
Charity Golf Event. Dr Isa Hassan
in his address, thanked Courts and
Mr O’Connor for their unstinting
support in the programmes and
activities of Jamiyah Singapore.
Mr O’Connor also reiterated his
commitment towards supporting
the service mission of Jamiyah
Singapore.
Bravo and Kudos to Courts Asia, your
good deeds are certainly cherished
and appreciated!
Voice of Islam
21
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Events
Stitching Lives
A Humanitarian Aid Project in Support of Syria and Gaza
(L to R) Dr Mohd Nawab Mohd Osman, Executive Council Member of Jamiyah Singapore, Mr Khalid Ibrahim, Managing Director of Qiswah Pte Ltd, Mr Teo Chee Hean
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar, President of Jamiyah Singapore and Mr Gurmit Singh, Vice-President of IRO attempting to complete
hand-sewn messages in support of Syria and Gaza
Barely surviving on any basic
necessities, our brothers and sisters
from Syria and Gaza continue to face
even tougher life obstacles as they
brave the harsh cold winter that
slowly approaches them. Unable
to do much, they can only suffer in
silence and move on with life.
In an effort to provide aid and
care for those affected, Jamiyah
Singapore supported Qiswah’s
“Stitching Lives: A Humanitarian
Aid Project in Support of Syria and
Gaza” on 16th November 2014
at The Star Theatre – The Star
Performing Arts Centre. 800 people
from all walks of lives attended this
meaningful event, as they hand-sew
messages such as ‘Love’, ‘Peace’ and
‘Hope’ in harmonized synchrony.
These words of encouragement will
22
Voice of Islam
then be sewn on 5,000 blankets to
be distributed to the refugees in
Turkey, next month. The event was
graced by Deputy Prime Minister
Mr Teo Chee Hean as he took part
in the mass stitching activity as
well. “They represent the warmth
of kind-hearted Singaporeans who
have stepped forward in an act of
common humanity to help those in
need,” he mentioned in his speech.
Alhamdulillah, Jamiyah Singapore
is pleased to support this
humanitarian aid event. We look
forward to such collaborations with
them in the future, as we believe in
spurring character development in
the Malay/Muslim community for
the better of humanity.
“They represent the
warmth of kindhearted Singaporeans
who have stepped
forward in an act of
common humanity to
help those in need.”
– Mr Teo Chee Hean
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Education
Kids Give Back Project
by Jehan Salleh
Principal, Global Child Development Centre
(L to R) Mr Vikram Nair, Member of Parliament (Sembawang GRC) accompanied by Mr Mohd Hosni Abdul Malik, Executive Council Member of Jamiyah, and Ms Jehan Salleh,
Principal of GCDC visit homes of the less privileged during the Kids Give Back Project
Kids Give Back Project is a
food drive project championed
by Global Child Development
Centre (GCDC) and is inspired by
Jamiyah Singapore’s food rationing
program which is conducted by the
Welfare Department. Research on
community and family involvement
with schools has consistently shown
that such involvement adds to the
quality of the schools involved and
makes a difference in children’s
academic achievement.
Each year, GCDC strives to differ
their
implementation
process
of the project by venturing into
24
Voice of Islam
collaborations
with
external
organizations, expanding their
collection/distribution area and are
constantly on the look out to give
back to single, elderly and needy
residents, whom are living alone.This
year, it centred around Singapore’s
National Day theme, ‘Our People,
Our Home’. Their collaboration
this time round involved volunteer
members of Woodlands Zone 8 RC,
Happy People Helping Foundation
and Thye Hua Kwan Seniors Activity
Centre. Mr Vikram Nair, Member
of Parliament for Sembawang
GRC, was also present as Guestof-Honour to officiate the event. It
was estimated that food donations
tallied to about $3,000 this year, the
highest as compared to previous
years.
Through this project, GCDC interlinks
their extensive academic curriculum
with the food drive activity so as
to allow students to gain a better
perspective on the living situations
of underprivileged and low-income
community in Singapore. Teachers
played a huge role by sharing and
discussing with students on the
various existing social classes in
Singapore. Students learnt more
about the low-income families and
Education
and feelings of compassion towards
the less privileged at an early point
of their lives, would help increase
their self-efficacy and self-esteem. At
the end of the day, GCDC is happy to
know that their students had made a
difference to the lives of others.
the situation of needy families in
Singapore. Through this, they are
engaged in a real-life situational
discussion on what can be done to
help these families. Ultimately, this
project also hopes to evoke a sense
of realization for them, to count
their blessings and appreciate how
fortunate they are.
As the title of the project suggests
- the kids, literally, gives back - by
taking charge of every aspect of
the project, through the teachers’
supervision. Through this learning
process, they developed a sense of
self-initiative as they were engaged
in the processes of collecting, sorting,
packing and distributing the various
food items. Some even went the
extra mile to request for donations
on their own, then independently
sorted the packed food and later
on, distributed these goods to the
underprivileged people.
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
“Sadaqah [charity]
extinguishes sin, just
as water extinguishes
fire.”
– Jami’ at-Tirmidhi
GCDC believes that inculcating
children with a sense of empathy
The second distribution was
conducted on Thursday, 4th
September 2014. The children made
a trip down to Thye Hua Kwan Seniors
Activity Centre at Toa Payoh 15. Prior
to the ration bags distribution, the
children spent time intermingling
with the elderly folks at the Activity
Centre. Students entertained the
seniors with songs and had exciting
conversations with them. The
children took turns to distribute the
ration bags to the elderly.
It was heart warming when one of
the residents said, “Thank you for
remembering us.” The children had a
momentous day with the elderly.
Students of GCDC gather for a group photo with Mr Vikram Nair at the end of the day
Voice of Islam
25
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Education
Mother
Tongue
Language
Symposium
2014
by Rahimah Beevi
Vice-Principal, Global Child Development Centre
Global
Child
Development
Centre (GCDC) participated in the
esteemed Mother Tongue Language
Symposium by exhibiting its
Mother Tongue program on 23rd
August 2014. The booth which
was titled, Glorifying Language,
Upholding Culture, displayed the
Malay Language program activities
conducted at the centre.
Prior to the exhibition, officials
from Early Childhood Development
Agency (ECDA) and Ministry of
Education (MOE) sat in for a
Malay lesson observation where
the children were engaged in an
interesting Malay Language Lesson.
A total of 14 centres participated
in the exhibition and the majority
of schools were Anchor operators.
GCDC is proud to exhibit the Malay
curriculum alongside with the key
players in the market. Selected
centres must showcase five Teachermade learning aides and materials
in their booth.
26
Voice of Islam
Teachers of Global Child Development Centre stand proud before their exhibition at the
Mother Tongue Language Symposium
At the booth, the bilingual learning
goals of the Malay curriculum were
displayed, along with a profile video
of our Mother Tongue curriculum
was also displayed. GCDC’s Malay
curriculum aims to build children’s
interest in learning the Malay
language, allows children to be
aware of the local ethnic culture and
to develop fundamental language
and literacy skills. The five activities
were created in accordance with
these learning goals.
The Teachers at the centre created
5 theme based activities, which had
3 sub-activities, that had varying
levels of complexity. These activities
were picture puzzles, I-spy games,
feel and describe games, rhyming
words bowling games and match
the actions to the words activity.
Children from various age groups
visited the booth. The students
were actively engaged with all the
activities in the booth. The activities
even attracted secondary school
Ms Jehan Salleh, Principal of GCDC, participates in a
jigsaw puzzle activity with the children
students. The rhyming words
bowling game became an instant
hit amongst the children who visited
the booth.
MTLS 2014 was an exciting
experience for the teachers from
the point of the selection process
up until the final exhibition. It was a
platform that helped us to showcase
GCDC’s quality Malay curriculum.
Education
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Jamiyah Kindergarten
Visits the Zoo
by Syeda Tahiya Husain
On a lovely Wednesday morning
of 1st October 2014, students of
Jamiyah Kindergarten set off on
a spellbinding adventure to the
Singapore Zoo. Squeals of bursting
excitement filled the air while the
students were first gathered at
Al-Malik Faisal Hall of Jamiyah
Singapore Headquarters before
departing. For most of them, it was
their first time to the zoo and with
the good weather on their side, it
only made them look forward to the
excursion.
“Monkeys!” “Penguins!” “I think that
looks like… a bear!” the students
exclaimed in utmost confidence
as they played an animal-spotting
game, while riding on the tram.
Soon after, they headed over to
catch a spectacular elephant show
that wowed the children even more,
as the elephants boasted amusing
tricks.
Soon, they stopped by the garden
pavilion for Show and Tell. As part of
their academic enrichment lessons,
teachers infused creative hands-on
activities based on their trip to the
zoo. Students would then have to
present their painted animal face
masks, design animal prints and
describe their learning experience
through a sharing session with their
classmates. Mdm Shazilla Noordin,
Principal of Jamiyah Kindergarten
believes that such activities will
equip students with public speaking
skills and expose them to unleash
their inner creativity. Surely, the
outdoor class environment adds on
to the ambience, allowing students
to step out from their comfort zone
to try something new.
Towards the later part of the day,
they ventured into the Rainforest
Walk. Students and teachers held
hands as they walked through the
thick trees and bushes, with some
screaming and squealing in delight
upon seeing mischievous raccoons
swooping by. The fact that these wild
animals were free to roam around
them made it truly an enjoyable
sight as the students experienced it
first-hand.
As all good things came to an end,
the children left the zoo exhausted,
yet nothing stopped them from
recounting their favourite events of
the day. The outing had truly been
an eye-opener and the teachers
were also glad to have had a great
time with their students.
Jamiyah Kindergarten students were fascinated by the variety of animals during the visit to the zoo
Voice of Islam
27
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Education
Tales of Expression
Jamiyah Early Childhood Education Graduation 2014
60 children from all three Early
Childhood
Education
Centres
of Jamiyah Singapore had their
graduation ceremony at Marine
Parade CC Auditorium on 16
November 2014. Kindergarten 2
Children from Jamiyah Kindergarten,
Jamiyah Childcare Centre and
Global Child Development Centre
paraded on stage in their graduation
gowns and mortar boards, to a
crowd of adoring parents.
Guest of Honour, Mr Patrick Tay, MP
Nee Soon GRC congratulated all
students, and teachers who have
worked hard to put up a good show.
He also encouraged parents who
were present, to continually support
the learning of their children as they
move on to Primary School.
Students from all the centres also
recited poems and speeches,
thanking
their
parents
and
teachers and also sharing with the
enthusiastic audience what they
have gained from the years of study
in Jamiyah’s ECE Centres.
Congratulations to our Early Childhood Education graduands of 2014!
28
Voice of Islam
To wrap up the graduation
ceremony, the children put up a
show, titled Tales of Expression.
Their hard work over the past weeks
showed as they effortlessly and
confidently performed the play for
all to see, much to the delight of
their parents in the audience.
Congratulations again to all our
K2 graduates, may your future
education endeavours be fulfilling
and may you achieve your dreams.
Education
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
“Allah, His angels and all those in Heavens and on Earth, even ants in their hills and fish in
the water, call down blessings on those who instruct others in beneficial knowledge.”
– At-Tirmidhi
Voice of Islam
29
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Education
Mdm Halimah Yacob , Speaker of Parliament, presents a certificate to one of our Little Huffaz graduate. She is accompanied by (L to R) Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar,
Mdm Nora Rustham, Director of Jamiyah Education Centre and Imam Umar Farooq from the Quran Academy, Canada
Launching of iLQ48H &
Little Huffaz Graduation
Ceremony
At Jamiyah Kindergarten, the Little
Huffaz Programme is introduced
to the children from Nursery to
Kindergarten 2. With the enrichment
classes held every day, children are
trained to memorize Quranic verses
with accurate tajweed.
On 22 November 2014, 8 children
graduated from the Little Huffaz
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Voice of Islam
Programme,
a
specialised
programme for young learners to
learn the Quran. A total of 55 children
were enrolled in the programme in
Jamiyah Kindergarten.
The graduating students showed
their proficiency in the recitation
of Quranic verses to everyone who
was present, and also displayed
their knowledge of the tajweed of
the verses. They showcased their
memorisation of the Quran and
received a certificate of completion
from the Guest of Honour, Speaker
Parliament, Mdm Halimah Yacob, at
the graduation ceremony.
In conjunction with the event,
the new venture, iLQ48H was
In the spirit of celebration, 14
dedicated volunteers from Jamiyah
Singapore were also presented with
Long Service Awards, of the National
Council of Social Services, for their
tireless effort in their support and
volunteering for Jamiyah’s service
mission for the last 10 - 25 years.
In her speech, Mdm Halimah
congratulated Jamiyah Singapore
for its “initiatives and concerted
efforts in imparting religious
knowledge and education to
Muslims of all ages”. She added that
the Little Huffaz Programme that
is targeted towards young Muslim
children compliments the efforts
of the Government in adding value
to the community, and contributes
towards building a younger
generation of Muslim Singaporeans
who are resilient responsible and
practice religious undertaking and
tolerance.
Jamiyah Singapore presents Long Service Awards to its staff
also launched. LQ48H was first
introduced in 2012, in collaboration
with the Quran Academy Canada.
This is another initiative from
Jamiyah, apart from mobile apps
and face-to face programme, for
users to effectively learn the Quran
with tajweed, in the comfort of their
own home.
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Our little friends from Jamiyah Kindergarten demonstrate their
ability to memorize Quranic verses with accurate tajweed
Education
(L to R) Mdm Halimah Yacob, Mr Naji Anbar O Al Anbar, First Secretary of
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar, Mr
Yunos Shariff and Imam Umar Farooq witnessing the launch of the iLQ48H
Voice of Islam
31
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Family & Health
Mental Health
by Siti Sarah Ishak
“Mental health is defined as
a state of well-being in which
every individual realizes his or her
own potential, can cope with the
normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is
able to make a contribution to her
or his community.”
– World Health Organization (WHO)
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Voice of Islam
In a WHO report in 2001, it was stated
that one in four people around the
world will suffer from mental health
problems at some point in their
lives and mental health disorders
are expected to rank only second
behind heart diseases in prevalence
by the year 2020.
The Singapore Mental Health
Study (SMHS) conducted in 2010
(updated in 2013) and spearheaded
by the Institute of Mental Health
(IMH), found that Major Depressive
Disorder (MDD), Alcohol Abuse and
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
(OCD) were the top 3 most common
disorders in Singapore (amongst
Family & Health
the list of illnesses assessed in the
study). One in 17 people in Singapore
have suffered MDD at some point of
their lifetime, and Alcohol Abuse and
OCD affected one in 32 and one in 33
people, respectively.
The majority of the mental disorders
occurred by the age of 29 and
the majority of sufferers were not
seeking help for their conditions.
Most people who suffered from
mental health disorders had their
first onset of illness when they were
in their mid-20s.
The study had some limitations
and was unable to represent all
individuals suffering from mental
health disorders in Singapore but
some general findings were: the
top 3 most common disorders
mentioned before, the suggestion
that the prevalence rates of other
disorders are much lower than in
Western countries and that OCD
seem to be more prevalent especially
in Singapore.
The 3 social factors which are
commonly associated with higher
rates of mental health disorders
are; marital status, unemployment
and an existing physical illness. The
social factors and the rates of mental
health disorders are suggested to
be bi-directional in causing the
existence of the other, for example,
having a physical illness could cause
someone to fall into depression or a
person’s depression could cause a
physical illness.
