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Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
Speeches

Speech by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Mr Zaqy Mohamad at the aLIVE Service Learning (aSL) CARE-nival

29 August 2026

The Youth aLIVE CARE-nival celebrated young Muslims stepping up to lead and serve, while reaffirming the community's commitment to keeping mosques safe, welcoming, and nurturing for children and youths.

Mr Kadir Maideen, Chief Executive of MUIS,
Ms Faizah Ahmad Barazy, Deputy Chief Executive of MUIS,
Ustaz Hafiz Rashid, Executive Director, ILHAM,
ILHAM Management Committee Members and Staff,
Mosque Executive Chairmen,
Esteemed Asatizah,
Partners and Organisers, Youth aLIVE Students, Parents and Caregivers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, and a very good afternoon to all of you.

  1. It is good to be with all of you today.

  2. Looking around the CARE-nival, what stands out to me is how much of this was put together by our young people themselves.

  3. You came up with the activities, worked with one another, solved problems along the way and stepped forward to lead.

    • You did not simply turn up for an event — you helped build it.

    • That is something to be proud of.

  4. I also like today’s theme — Compass of Kindness.

    • A compass does not tell us every step to take, but it helps point us in the right direction.

  5. And through aLIVE, I hope our young people develop that sense of direction too — grounded in faith, caring for others, and confident enough to contribute.

From learning to contributing

  1. aLIVE is, of course, about learning our faith.

    • But it is also about what we do with what we learn.

  2. Today, we have seen this through the 3Gs — Gratitude, Graciousness and Giving.

  3. Not just as concepts, but in how our students have worked together, served others and thought about the people around them.

  4. That is one of the things I value about service learning.

    • You learn about the community, but you also learn something about yourselves — what you are capable of, how to work with others and how you can make a difference.

  5. I hope these are experiences you carry with you beyond today.

A place to belong — and to feel safe

  1. Programmes like aLIVE are also about something deeper.

  2. We want our young people to feel connected — to their faith, to the people around them and to their mosques.

  3. We want our mosques to be places where our young people feel comfortable coming back - to pray, learn, meet friends, ask questions, contribute and grow.

    • And they must also be places where our children and youths feel safe.

  4. The recent case involving offences against young people has understandably caused concern, especially among parents.

    • We have heard these concerns.

    • Parents want to know that our mosques are safe for their children, while remaining open and welcoming places for prayer, learning and the wider community.

    • We want that too.

  5. Keeping our children and youths safe is something we must all work together on.

    • Our mosques already have measures to support the safety of children and youths in their programmes and premises.

    • I have asked MUIS and our mosque leaders to build on these - with a common safeguarding approach across our mosques, clearer responsibilities and processes for raising escalating concerns, and stronger guidance on appropriate boundaries and interactions with children and youths.

  6. But measures and processes alone are not enough.

    • We will closely work with parents, families, asatizah and our young people themselves to strengthen how we keep our children and youths safe.

    • This includes helping them understand appropriate boundaries, recognise when something may not be right, and know where to seek help - whether in our physical spaces or online.

    • Our mosques must remain open and welcoming places, and all of us have a part to play in keeping them safe.

Back to our young people

  1. But, today is ultimately about all of you and what you have achieved.

  2. What I have seen here gives me confidence.

    • Our young people are not simply participants in programmes.

    • You have ideas.

    • You can lead.

    • And you care about the people around you.

  3. I hope you carry that with you after today.

  4. There will be many ways for you to contribute — in your mosque, your school, your neighbourhood, or simply by looking out for someone who may need support.

  5. And I hope our mosques will continue to be places where you want to come back — where you find people you trust, where you have opportunities to contribute, and where you know that you belong.

  6. None of this happens without the people who journey alongside our young people.

    • I want to thank our aLIVE asatizah, parents, our mosque leaders, caregivers and partners for the time, care and commitment you give to our children and youths.

  7. To MINDS, Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin Foundation, SalamSG, Club Rainbow, Rainbow Centre, APSN, Yayasan MENDAKI, Al-Muttaqin Mosque and everyone who has contributed to CARE-nival — thank you for making today possible.

  8. And to our Youth aLIVE students: be proud of what you have built today.

  9. Keep that Compass of Kindness with you.

    • Continue learning, contributing and looking out for one another.

  10. May our young people continue to grow with faith, confidence, compassion and a strong sense of who they are.

  11. And may our mosques continue to be places where they can learn, contribute, feel safe and know that they belong.

Wabillahi Taufiq wal Hidayah.

Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.