DPM Wong joins Muslim community in breaking of fast at mosque
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DPM Lawrence Wong, accompanied by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, joining Muslim leaders and congregants at Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon for the breaking of fast, on Tuesday evening.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
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SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined around 300 Muslim leaders and congregants at Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon for buka puasa, or the breaking of fast during the Ramadan period, on Tuesday evening.
Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister, was accompanied by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.
They were given a tour of the building, including a heritage wall displaying the mosque’s history and origins.
Masjid Alkaff Upper Serangoon has been gazetted as one of Singapore’s national monuments.
Mr Wong wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday that he had a good chat with mosque volunteers and management board members.
“They are stepping up to make a difference in the community through various programmes,” he said.
“Many thanks also to the team at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) for putting together this buka puasa, and also for their dedication in supporting the Muslim community through the last three years of the pandemic.
“To all our Muslim friends, I extend my heartfelt wishes for a blessed Ramadan. May this holy month bring peace and happiness to all.”
Around 20 Muslims with disabilities from the Bedok Youth Society for the Disabled (BYSD) were also invited by the mosque to join in the buka puasa.
Ustaz Mohaimin Tokyan, 59, a volunteer tutor at BYSD, said he was honoured to be invited back by the mosque. In 2018, he was a braille teacher of the Quran for the visually impaired at the mosque.
“Physical classes have not returned yet, the (teaching) programme shifted online because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But I really hope that physical classes can come back again,” he said.
As the sun began to set, sounds of the azan, or Islamic call to prayer, began filling the halls of the mosque.
Congregants then broke their fast with food prepared by the mosque, including briyani, porridge, dates and tea.
Ms Nadiah Mohd Yusof, a senior executive at the mosque, said the event held a lot of significance, especially after the pandemic, which had seen many such events scaled back or cancelled. “It’s a huge thing to commemorate. Now, it feels like the kampung vibe is back. It feels more like a mosque now,” she said.