In addition, the author of the study
suggested that it is likely that the
real numbers of individuals who
have mental disorders in Singapore
are higher than what was captured
by the study due to under-reporting.
After looking at the numbers, we
may ask ourselves, how do we
then recognize if our loved ones
are afflicted with a mental health
disorder and if so, what can we do
to help them? While most major
mental health disorders are easy
to recognize due to the individual’s
extreme inability to function
normally i.e. unable to care for
himself on a daily basis, unable to
work, even at simple jobs; a lot of
times, it is hard to recognize that a
loved one is suffering because there
is a bigger number of people who
suffer from mental health disorders
but are still able to study, work or
have a family.
Each mental health disorder afflicts
an individual differently in the
resultant level of impairment and
each individual may handle their
afflictions differently.
The common misconceptions of
people suffering from a mental
health disorder would be that
they are usually of a lower IQ level,
uneducated,
unemployed,
are
unkempt in appearance etc. This is
far from the truth as many individuals
with mental health disorders are
able to function normally and look
like everyone else. When a loved
one reaches out to you for advice
or support, the best thing to do is
to listen. Most people do not realize
this but the most powerful way in
helping anyone is to listen with an
open heart and mind. Most times,
there is no need to offer solutions or
suggestions – the individual usually
has come to some sort of conclusion
but needs to verbally go through
them with a sounding board, you.
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
- Persistent lack of appetite
- Isolating himself from loved ones
for many days
- Sudden personality changes
- Persistent thoughts of self-harm
(the frequency and methods of
self-harm are indicative of the
state of mental health)
- Thoughts which are not
anchored to reality
If you are concerned that your loved
ones may show symptoms of suffering
from a mental health disorder, you
should seek professional advice
first instead of trying to diagnose
a mental health disorder as it may
cause more harm than good if done
without professional training and
knowledge.
Need help?
IMH Mental Health Helpline:
6389 2222 (24 hrs)
IMH All Addictions Helpline:
6732 6837
(Mon - Fri, 0830 - 2200)
SAMH Counseling Helpline:
1800 2837019
(Mon - Fri, 0900 - 1800)
SOS (For suicidal cases):
1800 2214444 (24 hrs)
As someone who is close to the
individual, you will be somewhat
familiar with his way of thinking,
acting, the basis of his behavior etc.
When you openly listen to him, here
are some things that if revealed to
you, should trigger concern for his
mental health:
- Persistent insomnia
Voice of Islam
33
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Family & Health
Keeping Fit As A Family
by Fitness for Muslimah
In the pursuit of spiritual balance,
let’s not forget about restoring
balance in our pursuit of good
lifestyle practices. The Prophet
(ṣallā Allāhu ʿalay-hi wa-sallam) is a
good example. He said, “The strong
believer is better and more beloved
to Allah than the weak believer.”
(Narrated by Sahih Muslim, 6774).
He was not only referring to faith
and character, but also indicating
that physical strength i.e. optimum
health and fitness were desirable,
34
Voice of Islam
provided Allah SWT gave us the
ways and means of attaining such
strength. However it is saddening
to know that the majority in our
community are neglecting their
health with unhealthy lifestyle
practices and nutrition choices
in spite of the possibilities of
contracting chronic ailments and
diseases.
It is no surprise that regular physical
exercise was most prevalent among
the Indians (21.7%) followed by the
Chinese (19.2%) then the Malays
(15.3%) in Singapore and more men
(22.8%) are exercising regularly
compared to women (15.2%).
(National Health Survey, 2010)
What’s more alarming is that 54%
of Singaporean residents did not
exercise during their leisure time
(Sport Singapore, 2011) as a result
of increasinging sedentary lifestyle
practices which are compounded
by many hours spent working, the
lack of traditional family bonding
Family & Health
activities and the influences of
technology.
An integral part in the life of a
Muslim is exercise, however it
should not come at the expense of
religious obligations, nor should
it infringe upon the time spent
with family members. Restoring
balance in our lifestyle with an
Islamic holistic approach requires
plenty of Istiqomah which implies
the continuity of doing something,
following up with it and making sure
that it is done in the right way and
with no deviation or swerving.
Start by praying in congregation
with your family members
A family that prays together sticks
together insya Allah. Prioritize
praying together with your family at
home. The obligatory prayers and
sunnah prayers itself, are forms of
good exercise. Without it, a Muslim
can hardly enjoy the physical and
spiritual tranquility to start the day
right. Moreover, a Muslim reaps the
benefits from 10-minute breaks to
rejuvenate his soul and mind from
the stressful daily life in Singapore.
So when a family prays together,
it is inevitable that they will grow
stronger together in mind, body and
soul.
Fun Family Activities
Influencing your family members
to start a weekly or bi-weekly
fitness activities creates a positive
psychological effect to ease away
from sedentary lifestyle practices.
For a start, trekking to MacRitchie
Tree Top Walk, Henderson Wave
Bridge, etc., is the easiest way to
kickstart the fitness activities cycle
because it’s the best opportunity to
teach young children and adults to
appreciate nature, encourage and
increase their inner motivation and
develop their spiritual connection
to The Creator. Trekking is just
another interesting way to enjoy
nature while creating the perfect
setting to strengthen the emotional
bond and openness within family
members. The trick to maintain
the family fitness weekly cycle is to
spice it up with new recreational
and leisure activities every week
with swimming, bowling, ice skating,
kite flying, rollerblading, cycling,
rock climbing, weekend zumba and
family yoga classes and etc. Be
creative and yes, you can take the
first step to influence your family.
However, for some families it might
be difficult to organize weekly
activities due to unconventional
working schedules, a high number
of relatives weddings to attend,
or preparing for children’s midterm or final-term examinations.
Thus, joining Fitness for Muslimah,
a
passionate
feminine-fitness
community that advocates and
empowers Muslim women and
Muslim families to exercise together,
is any family’s savior.
Fitness for Muslimah welcomes
best friends, career-driven women
and her colleagues and families;
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
mothers, daughters, nieces, cousins
and relatives to exercise together
through various monthly fitness
activities. We were inspired by the
traditions of our beloved Prophet
(ṣallā Allāhu ʿalay-hi wa-sallam)
who
undoubtedly
encourage
involvement in fitness activities as
a way to promote a healthy lifestyle
and encourage brotherly sisterly
love and family togetherness.
In view of our mission to empower
Muslim women while upholding
modesty and unity in Fitness and
Faith, we strengthen an individual’s
or group commitment by enabling
sisters to feel comfortable and
connected
despite
different
fitness levels with the presence of
unity from all sisters to help one
another (#ukhuwahfitness) and
using the psychological effects of
registering, we encourage sisters
to make an “exercise date” with us
thus increasing their motivation
from withdrawals. Plus motivation
will likely be heightened when
participants register as a group
or family because of the existing
influential power families or friends
have on each other.
As good health is a gift from Allah
(Subḥānahu Wa Ta’ala), let’s reflect
upon ourselves for the benefit of
our health and our beloved family’s
health by making healthier and
better choices for our lifestyles
together.
Facebook: Fitness for Muslimah
Instagram: @fitness4muslimah
Twitter: F4Muslimah
Voice of Islam
35
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Beyond Borders
World Alliance of
Religions for Peace
(WARP) Summit
by Mohd Hosni Abdul Malik
Opening ceremony of the World Alliance of Religions for Peace Summit at Jam Shil Olympic Stadium, Seoul, Korea
The Heavenly Culture, World
Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL)
organisation held a World Alliance of
Religions for Peace (WARP) summit
on the 17th - 19th of September 2014.
Jamiyah Singapore was represented
by Mr Mohd Hosni Abdul Malik,
Assistant Secretary General and Mr
Shariff Yatim, Executive Director,
Jamiyah Halfway House.
