Upcoming Islamic college is 'major milestone' for religious education in S'pore: Mufti

The Mufti of Singapore, Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, said on Aug. 20 that the new college for Islamic studies in Singapore is a "major milestone" in the "important effort" to produce Muslim religious leaders in the country.

On Aug. 18, Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong announced in his National Day Rally speech in Malay that the Singapore College of Islamic Studies is being set up, with more details to be announced in the future.

In a Facebook post on the Office of the Mufti Singapore page, Nazirudin also thanked PM Wong for his support and highlighted other efforts, such as the Syed Isa Semait Scholarship (SISS) by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).

Providing an option for higher learning in Islamic studies locally

In his post, Nazirudin highlighted that he had received a similar scholarship from Muis 25 years ago which had "opened many doors" for him.

He recalled his recent conversations with two recipients of the SISS, and said he was excited to hear about their dreams, aspirations and their confidence about what they would be able to do after graduating.

The SISS was established in 2015 as a research grant and refreshed in 2022 to include scholarships to full-time madrasah graduates in Singapore. It is aimed at grooming the country's future asatizah, or Islamic religious teachers.

Nazirudin said that this was an "important effort" which offers solutions rooted in the values and principles of Islam.

He noted PM Wong's announcement of the setting up of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies as "another major milestone" for the purpose of producing religious leaders who are able to guide the community wisely and courageously.

"As the global environment becomes more uncertain and socio-religious challenges become more complex, we need to provide an option for higher learning in Islamic studies locally to equip future religious leaders with new skills and competencies," he wrote.

He said those who have attended overseas Islamic universities after graduating from local madrasahs, including him, recognise the "unique challenges and contemporary conditions" of the Singapore society.

Thanks PM Lawrence Wong for support

Nazirudin said that Singapore’s model and brand in education should be leveraged to design and offer the country's own university education in Islamic studies.

He said relevant parties have observed the idea and also the "best institutions around the world" to make it happen.

For example, courses and new programmes, such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam for Contemporary Societies (PCICS) course for overseas-educated religious teachers and the Research Programme in Communities of Success (RPCS) for religious research have been offered in recent years.

On a soon-to-be-offered new undergraduate programme, Nazirudin said the authorities are confident of combining the best of the Muslim intellectual traditions, as well as contemporary disciplines and tools to prepare future religious graduates in addressing difficult challenges and having good jobs.

He thanked PM Wong and the government for the support given to the project.

"The college will be the pride of our Singapore Muslim community in the future. It will be a major contribution to the shaping of a vibrant, confident and resilient Muslim community of success."

Nazirudin added that the project requires "significant resources, support and commitment" and expressed his wish for everyone to have a stake in it, especially through supporting the Muslim community endowment fund, Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura (WMS).

You can read Nazirudin's full post here: