Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim talks about Palestine, reaching out to the youth & vision for community

Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said that with regards to the issue of Palestine, the government will continue to work with the global community to see how peace can be achieved together.

Faishal was speaking to the media on Jun. 4, where he talked about finding common ground on the issue of Palestine, his vision for the Malay-Muslim community, as well as connecting with the younger generation.

"It is natural for the community to feel that these are not right"

"We understand how the community feel," Faishal said, when asked by the media how he would find a common ground on the issue of Palestine.

"And it is natural for the community to feel that these are not right. I think they want peace. They don't like killings, and they want people to respect the people's rights to live where they should." he said.

While the government agrees with the view, Faishal said that the global setting in which the war is happening is "not straightforward".

"Some things can be done easily. Even [when] we want to provide help— humanitarian help— we have come to realise that even though we have the resources to do it, but to enter is not easy. And these are complexities that we have to deal [with], not only in Singapore, but globally together."

"I'm confident our community can develop to its highest potential and showcase the best values"

Faishal also said that the government has been "very principled and consistent" in how they look at the issue.

Ultimately, the government "will continue to work with the global community to see how we can achieve peace together", Faishal added.

"Beyond some of these developments, I hope, as a community, we can really, really maximise our potential or developments of our human values to what a Malay or even a Muslim community should showcase," Faishal said.

"I'm confident our community can develop to its highest potential and showcase the best values, the best individual that we can find and at the same time, the best community that, even though a minority in Singapore has done well, academically, also in their career, but also having that values of resilience, patience, gratitude."

Developing a shared vision with the Malay-Muslim community

During his sharing with the media, Faishal said that he wishes to "develop a shared vision" with the community that can be "realistically achieved or be shared together" and a vision that people feel they can be a part of.

This would involve engaging the Malay-Muslim community from various segments.

"It may take some time, but I will share these at the different milestones," he said.

Commenting on his appointment as the Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, Faishal said that he was "glad to see such great response from the community".

"They have said that they look forward to working with me and my friends to continue the efforts to develop our community and country," he said.

Plan to listen and reach out to all sectors in the community

Faishal also expressed his gratitude to past Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, minister Masagos Zulkifli and former minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

"Working with them gave me direct insight into what needs to be done and how we can collaborate better with Malay-Muslim organisations," Faishal said, acknowledging the weight of the responsibility.

"In the short term, I plan to listen and reach out to all sectors in our community... what efforts we should improve, what new initiatives we need, and what their aspirations are."

Connecting with the youth

Faishal also shared his desire to connect with the youth in the Malay-Muslim community.

He was answering a question by Mothership on how he could engage the demographic that are "increasingly getting more vocal and expressing more desire for open conversations".

Faishal said that the youths are very important for Singapore, and in any jurisdiction.

The Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs said that he is very active on social media and receives many messages from young people.

"I personally would reply to every of my messages on my social media," he said.

Faishal said that he wants to provide more opportunities and platforms for an open conversation with the youths— "not only in the Malay-Muslim community, but also from a secular angle, so that they have opportunities to be at the national level."

But on a community level, Faishal said that the government is working with Mendaki to open more networks to connect with the youths.

"We often hear the words "You’ll Never Walk Alone". To me, "You’ll Never Walk Alone" doesn't just mean our community will never walk alone. But I, too, will never walk alone because I have the Malay community and Singaporeans by my side to continue this effort," Faishal said.

Top image via Mothership