Aimed to be the catalyst for
achieving world peace, the summit
is a platform for former political
leaders, religious and community
36
Voice of Islam
leaders, academicians and religious
experts from all around the world to
indulge in discussions on the role of
religion, education and politics to
bring about peace.
In his speeches, Mr Man Hee Lee,
Chairman of HWPL, and a war
veteran, reiterated the importance
of finding a common ground among
all religions to end the bitter wars
and conflicts that are happening in
the world today and have negatively
affected the growth of the country’s
youth.
Mr Man has witnessed the
devastation that war has brought
to his country, and travelled around
the world playing major roles in
mediation of peace agreements,
especially in the region of Mindanao,
which has seen conflict for the last
40 years. In this summit, he stressed
the importance of dialogues and
achieving peace by finding universal
respect and acceptance for each
other.
Participants of the summit were
treated to a stunning display
Beyond Borders
of cultural performances at the
opening ceremony, accompanied
by speeches that depicted the
underlying philosophy and concept
of a new culture of respect and
tolerance in the modern world.
International delegates attended
forum discussions that were
centered on the creation of the
world alliance of religions. Speakers
at the summit shared their views
and strategies on efforts to achieve
peace in the world. These sessions
and forums provided a platform for
discussions and friendly sharing of
opinions.
The highlight of the Summit was
the historic Peace Walk, a symbol of
unity to achieve peace. All delegates
and volunteers of the Summit
participated in the 3km walk, which
will also be carried out in all the
countries that the International
Peace Youth Group are affiliated
with.
Jamiyah Singapore is proud and
honoured to be a part of the Summit.
The support for world peace is a
cause that everyone should be a part
of.
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
“Peace cannot be
kept by force; it can
only be achieved by
understanding.”
– Albert Einstein
Besides working for interfaith peace
in Singapore, Jamiyah has been able
to express the value of peace that
Singapore has experienced to people
all over the world at this Summit.
Mr Mohd Shariff Yatim (2nd from left) from Jamiyah Singapore was among the interfaith leaders who attended the summit
Voice of Islam
37
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Beyond Borders
The 14 Meeting
of ISESCO
Supreme Council
th
Education, Science and Culture
for Muslims outside the Islamic world
by Ustaz Andi Abdul Kadir
In pursuant to the framework
of the implementation of the
three-year plan of the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (ISESCO)
for the years 2013 - 2015
which aims to continue the
activation of Islamic Cultural
Work for the benefit of Muslims
outside the Islamic world, and
the implementation of the
resolutions of the 13th meeting
of the Supreme Council for
Education, Science and Culture
for Muslims outside the Islamic
world, held in London on 26 - 27
in June 2013, ISESCO held the
14th meeting of the Supreme
Council for Education, Science
and culture for Muslims outside
the Islamic world, in Rome of
Italy on 15 - 16 September 2014,
in coordination with the Islamic
religious Community of Italy (CO.
RE.IS).
The meeting was chaired by HE
Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri,
Director General of the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and
38
Voice of Islam
Cultural Organization (ISESCO)
and who delivered a speech at
the beginning of the meeting,
in which he welcomed Ms.
Onorigaula Biondelli, Deputy
Minister of Social Affairs in
charge of integration and
relations between religions and
also welcomed honourables
Chairman and members of the
Supreme Council and thanked
them for having accepted the
invitation from ISESCO to attend
the proceedings of this session.
He also paid tribute to their efforts
in activating the cultural work for
the benefit of Muslims outside
the Islamic world by highlighting
the importance of the role of the
Supreme Council and the task
of its specialized committees as
well as the mission of the cultural
centres which they preside for
the implementation of strategic
directions for Islamic Cultural
Action outside the Islamic world.
His Excellency the Director
General explained in his speech
the importance of this august
meeting which took place in the
historic city of Rome coincidently
with the chairmanship of Italy of
the European Union Council and
the assignment of the position
of EU foreign policy chief to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Italy, Ms. Federica Mogherini.
This is confirmation of the
confidence of ISESCO of the role
that could be played by this
Euro-Mediterranean country in
promoting dialogue between
the Islamic world and Europe. It
also reflects the importance that
Rome is the headquarters of the
Vatican which counts on ISESCO
to
strengthen
cooperation
and dialogue with the Vatican,
especially at a time when the
presence of His Holiness Pope
Francois, a bulk for the Catholic
Church in the world on his head,
on the basis of shared principles
between the two parties, and
underscored the initiative of
the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques for dialogue between
the followers of religions and
cultures.
Beyond Borders
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
(R to L) Mr Mohd Yunos Shariff, Vice-President II of Jamiyah Singapore, Prof (Adj) Dr Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar, President of Jamiyah Singapore, and Dr Mohd Nawab
Mohd Osman, Executive Council Member of Jamiyah Singapore were among those who attended the 14th Meeting of ISESCO Supremem Council alongside, H.E. Dr.
Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri (center)
Concurrently Mrs. Onorigaula
Biondelli,
Deputy
Minister
of Social Affairs in charge
of integration and relations
between religions, welcomed
the convening of the meeting
in Rome, and emphasized
the importance of dialogue,
coexistence and respect between
different components of human
societies, and showed keenness
of the Italian government to
promote
opportunities
for
integration and respect for
religious and cultural diversity.
The Chairman of the Supreme
Council for Education, Science
and Culture for Muslims outside
the Islamic world who also the
Vice-President of the Islamic
religious Community of Italy (CO.
RE.IS) welcomed the participants
and guests and thanked ISESCO
for selecting Rome to hold this
meeting.
He directed special thanks to His
Excellency, Director General of
ISESCO for the great confidence
extended to him by appointing
him as the Ambassador of ISESCO
for dialogue among followers of
religions and cultures and also
a Mediator culturally, during
the last session of the Executive
Council of ISESCO held in Rabat
on 23 June 2014. He also paid
tribute to the heartfelt efforts of
the Director General in the field
of activating Islamic Cultural
Work for the benefit of Muslims
outside the Islamic world,
and also promoting dialogue
between followers of religions
and cultures. He called upon all
members of the Council to work
further and take responsibility in
particular the special assigned
committees of the Council.
Participating in the meeting
were H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Othman
Altwaijri, Director General of
ISESCO, Dr Abdelillah Benarafa,
expert of cultural diversity,
Culture and Communication
Directorate, ISESCO and the
Supreme Council’s members for
Education, Science and Culture
for Muslims outside the Islamic
world. They are Dr Mohammad
Yahya Pallavicini, Chairman of
ISESCO Supreme Council who
also Vice President of Islamic
religious Community of Italy
(CO.RE.IS), Eng. Mohammad
Yusuf Hallar, Secretary General
of Islamic Organizations Para
Latin America, Dr Ramiz Zekaj,
Director General of Albanian
Institute of Islamic Thought and
Civilization, Prof Dr Abdus Samad
Antonio Romero, Chairman,
The
Islamic
Manuscript
Association of Rome, Dr Chaikh
Mohsin Ben Moussa Alhassani,
Director of Islamic Academic
Research Centre of Brazil, Dr
Nadia Karmous, President of
Swiss Islamic Cultural Institute,
Dr Ahmed Dubayan, Director
of Islamic Cultural Centre
London, Prof Abdul Haq Bruno
Guiderdoni, Centre De Recherche
Astrophysique,
France
and
Prof (Adj) Mohammad Hasbi
Abu
Bakar,
President
of
Jamiyah Singapore whom was
accompanied by Dr Mohamed
Nawab bin Mohamed Osman,
Mr Mohammad Yunos bin
Mohammad Shariff and Mr Andi
Abdul Kadir Andi Kitta.
Alongside the working visit of
Director General of ISESCO, the
Italian Senate hosted H.E. Dr.
Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri,
Voice of Islam
39
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Beyond Borders
which took place in the library
of the Italian Senate on 15
September 2014, by giving the
honour to ISESCO’s Dir-Gen to
deliver a lecture titled “Islam
and Europe: Strengthening the
alliance of cultural and religious
understanding”.
