SPEECH BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF MUIS MR ESA MASOOD AT MUIS WAKAF DISBURSEMENT CEREMONY 2019 ON MONDAY, 13 MAY 2019

Sohibus Samaha Mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram

Respected Members of the Muis Council and Muis Wakaf Disbursement Committee

Board Members of Warees Investments Pte Ltd

Trustees, Mutawallis and Beneficiaries of Wakaf

Respected Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

1. Alhamdulillah, I am very glad we are all gathered today, during the blessed month of Ramadan, for this very meaningful ceremony. Today we will be witnessing the annual disbursement of income from wakaf properties for the financial year ending 31st December 2018. I am pleased to announce that Muis will be disbursing more than $4 million this year to various beneficiaries including our mosques, madrasahs and Muslim organisations that strive to benefit our community’s needs and well-being.

2. This ceremony is an important annual occasion for us as it is an opportunity for us to remember the philanthropists of the past who had laid the foundations of Wakaf in land scarce Singapore. It is through their foresight and noble intentions that our community is able to benefit from Wakaf income year after year.

3. The first Wakaf in Singapore was Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka created in 1820 by Syed Omar Bin Ali Aljunied, a philanthropist from Palembang as a meeting point for local Malays and Jawi Peranakans, as well as early Muslim immigrants such as Arabs and Indonesians. In the earlier days, each Wakaf was managed by one or two individuals known as trustees or mutawallis, typically descendants of the wakif. They actively participated in all aspects of the wakaf. However, as the social, religious and economic landscape changed in Singapore, so too has the management of Wakaf. In 2018, the number of Wakaf under Muis management has grown to include four additional wakaf with various beneficiaries including beneficiaries in Singapore, overseas charities, an education fund as well as Muslim organisations. Thus, it is our honour to be disbursing additional funds on behalf of these wakaf today.

4. This year, close to $1.8 million of wakaf income will be channelled to 32 mosques in Singapore to help in funding mosque upgrading projects and mosque programmes to benefit the community. Additionally, our six full-time madrasahs and the part-time mosque madrasahs will be receiving more than $400,000 this year. Madrasahs serve an important role to nurture future religious leaders of the community and these funds will assist the madrasahs in developing programmes as well as upgrading of their facilities to provide a more conducive learning environment.

5. Apart from the mosques and madrasahs, Muslim Organisations play a big part in fulfilling the socio-religious needs of the different facets within the community. Muis will be disbursing more than $380,000 to 30 Muslim and Voluntary Welfare Organisations to help support social initiatives and religious programmes for the community. These include welfare homes that shelter persons facing difficult family or personal circumstances, food banks which provide food supplies and rations to the poor and needy, youth-focused organisations as well as welfare organisations that provide services to those who struggle with mental illness, women facing injustice and cancer patients. May Allah bless and reward your meaningful efforts, insyaAllah.

Sustaining and Developing Wakaf in Singapore

Implementation of Wakaf Renovation & Restoration Works

6. Ladies and gentlemen, the management of Wakaf is an amanah that Muis takes very seriously. Apart from the day to day overseeing of our wakaf, ensuring compliance to regulatory controls and that our wakaf are tenanted, we do our very best to ensure that wakaf assets are revitalised and continue to be a source of pride for the Muslim community here. The process of revitalisation also improves the value of wakaf with the ultimate goal of improving income for the beneficiaries.