Faishal Ibrahim resigns after online messages with woman 'fell short of standards'

Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, and Member of Parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, has announced his resignation from his political offices, role as an MP, and a member of the People's Action Party.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced Faishal's resignation with a statement via the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Jul. 20, 2026.

No criminal offence committed

PM Wong disclosed that the PMO received an email from a female member of the public concerning her interactions with Faishal. PM Wong asked for the matter to be looked into immediately.

Both Faishal and the woman were spoken to separately and each made allegations of harassment against each other. The matter was referred to the police, who investigated the allegations.

The PMO statement added: "After carefully considering the facts and circumstances, and in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, it was assessed that no criminal offence had been committed by either party. Accordingly, no criminal action will be taken against either of them."

However, PM Wong added there was a separate question of whether Faishal's conduct met the standards expected of a Political Office Holder and MP. Faishal accepted that his conduct fell short of those standards.

Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Sustainability & the Environment, will be appointed Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs.

 Letter from Faishal:

Letter from PM Wong:

Long-serving politician

Faishal first entered politics in the 2006 General Election, winning a seat in Parliament as part of the Marine Parade GRC for the People's Action Party.

He would stand for election four more times in the 2011, 2015, 2020 and 2025 General Elections, winning each time, representing Nee Soon and Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRCs.

Faishal held various political offices throughout his political career, beginning as a Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, with stints at the Ministries of Education, Health and Social & Family Development, National Development and Home Affairs.

Acting Minister

Following the 2025 General Election, Faishal replaced Masagos Zulkifli as the Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, who had filled the role since 2018.

Faishal also received a promotion to Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs.

As the Acting Minister, Faishal spoke up on various issues, such as finding common ground on Palestine and support for Muslim pilgrims performing the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

He also spoke of the importance of Singaporean unity in the face of external conflict following the U.S.-Israel War on Iran, and government efforts to uplift the Malay community.