This
was
attended by prominent Italian
figures and members of ISESCO
Supreme Council.
During this meeting, a medal
and a certificate as Ambassador
of ISESCO for dialogue between
cultures and civilizations were
presented to the Chairman of
ISESCO Supreme Council, Dr
Mohammad Yahya Pallavicini.
On top of the aforementioned,
H.E. Director-General of ISESCO
congratulated him on the honour
and the trust extended to him,
recalling his sincere efforts in
serving the issues of Islam and
Muslims in Europe, both through
his work as the chairmanship
of ISESCO Supreme Council as
well as at the Islamic religious
Community of Italy (CO.RE.IS).
The Supreme Council of
ISESCO held its 14th meeting
on 16 September 2014 at the
headquarters of the Islamic
Cultural Centre in Rome. After
the opening ceremony, the
proceedings of the scientific
sessions began with the following
topics:
- Presentation on the role of
cultural mediation in promoting
dialogue between cultures.
- Presentation on a study on the
implications of Western media
against Islam in the light of
international law.
- Presentation of the Chairman
of the Supreme Council for
Education, Science and Culture
for Muslims outside the Islamic
world.
- Presentations of the heads of
40
Voice of Islam
the relevant committees of the
Supreme Council.
The aforementioned presentations were then followed by discussions on the following directions:
- To pay tribute to the new
strategic direction of ISESCO and
its renewable civilisation vision
on the role of cultural mediation
in promoting dialogue between
cultures, and ISESCO’s call to
submit a draft of action plan
on cultural mediation to the
specialized Islamic Ministerial
Conferences for adoption at the
highest levels.
- To pay tribute to the content
of the scientific study prepared
by ISESCO on the theme
“Implications
of
Western
media about Islam in the light
of International law,” and to
emphasize its importance as
a reference useful document
for Islamic institutions and
researchers in the field of human
rights and advocacy to crystallize
directions in the form of a frame
of reference for the respect of
religious symbols.
- Tribute to the chairman of
ISESCO Supreme Council for his
appointment as Ambassador
of ISESCO in dialogue between
cultures and civilizations.
- Emphasis on the role of ISESCO
Supreme Council’s members
to encounter the phenomenon
of Islamophobia, tendencies
of extremism, violence and
terrorism.
In light of the above mentioned,
Resolutions/Recommendations
were adopted as follows:
1. To call upon ISESCO to
continue to conduct training
courses
for
empowering
imams and religious advisers/
counsellors within the trends
of ISESCO programme to train
imams on the values ​​of dialogue
and moderation.
2. Tribute to the efforts of
ISESCO in the field of teaching
the Arabic language, and call
upon ISESCO to continue to
hold training sessions to teach
Arabic to non-native speakers,
increase number of teachers/
delegates, increase number of
allowances for students and to
distribute books on teaching
Arabic language for the benefit
of cultural centres and Islamic
associations outside the Islamic
world.
3. To call upon ISESCO to develop
an International instrument/
document on cultural mediation
to promote dialogue between
cultures
and
civilizations,
promoting efforts of the
international community in the
Alliance of Civilizations in order
to achieve international peace
and security and convergence
between the followers of
religions and cultures.
4. To call upon ISESCO to hold
training sessions for the benefit
of leaders of cultural centres and
Islamic organizations outside the
Islamic world for the formation
of cultural mediation on careers
in the fields of culture, family,
professional,
religious
and
educational activities.
5. Adoption of the document
“Contents of Western media
against Islam in the light
of International law”, and
taking into consideration of
observations of the Supreme
Council’s members and the
recommendation to amend the
title to “Contents of Western
media on Islam in the light of
International laws.”
6. To condemn all regular media
campaigns which abuse Islam
and Muslims and the defamation
of religions, and to call for
enactment of International
Beyond Borders
laws restraining all forms of
Islamophobia which violate
human dignity, promotes hatred,
racism, threaten universal peace
and undermine the humanitarian
integration.
7. To emphasize the importance
of continuing to organize training
courses for media professionals
working in the Islamic Media
Institutions outside the Islamic
world in coordination with the
Information Committee of the
Supreme Council during the
years 2014 to 2015 and to take
advantage of the curriculum
about techniques on how to
correct the stereotyped image of
Islam and Muslims in the media,
which was prepared by ISESCO.
8. To call upon Muslim
communities and minorities in
Europe to develop and promote
its culture which is relevant
to the legal field of media and
human rights, including allowing
them to defend their identity and
culture within the framework
of Islamic laws and accepted
International treaties.
9. To call upon cultural centres
and Islamic organizations to
benefit from the successful
experiences and cooperating
with similar cultural centres.
10. To call upon ISESCO and
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz
International Centre for dialogue
among followers of religions and
cultures to have cooperation
in the implementation of joint
programmes and activities to
activate the initiative of the
Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques and its operational plan
in Europe.
11. To call upon ISESCO to
conduct a campaign to urge
the Government of Andalusia,
World Heritage Committee of
UNESCO and ISESCO’s Heritage
Committee in the Islamic world
to work to prevent losing the
ownership of the Mosque
of Cordoba which has been
registered on the list of human
cultural heritage to the diocese of
Cordoba and work to make this
parameter civilized world open
space that respect the cultural
rights of joint historical and
cultural heritage of humankind
and also to call upon cultural
centres and Islamic associations
outside the Islamic world to
follow this campaign with the
Ministries of Culture to preserve
the Islamic cultural heritage in
their countries.
12. To convene regular meeting
of leaders of cultural centres
and Islamic organizations in
Southeast Asia and Pacific to be
held in Singapore on the theme
“Islamophobia in this region”
and to support “Education
Programme on values ​​of peace
through art”.
13. To welcome ISESCO to hold
the 10th meeting of leaders of
cultural centres and Islamic
organizations in Latin America
and the Caribbean in the
Republic of Peru during year
2015.
14.
To call upon ISESCO to
cooperate with the Islamic
Cultural,
Educational
and
Scientific Fund in the Russian
Federation to cooperate in hold
the Constituent Meeting of
Leaders of Cultural Centres and
Islamic Organizations in Russia
and Central Asia, in conjunction
with the 15th Session of the
Supreme Council Meeting in one
of the Russian cities.
15. To call upon the establishment
of a chair at ISESCO on Islamic
civilization and Arabic language
at Russian University in Ufa city
of Russian Federation.
16. To call upon ISESCO to hold
two sessions/meetings of the
Supreme Council in a year, one at
ISESCO’s headquarters and the
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
second one at a country outside
the headquarters.
17. Tribute to the International
seminar which will be organized
by ISESCO in coordination with
“Arabic Women Media” at the
French Senate headquarters
on the subject “The Role of
Women in Euro-Mediterranean
in Promoting Dialogue between
Cultures” in the month of
October 2014.
18. To support technical projects based on modern means
of communication, directing
sports programmes, conducting
courses for empowering culture
of dialogue for the benefit of new
Muslims and Muslim Youths for
the sake of education on the values ​​of dialogue and moderation
and to work on the preparation
of youth leaders to spread these
values​​.
Thanked the chairman of ISESCO
Supreme Council who also Vice
President of Islamic religious
Community of Italy (CO.RE.IS)
and all his supporters/helpers
for the utmost efforts extended
to this meeting and also thanked
the Islamic Cultural Centre in
Rome for the helps provided to
facilitate this meeting.
Heartfelt
thanks
and
appreciation to His Excellency
Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri,
Director General of ISESCO and
congratulate him on his blessed
efforts carried out chairing
ISESCO to serve joint Islamic
work and also thanks to all whom
helped him in the organization
worked hardly in preparing the
documents of this meeting.
Thus, the proceedings of the
14th Meeting of ISESCO Supreme
Council ended.
