Reddit just held an insightful AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit Singapore, started by a graduate of the local madrasah education system, who goes by the handle Tholibulhaq.

As proof he was the real deal, Tholibulhaq had even uploaded online a copy of his graduate certificate showing that he was indeed madrasah-educated:

The AMA, set up on March 30, has spanned more than 15 hours, with Tholibulhaq still answering questions at the time of this article's publication.

Madrasahs in Singapore

While the Arabic term "madrasah" generally refers to any secular or religious educational institution, the madrasahs in Singapore have a slightly altered meaning.

Madrasahs here claim to place rigorous emphasis on both secular and religious learning, while maintaining a distinct religious identity.

Their curriculum places a strong emphasis on the memorisation of the Quran, Arabic language, Islamic theology and philosophy.

There are currently six full-time madrasahs in Singapore registered with the Ministry of Education with around 4,400 students, with two of these institutions admitting only girls.

The madrasah education system is a debated topic from time to time, as it raises questions about national integration and assimilation into the new economy.

Singaporeans, by and large, either do not know much about how it functions or have preconceived notions of it.

To lay to rest some of these misunderstanding, here are some of the choice bits from the thread, which has already garnered more than 90 comments so far.

Extremism and Terror

One of the first issues raised on the thread involved Islamic extremism and what the madrasahs in Singapore were doing to address it.

Tholibulhaq acknowledged the presence of extremism and stated that they "tackle it at its theological and Islamic legal basis."

He did qualify it by adding that due to the density of their curriculum, madrasah students rarely have the "time to go deep into the dialectic discussions" on the motivations of the terrorists.

National Service

Another contentious topic brought up was that of National Service for male graduates of the madrasah education system.

When asked whether madrasah students serve NS, Tholibulhaq claimed that while they are not officially exempted from NS, "those who continue on the more religious path... are curiously not called up".

He further stated his desire to serve if called up at 18 years old, but "if it was any later than that then I would rather they leave me alone to fend for my family and myself".

The official written reply given in parliament in 2011 on this issue was that in the last three years then, an average of 20 male madrasah graduates from each graduating madrasah cohort have served NS -- which is a rather curious way to craft a response if one were to think about it.

Teacher's Salary

Another interesting insight was in relation to the impact of low wages on both the madrasah teachers and the madrasah education system as a whole.

Tholibulhaq highlighted the issue of low wages as one of the main changes he would like to see in the system, claiming his teachers are "paid peanuts and have to shoulder a lot of responsibility".

He further attributed the lack of reform in the education system to "the fact that they are not paid well". This is perhaps attributable to the consequence of madrasahs being mostly self-funded, as well as having their enrollment clipped by the government.

Personal life

Some other interesting glimpses into the life of the madrasah student involves his views on dating.

Tholibulhaq wrote: "I have been single my whole life, Haha ha hais. But those of us that do, well let me just say we scandalise things at a much higher rate. So most couples usually do it in secrecy or are just whatsapp couples. And we tend to marry early."

Furthermore he adds that "the school places plenty of restriction on the nature of this mixing, preferring it to be more academic rather than social. Besides that, we generally self-regulate based on our own knowledge of our religious norms."

As to how some people reacted to him being from a madrasa, he retorted: "Aside from the the occasional terrorist joke, people reacted generally well to it."

You can read the rest of the thread here.

Top photo via

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.