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3 - Singapore Islamic Studies Graduates: Learning Experience and Struggles
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 36-80
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Summary
Introduction
The previous chapter examines prevalent types of Islamic education found in the religious educational landscape in the Muslim world. It highlights the dominance of the confessional type that has remained influential in religious teaching and learning. The salient traits of dominant modes of religious orientations evident in these institutions vis-a-vis competing ones, factors conditioning them and their ramifications on the nature of Islamic studies programmes were also examined.
While the types and orientations of religious education have direct implications on conditioning the religious outlook of graduates with ramifications on the well-being of the community and larger society, there remains a lack of serious discourse shedding insights into why Singapore’s religious studies graduates have chosen to study religion in the selected universities abroad, the kinds of religious education which they have obtained from abroad, the impact of dominant religious orientations which permeate the culture of teaching and learning in the institutions they attended on the formation of their religious outlook and perspectives, the problems and challenges they encountered in the course of their learning and upon returning from abroad.
Yet, dominant discourse on religious studies graduates persistently reveal two major issues of concern: the need for asatizah to contextualize religious teachings to the condition of Singapore society and the imperative to professionalize them through upskilling training programmes that will equip them for employment relevant to the needs of the community and larger society. The rise of radicalism and terrorism in the name of Islam globally and in the region, which has generated much discourse on its potential adverse ramifications on social cohesion of the nation, underscores these concerns. President Halimah Yacob’s speech at the meeting with Singapore’s religious studies students studying in Kuwait while on an official visit there in November 2019 encapsulates these concerns. Her advice to asatizah to the effect that they must adapt what they had learnt in Kuwait to promote social cohesion in multiracial and multi-religious Singapore resonates with such concerns (Koh 2019, A12).
Though data on asatizah are pertinent in understanding current problems in religious education and planning for its progress that will serve the needs and conditions of the Muslim community and the country while improving asatizah’s development, these remain scarce, disparate and fragmented, not easily accessible.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Book:
- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp x-xiv
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Frontmatter
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- 01 September 2023, pp i-iv
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5 - Challenges, Genesis and Prospects for Development
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- 01 September 2023, pp 110-150
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Summary
Introduction
This chapter focuses on major challenges and problems encountered by Singapore’s asatizah graduates upon their return from completing Islamic studies abroad. Factors including the genesis in the surge of religious studies graduates in Singapore which have contributed to the current challenges faced by them will be discussed. The impact of dominant discourse in recent decades on the significance of asatizah in guiding the community to adapt to change and the need for them to contextualize Islam to suit the conditions of Singapore’s pluralistic society amid evidence of Islamist extremism as well as policies and measures aimed at professionalizing them are also examined. The overriding aim is to analyse the extent to which these have facilitated critical attention on the need to revaluate Islamic studies education, crucial for the well-being of the community and the larger society.
Data obtained from in-depth interviews, survey responses and focus group discussions with returning religious studies graduates and undergraduates as highlighted in the previous chapters reveal that until the mid-1980s, the number of those who went abroad to pursue religious education was very few. Today, the situation has changed significantly with more having completed tertiary religious education in foreign universities abroad. While the traditional centre of religious learning for local asatizah in the past was Al-Azhar University in Egypt, data reveal that in the last two decades or so, their option has expanded to include other universities in Egypt and the Middle East more generally, including those in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Yemen and Libya. Students have also continued to study in Malaysian universities though in its relatively newer established ones, as well as in Brunei and Indonesia. Malaysian Islamic studies centres, such as Kolej Islam in Klang which used to be the educational destination for those who did not or could not pursue religious studies in the Middle East, are becoming less common today given the rise in competing institutions. While UM and UKM religious studies departments or academies continue to attract students, the relatively newer established ones such as IIUM (International Islamic University Malaysia) are noticeably fast replacing them. Others that are seeing increasing enrolment are USIM (Islamic Science University of Malaysia), KUIS (International Islamic College of Selangor) and UTM (Technological University of Malaysia).
