As extremist interpretations of Islam gain ground around the world, religious teachers here can do more to protect Singapore's Muslim community from falling prey to such influences, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli yesterday.
They must continue to preach moderation and teach Islam in line with the country's multicultural, multi-religious context, he said.
They must also walk the talk, he pointed out, urging them to stay active not just in Muslim bodies, but in grassroots organisations and non-Muslim welfare groups as well.
"This will make you ambassadors of Islam who contribute to the good of all," he told about 300 asatizah, or Islamic religious teachers, at the Sultan Mosque auditorium.
They were at a conference organised by the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (Pergas), with the support of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).
In his speech, delivered in Malay, Mr Masagos called on asatizah to help set the tone of Islam here.
He stressed that moderation is a key trait of Islam, which calls on its followers to practise their faith in a way that suits their surroundings and the local circumstances.
"The community needs the guidance of local asatizah to ensure they are not led astray," he said.
His comments come a week after a group of Islamic teachers launched a Support Local Asatizah movement to encourage the Muslim community to turn to local asatizah for advice instead of just venturing online or listening to charismatic preachers from overseas.
Such preachers are not versed in Singapore's multi-religious context, and there is concern that some propagate views that are at odds with or could affect religious harmony.
Mr Masagos, a former president of the Association of Adult Religious Class Students (Perdaus), said extremist interpretations may drive a wedge between the Muslim community and the rest of the nation, adding that outside elements have already started to influence the way some are going about their religious lives in Singapore.
"Among other things, they have succeeded in eroding our cultural characteristics and values as Malay/Muslims in the region - the Malay heritage that we should be proud of and continue to preserve," he said. "These elements can divide our community, and even family members."
He had made a similar point at a gathering of Malay/Muslim grassroots leaders two weeks ago, when he said Malays in Singapore had to be confident of and preserve their unique culture.
Some traditions, he said then, had come under attack by extremists who seek to "first supplant our confidence in our identity, both in our religious practice and culture, before they can replace it with one of their own".
Yesterday, Mr Masagos said the youth, especially, are exposed to the Internet and can be easily influenced by religious practices and cultures that may differ from those in Singapore - "what more if these are reinforced by local ustaz".
He was therefore pleased to see asatizah here making sure the Islam being taught embraces peace and harmony among the different races and religions, and cited the mandatory Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) as playing an important role in ensuring Islamic education here keeps the nation's context in mind.
Pergas president Ustaz Hasbi Hassan said the session was a timely opportunity to take another look at what moderation means in Islam, especially with radical and sectarian elements on the rise.
The group had, after a previous convention in 2003, published a book that spelt out a charter of moderation for the Muslim community.
It hoped yesterday's session would refresh the charter and align it with the Code of Ethics developed by local asatizah as part of the ARS.
Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh
