The 3rd Forum Perdana

By: Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports and National Development

By: Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports and National Development



24 December 2005, 7.00 pm at Darussalam Mosque, Clementi

Mr Aspar Anwar
President of Moral Human Development Society and
Chairman of the Organising Committee for Tonight?s Forum

Haji Mutalif Haji Hashim
Chairman
Darussalam Mosque Learned Panelists,

Ustaz Haji Ali Bin Haji Mohamad

Ustaz Mohamad Hasbi Bin Hassan

Ustaz Tengku Mohamad Fouzy Jumat

Moderator Ustaz Feisal Mohd Hassan

Ladies and Gentlemen

Assalamu' alaikum wr wb and a Very Good Evening to all

1. Allow me to thank our learned Religious Leaders on the Panel for their untiring efforts in providing religious guidance to our community especially in correcting any misperception on the true meaning of jihad in Islam and other misinterpretations and distortions by terrorists and extremists to serve their deviant objectives. I am pleased to see so many of us here today, keen to learn more from our religious leaders on a topic that has made the headlines over the past several years and the attendance of an estimated 5000 people at the past two Forums show that Muslims have come together to be part of this Forum Series on Jihad. It must be our commitment to ensure that we truly understand the meaning of jihad.
   
2. Our asatizahs' commitment is also clearly shown in their exemplary voluntary work in the Religious Rehabilitation Group. We are thankful to them for their dedication. We also thank PERGAS, the Moral Human Development Society and Darussalam Mosque for taking the initiative to organise tonight's Forum, which is yet another clear signal that the community is prepared to speak up against any act or distortion that threatens to tarnish the peaceful image of our religion.
   
   

   The Community Taking Charge of Religious Discourse

3. Tonight's Forum which is the 3rd of its kind with the theme ''Jihad Against Terrorism''. The keen interest by various stakeholders shows the community's ownership and readiness to engage and correct misinterpretations of Islamic concepts like jihad, bai'ah and so on. We understand that it is important to do so, so that our children and our future generations can enjoy wholesome living with an accurate understanding of the religion, and not be misled down a potentially dangerous path - a path which has misguided many into committing senseless terrorist attacks elsewhere. Forums like what we have here tonight are also a solid demonstration that our community is working hand-in-hand with other communities and the Government to safeguard our country and to protect its well being, which is exactly in line with our Islamic duty, that is - al amr bi'l ma'ruf wa al nahy 'an al munkar - enjoining the good and rejecting what is wrong.
   
   

   Every Muslim Has a Role to Play

4. Correcting distortions and pointing out the correct interpretation of Islamic concepts is not a task that should be left to our religious leaders alone. All Singapore Muslims should empower ourselves with sound knowledge of the religion so that we can be discerning of deviant teachings and share with others our religion as one that promotes inclusiveness and which is adaptable to different social context.
5. As members of the Muslim community in Singapore, we need to appreciate and understand the magnificent beauty and dynamism of Islam as a complete way of life (Ad-deen) and its relevance to Muslims regardless of where they live. Such an understanding will help us to be confident of our community's way of life in Singapore. It assures us that the way we practise Islam is both legitimate and rational. It will facilitate our ability to contribute effectively to community and national development.
6. MUIS has carefully studied the social context in which we Singaporean Muslims live. In consultation with its many stakeholders, MUIS has defined the desired attributes that the community should have in its religious life. One of the key attributes call for Singaporean Muslims to hold strongly to Islamic principles while having the ability to be adaptable to Singapore?s open social context. It underscores that Singaporean Muslims share key tenets of the religion with Muslims around the world but as Islam allows for diversity in the practice of the religion according to the time and place, we will evolve our own practice of the religion in our changing context Let us all carefully consider these attributes to help us remain connected and be active members of a multi-religious Singaporean society, secular state and globalised world.
7. We are not alone in such efforts. At the recent Organisation of Islamic Conference in Mecca, leaders of 50 Islamic countries had called for moderation and a concerted defence against those who sow discord, violence and destruction in the name of Islam. Nearer home, MABIMS or the Informal Meeting of the Ministers of Islamic Religious Affairs of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore at its recent meeting have adopted the theme ''Building Progressive Muslim Communities'' as the shared vision of member countries. All these initiatives show that the Muslim community in Singapore is on the right track.
   
   

   Engaging the Young : Parental and Community Responsibility

8. It is now common knowledge that the bombings in London were carried out by 4 young British Muslims. They are between the age of 18 and 30 years, and come from relatively comfortable families. They are quite different from some suicide bombers in Indonesia who came from poor backgrounds and received little education.
9. So we see while the socio-economic status of these two groups of people may be quite different, they can all be misled by deviant interpretations of religious concepts like jihad, if they have a shallow understanding of Islam. This was also the case with JI recruits in Singapore who started out in search of deeper religious knowledge before being misled by radical preachers of violence.
10. What we can learn from their stories is the important role of parents and community in engaging the young. Parents need to be sensitive and alert to changes in behaviours and attitudes of their children. The community must engage these youngsters in meaningful activities and processes for them to remain connected to the community and our country.
    
    

    Continuously Work to Strengthen Our Racial and Religious Harmony

11. The London bombings, the riots in Paris and the recent riots in Sydney by young people remind us on the fragility of racial and religious relations and how bad things can be if we are not careful. We know that Singapore is not free from such threats. We are fortunate that our racial integration policy has helped to foster understanding amongst our various communities, thus removing suspicion and wrong perceptions. We all cherish the experience of multi-religious Singapore, and accept and welcome diversity in faith and differences in opinions. But let us not take such harmonious relations for granted. Let us continue to spread the message of inter-faith and inter-communal understanding and appreciation. And let us work harder together with other communities to strengthen the fabric of our society.
    
    

    Community Engagement Programme

12. The Government understands the importance of racial and religious harmony, and the importance of engaging the community in this endeavour. We are actively looking at how we can further engage and empower community leaders to play an active role in restoring calm and confidence should an untoward incident like the London bombings happen in Singapore. Our community leaders would have a key role to play in such efforts. We are not starting from a zero base as there have been many ground initiatives to proactively bond the community and build goodwill among the various communities. I am sure we will rise to the challenge, and see an even stronger and more resilient society emerge from our efforts, just like what happened in past crisis like SARS.
    
    

    Conclusion

13. The term Jihad has been hijacked by the extremists as they propagate their ideologies. This Forum Series on Jihad is an important process for us to claim back and reiterate the true meaning of the word. We must ensure that the Muslim community truly understand this and not be taken in by misrepresentations of the extremist ideology. InsyaAllah, as we continue this process and reach out to the rest of our community, our voices will be louder and clearer - that we denounce terrorism and the extremists? ideologies - and that Islam's true ideology is one of peace and harmony and to strive to do good deeds and to receive the blessings of Allah.
14. On this note, I wish tonight's Forum a success.
    
    Wabillahit Taufiq Walhidayah Wassalamualaiku
    
    MCYS Speech No: 66/2005
    Date Of Issue: 24/12/2005