Preface
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- 01 September 2023, pp vi-ix
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Summary
In the 1990s, Singapore government leaders raised questions as to whether Islamic education in the country adequately equips the Malay/Muslim community with necessary skills and knowledge to survive in the modern world. Students of religious sciences in full-time madrasahs were equated with school dropouts and deemed unprepared for the knowledge-based economy (KBE). Consequently, Malay/Muslim community leaders sought to readjust madrasah education to meet contemporary needs, and a number of the full-time religious schools underwent major revamp while the rest continue to be run the same way. Attention towards madrasah underperformance somewhat dissipated after the turn of the millennium: madrasahs promised to perform as well as national schools, agreed to work closely with the state’s curriculum guidelines, and the government faced community pressure not to close them down, even though they had never threatened to do so.
Now, Malay/Muslim leaders are focusing on the downstream of Islamic education. Majority of the asatizah complete at least twelve years of education in one of the local madrasahs. The concern of the state is no longer about the students’ achievements or the lack of them, but their attitudes, thought, and ideology. Already Islamic studies has been under global scrutiny, particularly after its graduates are found promoting radical, puritan, or conservative ideas to the masses. The state is also worried that the graduates are unable to contextualize religion based on Singapore values. However, in post-9/11, the state sees the asatizah’s worth in countering radicalism and terrorism through promoting “moderate” religious discourses, but all these would require efforts and resources to guide them. Without these guides, the asatizah will not be able to adjust and may end up displacing the local Malay identity with foreign ones depending on where they complete their religious education. We hear discussions about Malays turning to become “Arabized” as they inch closer to become more religious.
The subject of radicalism and terrorism has shaped much of the discourse on Islamic education that the bigger issues concerning Islamic studies graduates are overlooked. For instance, why do parents continue sending their children to madrasah, with the hope that they will become an asatizah and graduate with an Islamic studies degree? Every year, there will be excess demand for 400 primary one places for madrasah enrolment.
1 - Introduction
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 1-19
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Summary
Singapore’s religious studies graduates form a significant component of asatizah, a term which in the context of Singapore’s contemporary Muslim community generally refers not only to those who teach religion (also known as ustaz for males or ustazah for females), but also those who have undergone a degree of formal training in religious schools. So broad is the usage of the term today that it also includes those with religious studies background but whose sources of livelihood are not necessarily in teaching religion but involve other professions which may or may not have anything to do with religious services or education. In the past, it was not uncommon for asatizah not to have acquired formal religious training to teach religion. Their socialization into religious education was informal based on devotion to the teachings of a spiritual master. The prominent ones amongst them are cherished and revered by the community. Others received religious education in one of the full-time madrasahs (Islamic schools) or part-time classes run by mosques or privately run religious schools, such as Bustanul Arifin (formed in 1946 but closed in the mid-1990s) and Sekolah Ugama Radin Mas (tahfiz or Quranic memorization schools founded in 1956).
Given that the values of Islam touch the lives of Muslims on many fronts, asatizah generally exert strong influence in the religious life of the community and form the major social group that shapes religious thought, beliefs and orientations. As the ethical teachings of Islam underline all aspects of life, their influence is wide-ranging, covering areas beyond matters of worship and faith. Though the advancement of technology has facilitated the possibility of accessing religious instruction and teachings globally via new media platforms, this development has not displaced the significance of the local asatizah who continue to play an influential role in shaping religious thought and understanding through teaching and other religious services they conduct.
Some amongst them are considered as ulama based on their contributions to scholarship in matters pertaining to religion.
About the Authors
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 224-224
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7 - Conclusion
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 191-206
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Summary
While asatizah have historically played a significant role in the community in matters of faith and worship, the demands and impact of rapid change which have affected basic social institutions have witnessed their growing influence in society extending beyond these traditional domains. Uncertainties in response to change and the rise of a host of social and economic challenges affecting the community in the process of development have witnessed their growing influence for guidance and remedy. At the same time, strong signs of insecurity have also conditioned the nature of religious experience of Muslims, revealing signs of conservatism and utopian streaks that threatened and impeded the well-being of society. Asatizah, the people responsible for teaching the religion, perpetuating the religious tradition and protecting religious identity are thus seen to be significant in strengthening the potential role and contributions of religion towards improving the condition of life.
