SINGAPORE,
October 11 (IslamOnline.net) – Muslims in Singapore will launch a
nationwide campaign during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, catering
for the needy and the poor, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The
Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) organizes this year’s
campaign under the title “Illuminating Hope of Fellow Beings”,
Singapore’s The Straits Times reported Sunday, October 10.
During
the month-long campaign, mosque volunteers will distribute food to
needy families, including non-Muslims, in their neighborhood and clean
their homes.
MUIS
Spokesman Zainul Abidin Ibrahim told the paper several mosques, like
Al-Khair mosque in Choa Chu Kang, have also taken the initiative and
started distributing bread and leaflets to 2,000 Muslim and non-Muslim
families.
MUIS,
also known as the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, was established in
1968, when the Administration of Muslim Law Act came into effect.
Chief among its functions are administration of mosques, distribution
of Zakah and issuance of fatwas.
Help
in Ramadan
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A library photo of
Sultan Mosque, the biggest in Singapore
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University
undergraduate Marlina Mohd Isa, 22, is one of those who hope to have a
chance to help.
“Serving
everyone who needs help is my way of making Ramadan meaningful, not
just to Muslims but also to non-Muslims,” she told the paper.
She
added that she was “happy to bring joy” to families that need it
most.
“Helping
others is a guiding principle of our religion, and that's what I try
to do in order to be a good Muslim,” added nurse Predah Anam Hashim,
50, who has done community service for 21 years.
Minister-in-charge
of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said Islam is a “social religion
that teaches believers to reach out and help people from all
communities”.
“Islam
is a religion that cares for the welfare and needs of those who are
less fortunate, irrespective of religious and racial background,”
the paper quoted him as saying.
Ramadan
will fall Friday, October 15, in Singapore. Muslims make up around 15
percent of Singapore’s four million population.
Some
51 percent of the population practices Buddhism and Taoism.
