Muis disputes online allegations that it does not help needy Muslims

SINGAPORE - The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) on Thursday (Oct 31) disputed allegations made on two Facebook pages and in an online article that say the council does not help needy Muslim individuals and families.

The article was posted in September and Muis had tried to debunk it then. But it has recently been recirculated through messaging apps.

In response to this, the council has sent messages in these apps to clarify the accusations made in the article.

The online article, which bears the headline "Needy Muslims resort to seeking aid from church because of Muis' reluctance to help", outlines how a Muslim family faced hurdles when it tried to get financial aid from Muis and two mosques. This included allegedly receiving condescending remarks.

The names of the family members and the mosques involved are not given, and the article does not clarify if the family actually received aid from a church.

It was posted on the Muslims Underrepresented In Singapore website, which also has a Facebook page under the same name.

Another Facebook page, Malays Underrepresented In Singapore, has a profile photo resembling the logo of Muslims Underrepresented In Singapore and shares posts that link to the latter's website.

The names of both Facebook pages and the website share the same acronym as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore's - Muis.

Replying to queries from The Straits Times, Muis said on Friday that it has contacted the administrators of the website for details on the case so that it can investigate the matter.

However, Muis said it has yet to receive a response from them.

Muis said on Facebook on Thursday that the post by the Malays Underrepresented in Singapore Facebook page, as well as similar posts, "contains allegations that are passed off as statements of fact, but which are not and often cannot be verified".

"Muis is not against pages which are critical of us. In fact Muis welcomes genuine feedback so that we can do better in fulfilling our responsibilities and amanah (upholding trust) to the community," it wrote in the post.

The council added that it agrees that the poor service described in the online article was "totally unacceptable".

"Someone who needs help must be treated with respect," Muis said.

It added: "If you have read an allegation against Muis and have details we can act on, do come to us immediately. Our doors are open. We are deeply committed to serving you.

"But please do not simply share posts like this which do not give a full picture and are not constructive in addressing real issues faced by families in need."

Muis said that the council and mosques provide more than $1 million in financial assistance to 4,300 households every month.

It also trains Muis officers to serve the council's beneficiaries with respect.

The council told ST on Friday that even though it was not able to investigate the claims in the article in absence of details of the matter, it has stepped up its ongoing training and engagement sessions for its front-line officers, both in Muis and in mosques, who process applications for financial assistance.

"Muis feels it has the responsibility to warn the community against inaccurate posts, as well as...posts which do not convey a complete picture of the good work being done by our front-line officers," the council said.

ST has contacted the Muslims Underrepresented In Singapore website and Facebook page, as well as the Malays Underrepresented in Singapore Facebook page, for comment.

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