It has proposed, among other things, that Muslim workers be allowed to choose not to have their contributions to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) channelled to madrasahs, which are privately-run religious schools.

AMP says this is because some Muslims feel that parents of madrasah students should foot the bill themselves, since they opted for a private education system even though a good and free public education system is available.

Other Muslims may also feel that all six madrasahs here should get equal support. Under proposed changes to the MBMF, most of the funds for madrasahs will go to the three that have come under a new Joint Madrasah System (JMS).

AMP made these points in a statement issued by executive director Mohd Anuar Yusop on Wednesday, a week after the Government said Muslim workers would contribute up to $5 more to the MBMF next year, with higher-income earners giving a larger monthly amount.

It will be the first time that MBMF money will go towards funding Islamic religious education, in particular the JMS.

Funds will also go to building new mosques, upgrading old ones and helping dysfunctional families.

The increase in contributions, which will add $2.9 million to the fund's current annual takings of $10 million, has generally been welcomed by the community.

But some expressed reservations about the increase coming at a time when costs are rising. Others called for greater transparency in how the funds will be used.

As this is the first time the funds will go to religious education and mosque upgrading, the proposed changes will be debated in Parliament later this year.

Contributions are deducted from workers' monthly salaries. They can opt out of giving to the Mosque Building component, the Mendaki component, or both. They can also opt to give more.

AMP made clear that it welcomed the proposal to increase contributions, which will help madrasahs hire qualified teachers and upgrade their facilities.

It also noted that some Muslims would wholeheartedly agree to funds going to madrasahs. These schools give the young a choice of full-time religious education and groom future religious teachers.

In calling for greater choice for contributors, AMP said it did 'not want to see a situation where members of the community opt out of the MBMF totally when they disagree with only a segment of it'.

AMP also wants the Government to enhance funding to help deal with the problem of dysfunctional families, as the issue affects Singapore as a whole. Community resources are also insufficient, it said.

Senior research scientist Rahim Leyman, 43, backed the call for more choice as he felt contributions should go equally to all six madrasahs.

But IT engineer Ikhlash Abd, 40, felt madrasahs should not be too dependent on handouts. Those struggling financially should either merge or shut down.

On the other hand, mosque leader Rahmat Sulaiman, 59, said too much choice was 'messy'. Funds should go to projects in most need of help.

An Islamic Religious Council of Singapore spokesman said it is monitoring feedback and will comment in due course.

zakirh@sph.com.sg