Until the last two decades, discourses on the needs and development of asatizah have been largely confined to the community level. The rise of religious revivalism in the region since the 1970s compounded by violence and terrorism in the name of Islam that have emerged in the region shortly after 9/11 and its ramification on Singapore, have ushered greater spotlight on Muslims’ religiosity at the national level. Asatizah, in particular the Islamic studies graduates, who at present formed the core of the asatizah community, have inevitably been the subject of much attention in dominant discourse. Highlighted by Singapore’s leaders as one of the three vital pillars of the Malay/Muslim community, alongside the professionals and entrepreneurs, they have been said to play a highly pertinent role in contributing to harmony and social cohesion of Singapore’s pluralistic society. Not only are they expected to provide guidance to the community in areas as broad as scientific developments, demographic changes and social problems experienced by those who fall between the cracks, their role in safeguarding the nation against extremism and violence in the name of Islam that threatens the security of the nation has also been constantly reiterated. At the same time, asatizah are also constantly urged to contextualize and promote religious teachings conducive to Singapore’s pluralistic society. However, the discourse has not been accompanied by systematic and critical attention to planning for religious education that is progressive and meaningful for change, if at all.
Reaching for the Crescent
- Aspirations of Singapore Islamic Studies Graduates and the Challenges
- Norshahril Saat, Azhar Ibrahim, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman
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- Published by:
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Published online:
- 01 September 2023
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Islamic religious teachers (asatizah) and scholars (ulama) play a significant role in providing spiritual leadership for the Singapore Malay/Muslim community. Lately, the group has been cast under the spotlight over a range of issues, from underperformance in the national examination, their ability to integrate into the broader society, exposure to radical and conservative ideas such as Salafism from the Middle East, and unemployment. Reaching for the Crescent examines a growing segment within the group, namely Islamic studies graduates, who obtained their degrees from universities in the Middle East and neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia. It identifies factors that condition the proliferation of Islamic studies graduates in Singapore, examine the dominant religious institutions they attend, the nature of Islamic education they received, and their challenges. It tackles the impact of their religious education on the spiritual life and well-being of the community. Based on qualitative and quantitative data collected, the book calls for a rethinking of a prevailing discourse of Arabization of Singapore Muslims and academic approaches that focus on madrasah education and Islam through the security lens.
Index
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 214-223
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8 - Bibliography
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- 01 September 2023, pp 207-213
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A Note on Translation, Spelling and Other Conventions
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp xv-xvi
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2 - Overview of Islamic Studies and Mode of Thinking
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 20-35
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Summary
Generally, we can distinguish two types of Islamic studies as an academic discipline. One is the confessional-type of Islamic studies offered in various universities in the Muslim world; the second, the Islamic studies programmes offered in several universities in the West. The latter continues the colonial-orientalist tradition and its long history of Islamology. While there is a growing body of works that appraises the latter, critical evaluation of the former, specifically Islamic studies found in Muslim countries hardly exist, if at all. For the majority of Muslim students pursing basic degree in Islamic studies, the confessional approach is popular, and only a handful enrol into higher degree programmes in western institutions.
The nature, type and efficacy of Islamic studies are tied to various factors. Islamic studies programmes found in various institutions of higher learning have evolved differently in Muslim countries, and they are tied to the respective national education policies and dominant religious outlook of the country. Islamic studies programmes in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, for instance, invariably have strong Salafi-Wahhabi imprint, unlike the Indonesian State Islamic Universities (UIN) in Jakarta, Jogjakarta and Surabaya. In these premier Indonesian state-funded Islamic universities, eclectic approaches to the study of Islam are evident, with social sciences and philosophy integrally incorporated and infused into the Islamic studies corpus. However, most Islamic studies programmes in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent are modelled after the Al-Azhar University’s Islamic studies (in Cairo), deemed to be the paradigm for Sunni religious learning and scholarship.
Besides being taught in Islamic universities, Islamic studies are also offered in departments, faculties, or academies in many “secular” universities around the world, both in Muslim majority countries as well as in Muslim minority ones. The rise of public universities throughout the Muslim world has witnessed the emergence of various Islamic studies programme, apart from the full-fledged Islamic universities. The rise of modern universities in Malaysia, Jordan, Libya, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, has seen an expansion of Islamic studies, gradually incorporating various modern subjects within its purview, inasmuch as it retains traditional learning corpus. For example, the international Islamic universities in Pakistan and Malaysia are known for their Islamization of knowledge flagship, perceived to be an Islamic intellectual approach aligned to the Saudi-sponsored International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) based in Virginia, USA.
4 - Current Islamic Studies Undergraduates: Navigating Uncharted Pathways
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 81-109
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Summary
Based on responses from survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews with graduates as far back as the 1960s, the previous chapter highlighted major factors conditioning their pursuance of Islamic studies in selected educational institutions abroad, the types of religious education received, their learning experiences as well as the major challenges they encountered upon their return. This chapter seeks to examine the extent to which these findings remain relevant to current religious studies undergraduates. Data was drawn from survey responses and focus group discussions with students from a diversity of religious institutions in neighbouring countries (Malaysia in particular) and the Middle East conducted between August 2017 and January 2020. Attention was given to their (a) motivations for pursuing religious studies in their universities of choice, (b) the modes of teaching and learning religion, (c) their interaction and relations with students and lecturers within and beyond the campuses, (d) the extent of support they received from relevant stakeholders in their educational journey and the challenges they are facing, and (e) their concerns regarding their future employment prospects. Generally, responses reveal that the Islamic studies landscape and its impact have generally remained unchanged over the decades.
Since 2000, amid growing concerns with the rise of religious radicalism in the Muslim world and the region, Islamic studies graduates as well as those currently studying abroad have been the focus of much national and community attention. Reports in the media consistently highlight efforts by Malay/Muslim politicians engaging current Islamic studies undergraduates and impressing upon them the imperative of contextualizing knowledge to the context of Singapore’s diverse and pluralistic society. Contextualizing Islamic knowledge underscores one of the main objectives of the PCICS (Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies). Introduced in April 2020 and mandated on all returning Islamic studies graduates who seek to teach religion in the country, the certification programme for fresh Islamic studies graduates is “designed to equip students with deep familiarity with the current and future contexts of Singapore society, Islam and Muslim communities in the Southeast Asian/ Nusantara region”. A committee to gather feedback and make recommendations to professionalize asatizah generally referred to as COFA (Committee of Future Asatizah) was also been formed under the leadership of Senior Minister of State Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman.
6 - Religious Education, Dominant Religious Orientations and Their Impact
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp 151-190
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Summary
Introduction
Dominant religious discourse on Islam promoted and propagated by asatizah in Singapore reflects competing modes of religious thought or perspectives which reveal the extent to which they are able to contextualize religious thought and traditions to the needs of the community and its adaptation to the changing condition of society and its institutions. Though certainly not conclusive, the nature of religious studies education received by graduates in various institutions of learning abroad cannot be overlooked or negated in conditioning their religious outlook and orientations, though these are also by no means static.
Operating in groups that continually compete, align and conflict with one another on issues relating to Islam, the asatizah’s perspectives and outlook on Islam are also impacted by other factors including the state’s approach to managing Islam, policies and laws regulating religion in the public sphere, the orientation of dominant groups within the asatizah fraternity, ideological interests for standing and support vis-a-vis the state and the community, the continuing influence of Islamic studies programmes and their intellectual affiliation as well as the influence of religious teachings through new media platforms, among others. These interact with the impact of the dominant nature of Islamic studies education in the formal institutions of learning they have attended throughout the course of their religious education. What they prioritize as significant and give strong attention to at the expense of others that are marginalized, overlooked or negated are functions of their mode of religious thought. The level of abstraction and conceptualization of issues selected, the presence or absence of counter concepts, the nature of their response to and extent of engagement with competing views also manifest in the salient traits of their religious orientations. Given that the asatizah fraternity, especially the dominant groups within it, exerts wide influence on the community and generally command its respect, how and what they think about Islam bear direct implications on its attitudes and responses to the challenges of socio-economic change which has impacted basic social institutions and inevitably the well-being of the larger society.
These dimensions have not, however, been given adequate or critical attention in dominant discourse on asatizah where the overriding focus since 2000 or so has been on the need to adjust religious teachings to challenges affecting the security of the nation.
Contents
- Norshahril Saat, ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore, Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, National University of Singapore
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- Reaching for the Crescent
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 01 September 2023, pp v-v
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5 - Religious Resurgence amongst the Malays and Its Impact: The Case of Singapore
- Edited by Norshahril Saat, Azhar Ibrahim
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- Book:
- Alternative Voices in Muslim Southeast Asia
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 02 April 2020
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- 17 December 2019, pp 33-66
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Summary
Since the 9/11 attacks there has been a proliferation of strategic studies and publications on terrorism and radicalism in the region, given their potent social, economic and political ramifications. However, critical studies on the phenomenon of the non-violent resurgence of Islam among the Malays remains wanting, despite its dominance and impact. Those studies that do exist tend to disproportionately focus on its emergence and manifestations within a generally positive evaluative perspective. This chapter focuses critically on the major fixations and agenda promoted and embedded in resurgence discourse, and analyses how they are sustained and reinforced. It argues that the phenomenon has become so dominant that it negates, marginalizes and silences competing Malay thought and perspectives that are vital to the development and well-being of the community and the larger society. Instead of identifying relevant problems and providing muchneeded solutions grounded in an enlightened concept of religion and other philosophies that could facilitate Malays’ adaptation to change, resurgence discourse impedes this process and exacerbates the challenges. While special attention is given to the case of Singapore, the issues and problems discussed here are no less relevant to but intertwined with the country's predominantly Malay/Muslim neighbours.
Religious resurgence has become so prevalent today that there has been a strong tendency amongst both Muslims and non-Muslims to misleadingly conflate manifestations of the phenomenon with the teachings and values of Islam itself. So influential has the phenomenon been that it has profusely penetrated not only religious thought and practice at the individual or community level but has also expanded to the public sphere, where proponents articulate their views and demands on a thousand points, leaving hardly any domain untouched. Its overwhelming imprints are evident in the innumerable and diverse issues that encompass identity issues; the sense of morality; perceptions of customs, traditions and social norms; the expanding range of dietary taboos and restrictions; gender relations; and intra-community issues, issues relating to relations with non-Muslims. Perceptions and discourse on popular culture involving music, dress, lifestyles, dance, film, literary forms and expressions also bear its unmistakable imprints.
Muslim Personal Laws and the Accommodation of Minorities: The Need to Better Balance Individual Rights and Group Autonomy in Singapore
- Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman
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- Journal:
- German Law Journal / Volume 20 / Issue 7 / October 2019
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- 30 October 2019, pp. 1079-1095
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The accommodation of religious personal law systems is an issue that has arisen in many countries with significant Muslim minorities. The types of accommodations can range from direct incorporation into the state legal system to mere recognition of religious tribunals as private organs. Different forms of accommodation raise different types of legal, social, and political issues. Focusing on the case of Singapore, I examine one form of accommodation which entails the direct incorporation of this law regulating marriage, divorce, and inheritance for Muslims into the state system. Administered by the Administration of the Muslim Law Act, 1966, the Muslim law binds Muslims unless they abjure Islam. The resulting pluralistic legal system is deemed necessary to realize the aspirations of and give respect to the Muslim minority community, the majority of whom are constitutionally acknowledged as indigenous to the country. This Article examines the ramifications of this arrangement on the rights and well-being of members of this community in the context of change. It argues that, while giving autonomy to the community to determine its personal law and advancing group accommodation, the arrangement denies individuals the right to their choice of law, a problem exacerbated by traditionalism and the lack of democratic process in this domain. Consequently, the Muslim law pales in comparison to the civil law for non-Muslims. The rise of religious resurgence since the 1970s has but compounded the problem. How the system can accommodate the Muslim personal law without compromising the rights of individual Muslims is also discussed.
9 - Shariah Revivalism in Singapore
- from Section III - Singapore
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- By Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS). Her research and teaching areas include Malay legal history and institutions, Muslim law and its administration in Southeast Asia, and sociology of religion (Islam and Malay religious orientations).