Voice of Islam
41
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Beyond Borders
Together We Stand
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia,officially launches the 15th DMDI Convention at Hatten Hotel, Melaka. He is accompanied by Datuk Seri Haji
Mohd Ali Bin Mohd Rustam (2nd from left), President of DMDI Malaysia, Datuk Seri Ir. Idris Haron (3rd from left), Chief Minister of Melaka and other officials.
From the 26th - 28th of October,
Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam (DMDI)
held its 15th Convention at Hatten
Hotel, Melaka. The convention was
attended by 1,000 participants from
18 countries: Singapore, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Philippines, Bosnia,
Thailand,
Brunei
Darussalam,
Cambodia, Sri Lanka, China, Timor
Leste, South Africa, Maldives,
Australia, Netherlands, Madagascar,
United Kingdom and Egypt.
The theme of the convention,
‘Moderation the Foundation of Unity
of the Ummah’ (Wasatiyyah Asas
Perpaduan Ummah), was aimed at
uplifting Muslims to greater heights
through achieving peace and
harmony within communities.
the Women & Family Department,
Ms Faridah Ajis, Vice-Chairman of
Dakwah, Ustaz Rafiuddin, Project
Director of the Women & Family
Department, Ms Azeemah Mustafa
and Communications Executive, Ms
Iylia Nurliyana.
During the convention, participants
took part in discussions in the
areas of women and youth
empowerment, dakwah, culture,
economy, information technology
and communication, education,
tourism and sports. Emphasis was
placed on establishing moderation
Dr Isa Hassan, Vice-President III
of Jamiyah Singapore led the
Singapore delegation. He was
accompanied by senior official
of Jamiyah Singapore, Mr Mohd
Noor Said, Vice-Chairperson of
42
Voice of Islam
Datuk Seri Ir. Idris Haron (left), Chief Minister of
Melaka presents the DMDI Hang Tuah Award to Dr Isa
Hassan (right), Vice-President III, Jamiyah Singapore
and is witnessed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (center)
while upholding peace and unity
as a community both locally and
internationally.
Dr Isa and Madam Faridah were
also conferred the prestigious DMDI
Hang Tuah and Tun Fatimah Awards
respectively. The awards were a
recognition for their contributions
towards
enhancement
of
collaboration between Jamiyah
and DMDI in the field of women and
education.
At the end of the convention, 11
resolutions were derived. These
resolutions include elevating the
Malay language to higher levels
by conducting Malay language
courses in countries like Thailand,
Sri Lanka, Philippines, Cambodia
and South Africa, establishing close
relationships with universities from
member countries of DMDI in various
fields and sending a volunteer team
abroad to provide humanitarian aid
to areas of conflict.
Features
்லெர் அதில
இடறி விழுகிறபார்கள்
f Singapor
e in
20
*W
வபாழக்கயும்
ஒருவ்கயில கல்பான்
f the Cultural M
er o
ed
inn
al
க.து.மு.இக்பால*
ard o
Aw
n
lio
14
கல்லெழுத்து
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
சிலெர்
்டிககடடபாய்ப் ப்பாடடுக்கபாள்கிறபார்கள்
சிலெர்
யபா்ைபயனும் கபாயப்்டுத்்பவ
வபாழக்க ்ஙகளிடம்
்ைப்்டட்பாக நி்ைககிறபார்கள்
்பா்்்யஙகும்
இைத்்கக்ற ்டிந் கறகள்
கலலில ்லெவ்க
மனி்ர்களிலும் அவவபாபற
சிலெ பேைஙகளில சபா்பாைண கறகள்
வி்லெயுயர்ந் கறக்ை உ்டத்துவிடுகின்றை
கபாகி்த்திலும்
கல்லெழுத்துககள் உண்டு
சிலெர்
வபாழும்ப்பாது கலலெபாயிருநது
மரித்்பின் உயிர்்்றறுவிடுகிறபார்கள்
உலெகம்
கலலெபாயிருந்பாலும்
இயஙகிக்கபாண்டிருககிறது
எைககும்
கலலெபாயிருககபவ பிடிககிறது
Voice of Islam
43
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Photo Diary
Photo Diary
special visit by bloomberg
On 9 October 2014, Jamiyah Singapore had a closed
door discussion with Bloomberg
Visit by ahmed buhari rahman
Ahmed Buhari Rahman, Founder Director of the Coal and
Oil LLC, came to Jamiyah Singapore for a social visit
44
Voice of Islam
Photo Diary
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
3rd / 4th Quarter 2014
singapore buddhist lodge bursary award presentation
The event on the 11th of October was graced by Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social and Family
Development & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Mayor, South West District
navy visit to Jamiyah Children’s Home
(darul Ma’wa)
Residents of Jamiyah Children’s Home (Darul
Ma’wa) had the opportunity to interact with
officers from the Singapore Navy, Singapore
Armed Forces and Singapore Air Force
Visit by al-ihsan international school,
bandong, on 12 october
Voice of Islam
45
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Photo Diary
Photo Diary
youth assembly meeting
Assoc Prof Dr Faishal Ibrahim (center) was the special
guest at the inaugural Youth Assembly Meeting on 29
August 2014
46
Voice of Islam
Photo Diary
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
3rd / 4th Quarter 2014
mufti visit to jamiyah education centre
Mufti of Singapore Dr Fatris Bakaram (center) had a Q&A session with students and staff at the Jamiyah Education Centre
jamiyah selangor visit
Yang Dipertua Jam’iyah Selangor, Hj
Isemaail Basri (right) and his official Mr
Halhakashah Abdullah (center) came to
Jamiyah Singapore strengthen ties between
Jam’yah Selangor and Jamiyah Singapore
rotary club of marina city
Rotary Club of Marina City presented a cheque to
Jamiyah Singapore after a fundraising event
Voice of Islam
47
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Photo Diary
Photo Diary
Cheque presentation by OPL
Jamiyah Singapore is grateful and honoured to receive
a cheque from the Office of Philip Loh on 23 January
2015
48
Voice of Islam
Photo Diary
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
1st Quarter 2015
icounsel launch
The officiation of People’s Association and Jamiyah Singapore’s partnership project,
iCounsel, was held at Kaki Bukit CC on 23 January 2015
visit by jakarta students to jbsic
Students from Jakarta visited Jamiyah Business
edexgla
2015
School on
2 October
2013
Various Thai student leaders came to visit
Jamiyah Education Centre to learn more
about Islamic courses and programmes held
in the region
Courts Charity Thank You Dinner
Mr Terry O’ Connor (center), CEO of Courts Singapore
donates to Jamiyah Home for the Aged (Darul
Takrim), as part of their corporate social responsibility
programme for its 40th anniversary
Voice of Islam
49
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Features
‘Al Akhi’
(The Brother)
by Siraj Salman
People are now constantly on the
move. They are in a rush and are
hungry for anything fast and mobile.
Food and transport are some
examples. Fast food and snack joints
litter around train stations. People
want to pick up something light and
rush off to their next destination.
But people are not only hungry for
food; they crave their daily news
dosage too. Information drives
decision making. Having the right
information can make you happier
or wealthier especially if you are on
the road or dealing with stocks.
With
the
amalgamation
of
technology and current needs,
online news media is very prevalent
in the common man’s life now.
Online news media have taken the
world by storm.
Technological advances have greatly
50
Voice of Islam
aided this. Almost everyone on public
transport drifts off to their personal
space with their smartphones. They
could be playing games or updating
their social media accounts. With an
Internet penetration rate of 72% in
2012 (IDA, 2012), 13% of them have
chosen to view news online or while
on the go (IDA, 2009). People prefer
to maximize the usage of their smart
phones. Why would anyone want to
carry extra weight which dimensions
can only be folded to the minimum
A4 size?
