Officers from the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) do not turn away people seeking financial aid, despite online claims to the contrary.

A Facebook group, MUIS - Muslims Underrepresented in Singapore, shared a post on Sep. 12 that made the following allegations:

• A Malay Muslim couple faced financial difficulties, with the father getting retrenched.
• The couple have three kids, but the father had trouble finding another job.
• They approached Muis for help, but were turned away as Muis "does not do direct applications".
• They then went to a mosque to ask for help, but were turned down because they lived too far away.
• They went to another mosque, but face difficulties in getting prompt help.
• A person at the second mosque made sarcastic remarks to the family, saying they should not have so many children if they didn't have money.

Post had over 700 shares on Facebook

The post also made general allegations about Muis, such as them having huge financial reserves but are unwilling to help the needy, and that Malay Muslim families found it easier to seek help from Buddhist or Christian organisations.

The post was also shared on the group's Facebook page, which garnered over 750 shares as of Sep. 14.

Muis officers work with mosques to help needy applicants

In response to a query from Mothership.sg, Muis said applications for financial assistance are made at mosques to make it easier for the applicants, as these locations are in close proximity to their homes.

However, Muis officers will not turn away people looking for help.

Instead, their particulars will be noted and the Social Development Officer (SDO) will contact the mosque.

The officer will also ascertain if the applicant requires emergency assistance, and if necessary, will provide them with a small sum to tide them over while the applicant waits for assistance from the mosque.

Muis added: "There have been cases where applications are delayed due to incomplete submissions. There have also been cases where applicants do not turn up at the mosque."

"SDOs will try to contact the applicant based on the details furnished when they walk in to Muis for a period of up to three months, after which they will close the case."

Muis disburses over S$1.1 million to needy households every month

On average, Muis disburses S$1.1 million to about 4,300 zakat beneficiary households every month.

In the past 12 months, Muis has disbursed more than S$16 million in direct zakat financial assistance.

Muis will also help applicants to apply for national financial assistance schemes that they may not be aware of.

Facebook group should provide evidence

As for the claims made by the Facebook group, Muis said it will contact them directly to verify if they are accurate:

"Muis has not been able to verify the case mentioned in the posting by the Facebook page Muslims Underrepresented in Singapore.

We are reaching out to them to ask them for specifics, if they have, so that we can assist the family mentioned."

Top image from Muis's Facebook page.