- Edited by Norshahril Saat
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- Book:
- Islam in Southeast Asia
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- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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- 08 June 2019
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- 30 May 2018, pp 195-230
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Summary
INTRODUCTION
Since the 1970s, Southeast Asia has witnessed the emergence of religious resurgence amongst the Malays, popularly referred to as the dakwah movement. Essentially an urban phenomenon, it is manifested in a puritanical understanding and experience of Islam expressed in various domains of life, not excluding the Muslim law otherwise known as Shariah. While there has been considerable research on the problems of Shariah revivalism in neighbouring countries, the same cannot be said for Singapore, where the Muslims are subjected to the same laws as non-Muslims in all areas except in the domain of the family and inheritance. In these areas, the AMLA (1968), supplemented by the classical Muslim law, in particular the tenets of the Shafie school, bind them while non-Muslims are subjected to the Woman's Charter (1960). This chapter analyses the mode of thinking of Singapore's Shariah revivalist proponents based on their discourse. It argues that their imagination of the Shariah is not only alienated from the legal history and tradition of the community, but reflects and breeds exclusivist and dogmatic perceptions of Shariah which impedes prospects for the development of effective Muslim law, imperative for the well-being of Muslims and the wider community.
ISLAMIC RESURGENCE
Shariah revivalism is a major facet of the Islamic resurgence in Singapore that emerged about a decade after Independence amidst unprecedented social change induced by the process of development and nation building. For the Malays already mired in socio-economic problems under the colonial rule, adaptation to the demands of the new socio-political conditions proved highly challenging. Their stark socio-economic lag compared to non- Malays quickly drew the attention of scholars and community leaders alike who warned that their manifold problems did not bode well for the young nation as a whole.
In their attempts to alleviate the problems and propel the community's progress, the Malay elites constantly evoked religious values and cultural traditions, an effort reinforced by the government's emphasis on multiculturalism in its search for national identity. The turn to Islam as ballast for the community's socio-economic progress was neither novel nor unexpected given its strong influence on the lives of the Malays. However the potential of the religion in preparing and facilitating adaptation to the demands of modernization in the value sphere was impeded by the emergence of a religious experience strongly characterized by exclusivist, puritan and authoritarian traits.
Muslim Personal Law and Citizens' Rights: The Case of Singapore
- Noor Aisha Abdul Rahman
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- Journal:
- Asian Journal of Comparative Law / Volume 7 / 2012
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- 16 April 2015, pp. 1-29
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Prevailing discourse on multiculturalismi tend to focus on its merits in protecting the cultures and traditions of minority groups within the framework of the politics of accommodation. Less discussed are its implications on the rights and autonomy of members of the groups themselves who may be adversely affected by the arrangement. This paper attempts to fill the lacunae. It focuses on the problems arising from autonomy granted to the Muslim community of Singapore to determine its personal law, on some segments of the community. Unlike the rest of the citizens of Singapore, the Muslims are bound by their personal law in the domain of the family which they cannot relinquish as long as they remain Muslims. The system which began during the period of British colonial administration has remained ever since. Differences in the mechanisms as well as the orientation of social agencies in determining the Muslim law from those affecting the nonMuslims, invite unwarranted implications on the rights of Muslims, specifically. The problem is reinforced by the strong tendency of state actors to over-rely on dominant groups within the Muslim community in determining matters of Muslim law at the expense of competing ideas and orientation. The absence of choice of law for Muslims poses a predicament to those who do not wish to renounce their religion but maintain differences in perceptions of the Muslim law. This paper analyzes these problems in the arena of the Muslim law on marriage, divorce and inheritance. It also highlights how the arrangement has, in some instances, resulted in the exclusion of Muslims as a whole from the purview of specific national laws and influence policies affecting them against the preferences of the group's members. These issues have generally received scant attention, if at all, eclipsed perhaps by the greater focus on the merits of multiculturalism in protecting minority rights. Some plausible ways, in which the unwitting implications of legal pluralism on the members of the Muslim community can be addressed, taking into consideration both their right as members of the group as well as citizens of the state, are also discussed.