Almost all mainstream news media
has created online portals to meet
this growing demand. These portals
should then run seamlessly across
different online platforms such
as iOS, Android and the Internet.
Berita Harian has subscription
packages for different platforms and
also a discounted price for an ‘All
platforms for 1 price’ plan (Berita
Harian, 2014). A minority community
newspaper has taken such steps to
arrest flagging sales.
It is then prudent for welfare
organisations to jump onto this
technological bandwagon as a way
to disseminate information to the
public. News is rarely stale online.
Web editors for these organisations
can almost immediately upload
information to their portals after a
particular event has ended. With a
Twitter account, a micro blogging
site, a news writer can update the
audience as the event unfolds.
Online presence also allows the
Features
lives are now all connected digitally
and increasingly, we want our time to
be better utilized. We have seen how
online news media has taken a share
off traditional media’s strangleholds
on important contexts such as
advertising and revenue, credibility
and agenda setting. It is only a
matter of time that online news and
platforms such as YouTube, blogs
and Facebook pages put traditional
media into a natural sleep.
The question for Muslims is, shall we
sleep with traditional media or rise
with the online media. We should
start dispelling our stubborn traits
by sticking to only the print media
to spread our messages. Online is
no more just a value add service, it
is the primary service. With the huge
number of people glued to their
smartphones, this is the medium to
attract the masses.
opportunity for an organization to
engage effectively with its audience.
Queries and comments can be made
and received instantaneously. News
need not be from just one direction
but be a product of an interconnected
network. No media can challenge
the versatility of online media. A
report can include text, video and a
forum; all on a webpage. It basically
combines the two traditional media;
print and broadcast. News can now
be delivered more accurately and
attractively.
Online news media is here to
progress by leaps and bounds. Our
Fortunately, our Muslim scholars
have begun using online media
to reach to their audience.
Internationally, we have people
like Nouman Ali Khan and Dr Fuad
Nahdi actively engaging the masses
through social media. Dr Fuad
through his organization, Radical
Middle Way, has even posted a video
parody of the famous song by Pharell
Williams. British Muslims came
together to do a little jig and showed
the world that the stereotypical
Muslim as being uptight is false.
Regionally, Malaysian lecturers,
Ustadz Azhar Idrus and Ustadz Kazim
have healthy followings through
Facebook. These media savvy
lecturers constantly post quotes and
videos of their lectures. It is proven
to be a big hit with the masses as
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
these bite sized information can be
enjoyed anywhere and at any time.
On the local front, Jamiyah
Education Centre’s Learn Quran in
48 Hours smartphone application
is a very useful tool for beginners
to start learning to read the Quran
anywhere and anytime. It includes
sound clips to ensure the users
are reading it correctly. Basically,
it is your textbook condensed into
a smartphone application. Halal
food directory and Qibla trackers
applications are also aplenty online.
These applications need the support
of our ummah. Without support,
they cannot progress and will
dwindle in numbers. Muslims will
need to be digitally savvy with not
only secular topics but to promote
dakwah digitally.
“Set a trend of
goodness. Use
technology to
do good.”
– Mufti Ismail Ibn Musa Menk
Voice of Islam
51
‫‪Dakwah‬‬
‫‪oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015‬‬
‫الحفاظ‬
‫للصغار‬
‫امحلد هلل رب العاملني والصالة والسالم عىل‬
‫أرشف األنبياء واملرسلني سيدنا دمحم وعىل آله‬
‫وحصبه أمجعني‪ ،‬أما بعد‪.‬‬
‫هذه برناجم التحفيظ القرآين املهنيج مع التقنيات‬
‫و تالوة الصحيحة من القرآن الكرمي لألطفال الذين‬
‫ترتاوح أمعارمه بني ‪ 4‬إىل ‪ 6‬سنوات من العمر‪.‬‬
‫الربناجم هيدف إىل غرس حب القرآن بني األطفال‬
‫‪ ،‬وإنتاج ممترسني عىل القرآن و الوفاء بالزتامنا‬
‫لتعلمي أطفالنا عن كالم اهلل‪.‬‬
‫اهلدف الرئييس من هذه الربناجم هو لتحقق متتع‬
‫األطفال يف تعلمي القرآن و مه يقدرون عىل استظهار‬
‫حفظهم من القرآن تلقائيا‪ .‬يف جلسات يومية اليت‬
‫جرت مخس مرات يف األسبوع قد تدربت الطالب‬
‫عىل حفظ أية واحدة عىل األقل يوميا‪ .‬نتاجئ كبرية‬
‫من برناجمنا هو أن الطالب لدينا قادرون عىل حفظ‬
‫لك سور من جزء مع يف هناية دراسهتم‪.‬‬
‫ومن مطوحاتنا أن برناجم احلفاظ للصغار سيكون‬
‫بداية جيدة لطالبنا يف حفظ القرآن اكمال يف‬
‫املستقبل‪ ،‬بعدقضاهئم برناجمنا املاضية يف مهارات‬
‫حفظ القرآن الكرمي إضافة عىل إتقان وجتويد تالوة‬
‫القرآن طوال جلسات التعلمي و التدريب‪.‬‬
‫‪Voice of Islam‬‬
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‫‪oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015‬‬
‫‪Dakwah‬‬
‫الختان الجماعي ‪2014‬‬
‫املزجي من العواطف؛ الرسور والراحة‬
‫واألمل حميطة حوايل ستني طفال يف‬
‫مجعية الدعوة االسالمية سنغافورة يف‬
‫‪ 30‬نومفرب ‪2014‬م‪ .‬واكن األطفال الذكور‬
‫من مجعيات اخلريية الدعوة االسالمية‬
‫واملساجد الوسىط العنقودية الذين‬
‫يشاركون يف اخلتان امجلايع هذا‬
‫العام اليت نمظت مجعية مسيمل‬
‫حمرتيف الرعاية الصحية ومجعية‬
‫الدعوة اإلسالمية سنغافورة واملساجد‬
‫الوسىط العنقودية‪.‬‬
‫مه عرشة األطباء املتطوعني وسبعة‬
‫وأربعون املمرضني املتطوعني من‬
‫مجعية مسيمل متحريف الرعاية‬
‫الصحية جهدوا طوال اليوم لتقدمي‬
‫اخلدمات الرائعة لألطفال الفقراء‬
‫واحملتاجني يف املجمتع‪ .‬أعرب‬
‫املتحدث مجلعية مسيمل حمرتيف‬
‫الرعاية الصحية‪ ,‬الدكتور زورميي بن‬
‫دمحم دحالن‪ ،‬وهو طبيب يف عيادة‬
‫بانيان يف جوروع الغربية عن سعادته‬
‫وارتياحه لتكون قادرة عىل تلبية هذه‬
‫احلاجة من املجمتع باستخدام خربات‬
‫‪53‬‬
‫‪Voice of Islam‬‬
‫األعضاء‪« .‬اليوم هو يوم حافل بالنسبة‬
‫يل‪ ،‬واألطباء املتطوعني واملمرضني‬
‫من مجعية مسيمل حمرتيف الرعاية‬
‫الصحية وطالب الطب البرشي‪.‬‬
‫نتأمل أن نكسب املزيد من الدمع من‬
‫مماريس الرعاية الصحية من أجل‬
‫خدمة عدد أكرب من األطفال احملرومني‬
‫يف املستقبل»‪.‬‬
‫يف عامها الرابع‪ ،‬يرس امجلعية‬
‫أن الفكرة األولية تلقت ردا اجيابيا‬
‫ولكامت االمتنان من عوام الناس‪.‬‬
‫السيدة نورمة إمساعيل اليت جاءت‬
‫مع أربعة من أحفادها‪ ،‬عيل سزييل‪،‬‬
‫عارف سزيري‪ ،‬دمحم يوسف دانيال‬
‫ودمحم يرسي دانيش اكنت مشكورة‬
‫ألن الربناجم اكن مناسبا‪« .‬أنا‬
‫سعيدة حيث استفاد أحفادي من هذا‬
‫الربناجم‪ .‬لقد ساعدين وأرسيت من‬
‫ناحية مادية اليت عىل خالف ذلك‬
‫سوف يلكفين حوايل ‪ 1،000‬دوالر يف‬
‫إجراء اخلتان علهيم يف العيادة‪ .‬هذا‬
‫ارتياح عظمي بالنسبة يل وأرسيت»‪.‬‬
‫األطفال الذين شاركوا منحوا اهلدايا‬
‫بقمية ‪ 85‬دوالر للك أفراد‪.‬‬
‫بالدمع عىل هذا الربناجم التوعية‬
‫املهمة‪ ،‬قال الدكتور حاج دمحم‬
‫سلمي‪ ،‬نائب الرئيس األول مجلعية‬
‫الدعوة اإلسالمية سنغافورة ‪»,‬لقد‬
‫أقميت مجعية الدعوة اإلسالمية هذا‬
‫برناجم اخلتان امجلايع لألطفال‬
‫املسملني من األرس احملتاجة الفقرية‬
‫عىل مدى السنوات العديدة املاضية‪.‬‬
‫منذ السنوات األربع املاضية مجعية‬
‫الدعوة اإلسالمية تنفذ هذه اخلدمة‬
‫مع مجعية مسيمل حمرتيف الرعاية‬
‫الصحية‪ .‬هذا العام وحنن نفعل ذلك‬
‫سويا مع مجعية مسيمل حمرتيف‬
‫الرعاية الصحية واملساجد الوسىط‬
‫العنقودية‪ .‬هناك ستون طفال يشاركون‬
‫يف اخلتان امجلايع هلذا العام‪.‬‬
‫حوايل عرشة أطباء متطوعني وسبع‬
‫وأربعني ممرضات شاركوا لربناجم‬
‫هذا العام اليت تنعقد يف مجعية‬
‫الدعوة اإلسالمية سنغافورة»‪.‬‬
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
Dakwah
Alhamdulillah
by Nisa’ Tuzzakirah
Alhamdulillah thumma alhamdulillah.
It is such a simple word to the
tongue, yet behind it is a chamber
of endless meanings and secrets.
Easy to be said, but difficult to be
genuinely felt.
In literal arabic, “alhamdu” brings
about two meanings. “Al-hamd”
which means praise, and “as-syukr”
which means thankfulness. Saying
“alhamdulillah” is not a simple
thanks to Allah, but in fact means
“praise and thanks be to Allah”, and
in these two things is the difference.
When thanking someone for lending
you a pen, you are not necessarily
praising him for doing so. And such is
that when you are praising someone
for being beautiful or handsome, it
does not mean that you are thanking
them for their physical beauty.
However, in saying Alhamdulillah,
praise and gratefulness is expressed
in one word.
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Voice of Islam
Gratitude is to acknowledge the
bounty and mercy given by Allah;
it is also to praise the One who has
done one many favors. If only a few
favors are worthy of a great deal of
gratitude, how would the case be
when favors are abundant? People
are either grateful or ungrateful. And
in the Quran, there are indeed many
reminders for us about gratitude and
thankfulness.
1. We can never count Allah’s
blessings: Be ever grateful to Allah
for everything that you possess
including your wealth, health, status,
intellectual abilities and life. Allah
says in the Quran, which means:
“Is, then, He Who creates comparable
to any that cannot create? Will you
not, then, take heed? For should you
try to count Allah’s blessings, you
could never compute them…” (AnNahl 16:17-19)
2. Syaitan’s primary mission is to
make human beings ungrateful:
From the very beginning of the
human being’s creation, the issue
of gratefulness and thankfulness
to Allah has been debated. After
refusing to bow to Adam, Shaytan
said: “Then I will certainly come to
them from before them and from
behind them, and from the righthand side and from the left-hand
side, and You (Allah) shall not find
most of them thankful” (Al-Araf 7:17)
3. The opposite of Shukr (gratitude)
is Kufr (disbelief): In many places in
the Quran, Allah compares the terms
shukr and kufr. “Then remember
Me; I will remember you. Be grateful
to Me, and do not reject Me”(AlBaqarah 2:152)
Iman (faith) implies shukr or
gratefulness as opposed to kufr or
ungratefulness. A kuffar (disbeliever)
is ungrateful to the Being Who has
given him everything, whereas a
Believer is one who is ever thankful
for all that Allah has given him.
4. We thank Allah for our own
benefit: If you are ungrateful, Allah is
unaffected. If you become grateful,
Dakwah
then you have taken the first step
towards becoming a true Believer.
Allah reminds us: “And whoever is
grateful, he is only grateful for the
benefit of his own self”(Luqman
31:12)
5. True worship means sincere
thankfulness to Allah: Allah
explained in the Quran that the only
people who truly worship Him are
those who give gratitude to Him,
so those who are not among the
people of gratitude are not among
the people of Ibadah (worship and
obedience) “… and be grateful to
Allâh, if it is Him you worship” (AlBaqarah 2:172)
6. Shukr leads to Allah’s pleasure:
Allah has told us that His pleasure
may be attained through gratitude.
“…If you are grateful, He is pleased
with you…”(Az-Zumar 39:7)
7. Gratitude is a purpose of our
creation: “It is He Who brought
you forth from the wombs of your
mothers when you knew nothing;
and He gave you hearing and sight
and intelligence and affection: that
you may give thanks (to Allah).”
(An-Nahl, 16:78)
8. Allah’s Mercy is for all, but most
people will remain ungrateful: He
shows and gives mercy to all, even
those who continue to be ungrateful
and rebellious towards Him: “Indeed
Allah is the possessor of bounty for
all people but most people do not
give thanks.” (Al-Baqarah 2: 243)
9. Shukr leads to abundance in
Allah’s favours: If you appreciate
Allah’s favours, He has promised
increased mercy for you. Allah’s
reward for your gratitude is unlimited
and unconditional. “And [remember]
when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you
are grateful, I will surely increase
you [in favour]; but if you deny,
indeed, My punishment is severe’.”
(Ibrahim:7)
“If you give
thanks, I will
give you more.”
– Surah Ibrahim Verse 7
In this verse, Allah tells us that if a
slave is grateful, He has promised
that He will increase the blessings
that have already been given to
him. But if the slave denies the
blessings that he has been given, the
oct - jan Issue • 2014 / 2015
punishment from his Lord is severe.
There are many stories from the
past, of people who were punished
for their ungratefulness. Fir’aun was
made king, but in his ungratefulness
he claimed to be God and was
swallowed whole by the sea; Qarun
was a man of wealth, but because he
was not thankful, he was swallowed
whole by the ground.
There are also stories of people being
rewarded by Him to great extent due
to their gratitude.
How then do we express our
gratitude? We can thank Allah for
the warm bed by getting up for Fajr
prayers. We can thank Him for the
money that we have by giving to
charity. We can thank Him for the
great food we eat by feeding others.
We can start by setting the bar high
for ourselves in doing good deeds
and make our intentions of doing
them only to show gratitude to Allah.
We can start by being better servants
to Him and doing what He has
commanded us to do (in patience
and forbearance) and staying away
from what He has forbidden.
May Allah make us amongst those
who are always thankful in every
situation.
For waking up today, breathing,
reading, smiling.
Alhamdulillah.
Nisa’ Tuzzakirah has been writing for MIRROR magazine for two years now, and prays for many more years to come in the future, insya
Allah - while yearning for the time to come where she’ll get to scale the mountains, thread the moving waters and bask in warm, gentle
light, every single day, and all at the same time. She also enjoys writing/reading poetries, going for long runs, gaining new knowledge,
doing digital art and seeking to feel adrenaline rush through scary rides.
Voice of Islam
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