New registrar of Muslim marriages to assume role from Feb 1
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Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim (centre) thanked the outgoing registrar, Ustaz Nor Razak (left), for his service and said he looked forward to working with the incoming Ustaz Syakir Pasuni.
PHOTO: FAISHAL IBRAHIM/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE – Ustaz Syakir Pasuni will assume the role of registrar of Muslim marriages on Feb 1, taking over from Ustaz Nor Razak Bakar, who has served almost six years in the post.
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) announced the change in a statement on Jan 27.
Ustaz Syakir, 42, who will be Singapore’s fifth registrar, brings extensive experience to his role, having joined the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) as a kadi – a religious official who is authorised to solemnise Muslim marriages – and deputy registrar in March 2018. He also has over 18 years of experience across the faith-based sector and public service.
Throughout his tenure at ROMM, Ustaz Syakir has played a key role in strengthening the professional capabilities of kadi and naib (deputy in Malay) kadi, including the establishment of a platform to enhance knowledge-sharing and continuous improvement.
He is the son of Ustaz Pasuni Maulan, who served as Singapore’s second registrar of Muslim marriages from 1984 to 2005.
Ustaz Nor Razak, 60, was appointed as the fourth registrar in October 2019.
During his tenure at ROMM, Ustaz Nor Razak contributed to strengthening Muslim marriages, including the establishment of the Bersamamu programme in 2019.
The programme provides Muslim couples with mentoring from their solemnisers in their first two years of marriage and has benefited more than 36,000 Muslim couples to date.
Ustaz Nor Razak also spearheaded Bersamamu’s expansion through a collaboration with Asatizah Solace Care in August 2023, strengthening support for female spouses through guidance and counselling by female asatizah. He will continue to contribute to the Muslim community as chairman of the Asatizah Recognition Board.
To ensure continuity in ROMM’s operations and initiatives, Ustaz Syakir has been working closely with the current registrar during this transition period, said MCCY.
Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said: “ROMM is a key institution under the Administration of Muslim Law Act, with the registrar playing a central role in building strong partnerships that underpin strong and stable marriages.”
He noted that Ustaz Nor Razak has played “an instrumental role in enhancing marriage support by galvanising kadi and naib kadi to provide sustained guidance to couples beyond solemnisation”.
Associate Professor Faishal also thanked Ustaz Nor Razak for his dedication and contributions during his 26 years of service with ROMM.
“I look forward to working closely with Ustaz Syakir Pasuni as we continue to strengthen support for Muslim families in Singapore,” he added.
