Singapore Mosque Building Programme
It was the early 1970s and Muslims were being resettled from their villages into brand-new HDB flats in Toa Payoh. They found that they had no mosque to call their own in their new estate.
Muslim community leaders came together and decided to collect funds to build a new mosque. With the help of the then-Member of Parliament for Toa Payoh they went knocking on doors, collecting funds and selecting sites to build their mosque. But their efforts proceeded at a snail's pace. Money was slow coming in and they soon felt their energy dissipating.
Members of the MUIS Council recall that they were summoned to the Istana by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who had apparently noticed the difficulties they faced in raising funds. Two meetings were convened. As a result, the AMLA (Administration of Muslim Law Act) was amended and the MBF was set up in 1975, where all working Muslims could voluntarily contribute a monthly minimum sum of 50 cents (in 1977 raised to one dollar per month) for the construction of mosques in new housing estates.
Less than two years later, Masjid Muhajirin emerged on what had previously been a muddy plot of land housing a sludgy rattan-making factory. The mosque's huge brown dome and single minaret stood out proudly.
Skeptics were silenced. Among them were two men who had pledged to give a donation to the mosque if the MBF succeeded in setting up a mosque.
They each gave a grandfather's clock. Today, the two clocks still tick in the prayer hall of the mosque.
Since the miracle of Muhajirin, the Mosque Building Fund has raised more than $80 million for twenty new mosques in the past 28 years.
The fecundity of the MBF can only be due to the Singapore Muslim way of doing things - the self-help way.
Under the scheme, working Muslims are presently asked to donate a minimum of $2 to $5 each month to the Fund according to their salary, deducted through a government agency.
The new mosques, called the new-generation mosques make up a quarter of the 69 mosques in Singapore. Muslims in every new housing estate will be served by at least one new-generation mosque.
The government's role has been critical for the MBF. It allowed not only the use of the government agency for collecting the contributions, but also set aside land for the new mosques at nominal prices.
The new-generation mosques come with conference rooms, classrooms, halls and even auditoriums. Community leaders and members alike refer to them as centres of excellence, harking back to the golden age of Islam.
The new-generation mosques in Singapore offer a wide range of activities to meet the needs of Muslims of all ages, backgrounds and interests. Unlike the older mosques, the new-generation mosques are seen as Islamic community centres - they serve not only as centres for worship, but as centres for education and other Islamic activities. Accordingly, all new mosques have been designed with provision for madrasah, function halls, conference rooms and offices.
The design also takes into account the increasing role of women in society. Facilities are separated from the praying space to allow women, who play a significant role in the management of mosques, to work and participate in its activities throughout the year.
These mosques are patronised throughout the day by Muslims of all ages. Adult religious classes are usually held after the fajr prayers. Afterwards kindergarten and madrasah classes are held for children. Adult classes are again held at night. During weekends, madrasah classes for children and adults are also held.
Welfare services include marriage counselling, free meals for breaking of fast, exhibitions and talks on drug abuse and akad nikah or marriage solemnization.
Members of the Mosque Management Board, who organise these courses, themselves attend workshops on leadership and management. These are conducted by MUIS as part of the aim of developing mosques into centres of excellence.
Mosques are managed by Mosque Management Boards appointed by MUIS every two years. These boards manage the day-to-day running of the mosques autonomously - they raise funds, employ full-time staff, and pay for the cost of managing the mosques on their own.
Self-reliance is particularly evident in the financing of operational costs, which by and large come from public donations. Once the mosques are operational, MUIS provides minimal financial support. MUIS assistance comes mainly in the form of training.
The new-generation mosques are outstanding not just for their activities. Their out-of the-ordinary architecture transforms them almost immediately into landmarks amid row upon row of whitewashed and pastel apartment blocks in the housing estates.
While older mosques tend to vary between the plain and the grandly Arabesque with domes and minarets, the new-generation mosques proudly display local influences, from red-tiled peaked roofs and overhanging eaves to verandahs for airy ambience. Some herald the future with avant-garde designs.
Whatever shape or size, to Muslims, these mosques are the concrete symbols of the strength and soul of the community.
A Muslim Singaporean of today sees a mosque as more than just a building where Muslims gather to pray to Allah. When he talks of a mosque, particularly a new-generation mosque, he is also referring to the myriad of activities and the dynamic processes within is precincts that provide for a wide variety and virtually endless scope of service to Allah.
