SINGAPORE,
December 29, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Islamic
religious teachers in Singapore will need to get the approval of a
panel of well-known religious leaders before they can preach in
mosques or teach in madrasahs (religious schools), news reports said
Thursday, December 29.
The
move comes in the wake of calls by the Muslim minority to ensure that
religious teachers who call themselves ustaz (Arabic word for teacher)
have proper qualifications, The Straits Times reported.
It
will also help the minority steer clear from religious teachers, or
Asatizah (plural for ustaz), who may misuse their position to push
narrow or political agendas, the paper added.
To
get the stamp of approval, religious teachers will go on the Asatizah
Recognition Scheme, announced Wednesday, December 28.
Now,
there are religious teachers without qualifications or experience but
who call themselves ustaz and conduct home-based classes, the Times
said.
The
desire, according to the paper, to have a proper recognition scheme
has been expressed in the Muslim minority for several years.
But
it received renewed urgency after the alleged Jemaah Islamiah (JI)
arrests of 2001 and 2002 found that local JI leader Ibrahim Maidin was
a self-styled ustaz with little religious training, the paper said.
There
are six full madrasahs for young students and 27 smaller ones run by
mosques in Singapore, offering part-time or weekend classes for adults
and children.
There
are an estimated 1,400 religious teachers in the country, serving
mainly the minority Malay population, which accounts for about 14
percent of the 3.5 million residents in the city-state.
Recognition
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Logo of Islamic Madrasah of Aljunied in Singapore.
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The
plan is that by March next year, some 800 asatizah will have received
certificates of recognition from the panel, known as the Asatizah
Recognition Board.
People
can view the list on the Web site of the Islamic Religious Council of
Singapore (MUIS)
and get details of their background from the Singapore Islamic
Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (Pergas).
These
teachers would, at least, have passed the Secondary 4 full-time
madrasah examinations.
From
April, an estimated 600 teachers will also be added to the list.
They
include those without the specified qualifications but with teaching
experience. Many give lessons at home.
The
new scheme will allow only registered teachers to be called ustaz, for
men, and ustazah (female teacher), for women, or similar titles such
as maulana, a term used by Indian Muslims.
Under
the scheme, all religious teachers will be urged to register
themselves with MUIS and only those granted a "letter of
recognition" by MUIS will be allowed to teach in the scores of
mosques and Islamic religious schools, better known as madrasahs, said
MUIS spokesman Zainul Abidin Ibrahim.
Those
who are rejected can appeal to a three-member panel chaired by the
Mufti, Syed Isa Semait.
Religious
leaders concede they cannot enforce registration, but hope moral
suasion will do it.
As
for accreditation, Muis president Alami Musa did not rule out giving
legal teeth to such recognition over time. He noted that Malaysia and
Brunei have them.
Religious
teachers interviewed welcomed the scheme, about which many of them had
been consulted.
Popular
freelance preacher Ustaz Fahrurazi Kiayi Kassim, who lacks formal
religious qualifications but is taking a diploma course run by Pergas
and Perdaus, hopes being recognized will reduce apprehension others
may have towards him.
Freelance
preacher Ustaz Ahmad Dahri wants the scheme to recognize teachers with
experience but without the required qualifications.
"Recognition
by the wider community is a form of recognition as well. It's a good
certificate too.''
The
Singaporean move came on the heels of an Australian decision
to register the credentials of Islamic imams and preachers in the
country and adhere to a strict code of conduct under proposals put
forward by a government-backed group of moderate Muslims to curb
"extremists".
Singapore
lies in south-eastern Asia and is mainly islands between Malaysia and
Indonesia.
Muslims
in the country number about 450,000 to 500,000, making around 14 to 15
percent of the population.
Chinese
make 76.7% of the population, Malay 14%, Indian 7.9%, and other 1.4%.
Chinese
Buddhists are the majority, followed by Muslim Malays, Christian,
Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, and Confucianist.
Singapore
was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the
Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was separated two years later and
became independent.
It
subsequently became one of the world’s most prosperous countries
with strong international trading links (its port is the world’s
busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to
that of the leading nations of Western Europe , according to the
CIA’s Fact Book.
It
enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable
prices. Its economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in
electronics and manufacturing.
