An online portal aimed at ensuring that the Muslim community gets religious knowledge from recognised sources was launched yesterday by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).

Besides being able to access articles from accredited religious teachers, users on LearnIslam.sg can also sign up for Islamic education programmes run by mosques and other Islamic education providers.

The site, targeted at young adults, was unveiled by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim at the Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang. Asked if LearnIslam.sg was created to counter websites which may have radical messages, Dr Yaacob said this would narrow the potential of the site.

"We must use our efforts to try and enlarge and deepen the understanding of Islam.The positive narrative is important for our young people - that Muis is here to assist them if they have any questions," he said.

"Along the way, they understand what are the values we hold dear in Singapore, what are the things they can do, together as members of the younger generation to preserve what we have here," he added.

Ahead of the Ramadan fasting month, the website will have prayer schedules and recipes for pre-dawn and break-fast meals.

Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, deputy director in the Office of the Mufti, said the site would be a repository of Islamic knowledge from the right sources. "This is part of Muis' ongoing effort to develop structured Islamic learning platforms and further enhance services to the community," he said.

Dr Naziruddin said it would help ensure the rise in religiosity in the Muslim community would be guided by recognised religious teachers. Users of LearnIslam.sg need to register with their e-mail addresses to access its full contents.