Source:
Mosque Building Programme, Mosque.org.sg
Muslim community leaders came together and decided to collect funds to build a new mosque. With the help of the then-Member of Parliament for Toa Payoh they went knocking on doors, collecting funds and selecting sites to build their mosque. But their efforts proceeded at a snail's pace. Money was slow coming in and they soon felt their energy dissipating.
Members of the MUIS Council recall that they were summoned to the Istana by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who had apparently noticed the difficulties they faced in raising funds. Two meetings were convened. As a result, the AMLA (Administration of Muslim Law Act) was amended and the MBF was set up in 1975, where all working Muslims could voluntarily contribute a monthly minimum sum of 50 cents (in 1977 raised to one dollar per month) for the construction of mosques in new housing estates.
Less than two years later, Masjid Muhajirin emerged on what had previously been a muddy plot of land housing a sludgy rattan-making factory. The mosque's huge brown dome and single minaret stood out proudly.
Skeptics were silenced. Among them were two men who had pledged to give a donation to the mosque if the MBF succeeded in setting up a mosque.
They each gave a grandfather's clock. Today, the two clocks still tick in the prayer hall of the mosque.
Since the miracle of Muhajirin, the Mosque Building Fund has raised more than $80 million for twenty new mosques in the past 28 years.
The fecundity of the MBF can only be due to the Singapore Muslim way of doing things - the self-help way.
Under the scheme, working Muslims are presently asked to donate a minimum of $2 to $5 each month to the Fund according to their salary, deducted through a government agency.
The new mosques, called the new-generation mosques make up a quarter of the 69 mosques in Singapore. Muslims in every new housing estate will be served by at least one new-generation mosque.
The government's role has been critical for the MBF. It allowed not only the use of the government agency for collecting the contributions, but also set aside land for the new mosques at nominal prices.
The new-generation mosques come with conference rooms, classrooms, halls and even auditoriums. Community leaders and members alike refer to them as centres of excellence, harking back to the golden age of Islam.
The new-generation mosques in Singapore offer a wide range of activities to meet the needs of Muslims of all ages, backgrounds and interests. Unlike the older mosques, the new-generation mosques are seen as Islamic community centres - they serve not only as centres for worship, but as centres for education and other Islamic activities. Accordingly, all new mosques have been designed with provision for madrasah, function halls, conference rooms and offices.
The design also takes into account the increasing role of women in society. Facilities are separated from the praying space to allow women, who play a significant role in the management of mosques, to work and participate in its activities throughout the year.
These mosques are patronised throughout the day by Muslims of all ages. Adult religious classes are usually held after the fajr prayers. Afterwards kindergarten and madrasah classes are held for children. Adult classes are again held at night. During weekends, madrasah classes for children and adults are also held.
Welfare services include marriage counselling, free meals for breaking of fast, exhibitions and talks on drug abuse and akad nikah or marriage solemnization.
Members of the Mosque Management Board, who organise these courses, themselves attend workshops on leadership and management. These are conducted by MUIS as part of the aim of developing mosques into centres of excellence.
Mosques are managed by Mosque Management Boards appointed by MUIS every two years. These boards manage the day-to-day running of the mosques autonomously - they raise funds, employ full-time staff, and pay for the cost of managing the mosques on their own.
Self-reliance is particularly evident in the financing of operational costs, which by and large come from public donations. Once the mosques are operational, MUIS provides minimal financial support. MUIS assistance comes mainly in the form of training.
The new-generation mosques are outstanding not just for their activities. Their out-of the-ordinary architecture transforms them almost immediately into landmarks amid row upon row of whitewashed and pastel apartment blocks in the housing estates.
While older mosques tend to vary between the plain and the grandly Arabesque with domes and minarets, the new-generation mosques proudly display local influences, from red-tiled peaked roofs and overhanging eaves to verandahs for airy ambience. Some herald the future with avant-garde designs.
Whatever shape or size, to Muslims, these mosques are the concrete symbols of the strength and soul of the community.
A Muslim Singaporean of today sees a mosque as more than just a building where Muslims gather to pray to Allah. When he talks of a mosque, particularly a new-generation mosque, he is also referring to the myriad of activities and the dynamic processes within is precincts that provide for a wide variety and virtually endless scope of service to Allah.
Source:
Mosque Building Programme, Mosque.org.sg
posted by beowulf at 10:26 PM
2 Comments:
I really liked reading this. Nice stuff. Go have a great day.
Dear Caretaker
Kindly let me know the prayer timings.
Thanks
RAUF
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