Media releases

MUIS brings religious guidance and support closer to the community

10 October 2026

New Mufti Associates, Islamic Spiritual Care and Guidance Framework and Qaryah support will help mosques respond to evolving community needs

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) is strengthening how mosques provide trusted religious guidance, spiritual care and community support, so that Muslims can find the guidance and help they need earlier and closer to where they are. The initiatives are part of a broader effort under the One Mosque Sector (OMS) to keep mosques close to the community as needs evolve, while strengthening collaboration across mosques, asatizah, Qaryah networks and community partners.

The developments were shared at the One Mosque Sector Townhall on 10 October 2026, which brought together about 350 mosque and Qaryah leaders and officers for a dialogue with Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Mr Zaqy Mohamad.
Mr Zaqy said: “Our mosques are an important foundation for a confident and resilient Muslim community. As our community changes, our mosques must stay close to our people — understand what they are going through, reach them earlier, and connect them to the guidance and support they need. No mosque can do everything alone. By bringing our strengths together as One Mosque Sector, we can serve our community better while protecting the trust they place in us. This is our shared amanah.”

Bringing religious guidance closer to the community

MUIS will strengthen the development and delivery of trusted and relevant religious guidance across mosques through its Religious Content and Guidance (RCG) unit and the District Office of Mufti Associates (DOMA).
Mufti Associates will work across the four mosque districts to provide more localised religious guidance and mentor Mosque Religious Officers (MROs), strengthening the connection between the Office of the Mufti and mosques. Four District Office of Mufti Associates will be appointed to serve the 4 mosque districts. The DOMAs will bring trusted religious guidance closer to the ground and mentor Mosque Religious Officers (MROs), giving mosque officers stronger support in responding to religious questions and emerging issues within the community. This will strengthen the flow of religious guidance between the Office of the Mufti and mosques, so that religious guidance remains trusted, relevant and responsive to the needs of the community.

Building Islamic Spiritual Care capabilities across the mosque sector

MUIS is also developing a structured Islamic Spiritual Care and Guidance (ISCG) framework to strengthen the mosque sector's ability to support individuals facing spiritual and life challenges. The framework will establish a more consistent approach to Islamic spiritual care across the mosque sector, equipping asatizah and MROs to identify spiritual care needs, provide appropriate religious and spiritual guidance, and connect individuals to professional and community services where additional support is required. This will complement professional care provided by counsellors, healthcare professionals and social service agencies.
Implementation will begin with 20 MROs across four pilot mosques undergoing structured training in spiritual care. The pilots will allow MUIS to refine the framework before effective approaches are progressively expanded across the mosque sector. The four pilot mosques are expected to be ready by the second quarter of 2027.
MUIS is also partnering PPIS on a study to better understand how mosques can support the needs of seniors, families and youths, including those navigating caregiving, illness, bereavement, family difficulties and social isolation. This builds on existing efforts between MUIS, PPIS and mosque partners to strengthen the capabilities of MROs. Together, these efforts will contribute towards a stronger evidence and practice base to guide ISCG support across the mosque sector.

Bringing support closer to Muslim families

The same approach of bringing guidance and support closer to the community will extend to Muslim families. Four Family Development Officers (FDOs) have been deployed to Al-Khair Mosque, An-Nur Mosque, Al-Falah Mosque and Darul Ghufran Mosque. Our FDOs together with AMP Singapore will enhance the delivery of the ARIF programme and are expected to support more than 500 families by 2027 by providing parenting programmes, fathering support, and marriage enrichment programmes. These mosques will act as first-stop centres for Muslim couples seeking assistance.
The FDOs will work with Kadis, Naib Kadis, mosques and community partners to connect couples, parents and families with relevant programmes and support. This will be supported by the Community Religious Life (CRL) Playbook for Families (opens in new tab), which provides mosque teams with practical guidance and resources to develop programmes responsive to the needs of Muslim families.

Extending support through mosques and community partners

These efforts are part of a broader shift towards greater collaboration across the mosque sector and with community partners. Over the past year, the CRL Collaboration Fund (see Annex C for more information) [PDF, 195.22 KB] (opens in new tab) has committed about $400,000 to 13 projects involving 17 mosques and at least 30 community partners, reaching more than 3,500 beneficiaries and participants across family support, senior well-being, youth development and capability-building.
MUIS and mosques are also expanding Qaryah networks to reach residents who may be less connected to mosque programmes. Some qaryahs actively provide spaces for tarawih during Ramadan and Hari Raya prayers, and others have the capacity to do more. One example is Qaryah 2.0 piloted in District West to reach out to residents in the rental housing estate and sharing the programmes offered by the mosque.
Together, these efforts reflect MUIS's broader Community Religious Life (see Annex A for more information) [PDF, 193.68 KB] (opens in new tab) approach — strengthening connections across mosques, asatizah, Qaryah networks and community partners so that trusted religious guidance and support remain accessible and responsive to the evolving needs of Singapore Muslims.