Singapore Muslims have to forge their own religious compass: Mufti

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown Singapore's Muslim community that it can and must forge its own religious compass as it charts its way forward, said Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir.

To achieve this, the community must be confident in its own religious identity as well as in the leadership of local asatizah, or religious teachers, he added.

Singapore's top Islamic leader was speaking on Thursday to around 250 asatizah at the first annual Hari Raya Aidilfitri gathering for them to be held physically since the pandemic hit.

"Beyond our little red dot, no one else is as vested or interested in our future, not the religious preachers or scholars who live elsewhere and occasionally throw comments or remarks about us," he said in his speech, which was released to the media yesterday.

"Let us strive to strengthen our religious credibility and leadership as we continue to find solutions for our own contexts and challenges. We have done this before, and will continue to do this."

In his speech at The Chevrons in Jurong East, he thanked asatizah for keeping the community's religious spirit alive amid Covid-19 restrictions, saying this was possible because of the way they understand and practise their faith in the country's unique context.

He noted that in the pandemic's early days, Singapore had no precedents to follow. Religious leaders had to work with experts and find new solutions. While they felt fearful at times, this did not weaken their spirituality, he said, noting that similar decisions were later replicated across the Muslim world. "It is in these difficult times that we build resilience and find courage to change and adapt, and to stand by our decisions," he added.

Covid-19 could be a dry run for similar situations, he said.

Dr Nazirudin noted that when Muslims here celebrated Hari Raya Puasa on May 3, a day later than in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, some people had voiced criticisms online. They suggested this could lead to disunity among Muslims, when such differences took place in Islamic history and were recognised as religiously valid.

Dr Nazirudin reiterated that the religious authorities here had relied on astronomical calculations and guidance from the time of Prophet Muhammad in determining the date, as the crescent moon that marks the start of the new month could not be seen here on the evening of May 1.

Singapore uses criteria agreed upon by Mabims, which groups the religious ministers of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, in determining the sighting of the crescent moon, he said.

"The outcomes may differ based on our unique circumstances.

"But what was alarming was how some were quick to view this difference as a weakness, even an error and misguidance," he said.

"Instead of any sound arguments, the voices which criticised our decision were at best conjectural, and at worst, carried untruths and were ignorant of the basics of falak (astronomy). Most were purely emotive in nature, as has often been the case with many other issues."

Dr Nazirudin acknowledged more had to be done to educate the community and improve its capabilities, skills and expertise as it navigates a more complex world.

His office and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore will do more, but need the support and partnership of asatizah, he added.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of asatizah here to guide the Muslim community, he said, urging them to draw from their experiences during the pandemic.

The Muslim community here, as a minority, is often viewed as at a disadvantage by others, from the misconceived notion that Islam and Muslims can thrive only in majority contexts, he noted.

"On the contrary, I have always believed that our context offers us opportunities to truly live and embody the dynamic values of our faith, when it speaks of peace and cohesion in the context of diversity, when the syariah calls for flexibility and progress, in the context of scientific and technological progress," he said. "In fact, we are better placed to exercise the richness of our religious heritage and the beauty of our tradition, because of our unique situation."