Local mosques are built and upgraded using funds from Muslims here, and this ensures that the community cannot be easily influenced by foreigners, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman said yesterday.
Speaking about the unique way in which Islam is practised in Singapore, he said the Muslim community charts its own path while respecting the country's multi-religious context, even as it adheres to the underpinnings of Islam.
"The community recognises the importance of practising one's religion in a way that is respectful towards those who may profess a different belief," he said in Parliament during the debate on amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA).
It is in this spirit that the community and Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) support the MRHA changes that will allow the Government to act swiftly against threats to religious harmony and curb foreign influence on religious organisations, he added.
In fact, Dr Maliki said, the practices of mosques and religious institutions under Muis are already aligned to the amendments, like the Mosque Building Fund, set up in 1975. The money comes from monthly contributions of each working Muslim in Singapore, and is used to build and upgrade mosques here.
This allows the Muslim community to be self-reliant, said Dr Maliki, adding: "We are able to address our own needs without becoming susceptible to manipulation by foreign parties for their own agendas and risking the peace and harmony we have enjoyed as a society."
He also stressed the importance of guarding the common space for people of all races and religions, in a response to Workers' Party MP Faisal Manap (Aljunied GRC), who said religious tolerance can be achieved without followers having to sacrifice their values and faith.
Mr Faisal cited the experience of his father's friend, whose daughter was allowed to wear a headscarf and loose-fitting clothing while attending a public school in Melbourne. "They do not practise tolerance by asking followers of a religion to compromise their faith or to be less Islamic for the sake of integration," he said.
Dr Maliki responded that schools in Singapore are critical common spaces where a shared identity and experience can be nurtured regardless of religion. "Here in Singapore, we must determine what works best for our unique multi-religious context," he said.
He also said that while religion is a deeply personal matter, the Muslim community recognises the role laws play in allowing the different communities to co-exist in harmony. "The law sets the tone for the norms that we treasure and uphold as a society, and in the case of the MRHA, the laws are the ultimate safeguard for religious harmony," he added.
