Singapore's second mufti dies aged 87
SINGAPORE – Shaikh Syed Isa Semait, Singapore's longest-serving mufti, died on July 7 at the age of 87.
The Republic's second mufti, he served in the role for almost four decades, beginning in 1972, when he took over the role from former Syariah Court president Sanusi Mahmood.
In 2011, he was succeeded by Dr Fatris Bakaram, who served as mufti until 2020.
The mufti is Singapore's highest Islamic authority, overseeing key religious rulings for Muslims here.
In a statement to the media, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) described Shaikh Syed Isa's death as a 'great loss to the Singapore Muslim community and the nation', noting he had helped set up many key institutions surrounding the religious life of the community here.
These included establishing the use of astronomical calculations to determine Islamic calendar dates, as well as institutionalising the collection and disbursement of zakat, the annual tithe paid by Muslims to the needy.
'He also oversaw the management and growth of our wakaf properties and the establishment of an internationally credible and reliable Halal Certification system,' Muis said.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August
Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses
Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions
Singapore Construction starts on Cross Island Line Phase 2; 6 MRT stations in S'pore's west ready by 2032
Singapore Shell heist: Second mastermind gets more than 25 years' jail for siphoning $100m of fuel
Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia found dead on the beach
Singapore Jail for ex-auxiliary police officer who loaded one bullet and accidentally discharged revolver
Singapore $1.46b nickel scam: Ng Yu Zhi opts to remain silent after judge calls for his defence
As mufti, Shaikh Syed Isa led the Fatwa Committee – a panel of top Islamic scholars here which issues religious rulings – to work out solutions for challenging and contentious issues concerning Singapore's Muslim community.
Some difficult issues he dealt with were the inclusion of Muslims under the Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota), with Muis noting Shaikh Syed Isa was able to 'rally the authorities and community to accept a unique solution for the community' before Muslims were fully included under the Hota system in 2007.
'In addition, Shaikh Syed Isa also led efforts to deal with the arrest of the Jemaah Islamiah groups and supported the effort to establish the Religious Rehabilitation group in rehabilitating the detainees and their family among many others,' the council said.
'His unwavering commitment and tireless efforts to promote a confident and progressive Muslim community have left a lasting impact on Singapore and beyond.'
Shaikh Syed Isa's funeral prayer, held at the Sultan Mosque, was led by Habib Hassan Al-Attas, the imam of Ba'alwie Mosque.
Among those who visited the Sultan Mosque to pay their last respects were Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
In social media posts, PM Wong said Shaikh Syed Isa's leadership helped shape key institutions, strengthened religious administration, and supported the growth and development of Singapore's Malay/Muslim community.
'He leaves behind a lasting legacy through the generations of leaders and scholars he mentored,' he added.
Speaking to the media at the mosque, SM Lee described Shaikh Syed Isa as a 'great Singaporean' who had played many roles over the years, including serving on the Presidential Council for Minority Rights and the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.
Mr Lee said he first met Shaikh Syed Isa in 1988, when the former mufti discussed the issue of the Group Representation Constituency with a Select Committee that Mr Lee sat on.
'He understood what it took to make Singapore a harmonious society, where the religious minority could be able to live with their own space, and in harmony with the other groups,' he said.
Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim was among the congregation for the funeral prayer, together with his predecessors Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli and former cabinet minister Yaacob Ibrahim.
'His calm scholarship, deep understanding of Islamic jurisprudence, and humility laid the foundation for a confident, progressive, and inclusive Muslim community,' said Associate Professor Faishal in social media posts.
'His passing is a profound loss not only to the Muslim community, but to Singapore as a whole. His legacy will continue through the institutions he helped build and the generations he inspired including through the Syed Isa Semait Scholarship, which nurtures future asatizah leaders,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Australia says China is likely to spy on its military drills with the US
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The comments by a government minister came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. SYDNEY - Australia's government on July 13 said it expects China to spy on major military drills it is conducting with the United States and other allies. It also renewed a charge – denounced by Beijing as a 'false narrative' – that China wants to establish a military base in the South Pacific. The comments by a government minister came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a six-day visit to China to bolster recently repaired trade ties. More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join in the annual Talisman Sabre exercise from July 13 across Australia and Papua New Guinea. 'The Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017 and it would be very unusual if they didn't do that this time,' said Pat Conroy, Australia's minister for the defence industry and for Pacific Island affairs. 'We'll obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence around Australia,' he told Australian public broadcaster ABC. 'People observe these exercises to collect intelligence around procedures, around the electronic spectrum and the use of communications, and we'll adjust accordingly so that we manage that leakage.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Government looking at enhancing laws around vaping to tackle issue of drug-laced vapes in Singapore Singapore Why the vape scourge in Singapore concerns everyone Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons Singapore Organised crime groups pushing drug-laced vapes in Asia including Singapore: UN Singapore Prison school to NUS: At 36, former drug abuser finds it's never too late to get a degree Singapore Driver arrested after 66-year-old woman dies in car crash at Geylang pasar malam Singapore Bland and boring? Some hospitals seek help from big names to enhance food menus for patients Asia Patriotism, peace and pain: The politics behind China's World War II narrative The strategically important South Pacific region is at the centre of a diplomatic scramble for influence pitting China against its Western rivals. 'We're seeing in my portfolio of the Pacific, China seeking to secure a military base in the region,' said Mr Conroy, who has previously made the same assessment. 'We're working very hard to be the primary security partner of choice for the region, because we don't think that's a particularly optimal thing for Australia.' China inked a secretive security pact with Pacific nation Solomon Islands in 2022. Although the details have never been published, the United States and close ally Australia fear it may be the prelude to some kind of permanent Chinese base. Australia wants 'a balanced region where no one is dominated and no one dominates', Mr Conroy said. China's embassy in Fiji this month insisted claims that it wanted to set up a military base in the region were 'false narratives' driven by 'ulterior motives'. Beijing has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building sports stadiums, presidential palaces, hospitals and roads in Pacific island nations. Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Nauru have in recent years severed longstanding diplomatic links with Taiwan in favour of China. AFP
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Mexico sure it will strike deal with US to skirt tariffs
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Behind the scenes, work has been advancing between the Sheinbaum and Trump administrations. Mexico is projecting confidence that it will fend off a new set of 30 per cent tariffs that US President Donald Trump threatened on July 12 to impose in August, with talks already underway to avert the worst. After Mr Trump went public with his plan by posting on social media, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum noted in speeches near the northern border that every country has been getting a letter from Mr Trump as he implements global protectionist policies. Her team had already begun discussions with the US on July 11 and she was confident Mexico would get a deal. 'We've had some experience with these things for several months now,' Ms Sheinbaum said at a clinic opening in Ensenada, Baja California. 'And I think we're going to reach an agreement with the United States government.' Mexico-US relations have taken a bumpy turn since June, with increasing roundups of migrants by US agents, the border shuttered to livestock due to a screwworm infestation in Mexico , US Attorney-General Pam Bondi's reference to the neighbouring country as an adversary, and the financial strike by the US Treasury on three Mexican financial firms accused of aiding fentanyl traffickers. Mr Trump's letter threatened new tariffs on Mexico due to a lack of progress in challenging the country's drug cartels. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Government looking at enhancing laws around vaping to tackle issue of drug-laced vapes in Singapore Singapore Why the vape scourge in Singapore concerns everyone Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons Singapore Organised crime groups pushing drug-laced vapes in Asia including Singapore: UN Singapore Prison school to NUS: At 36, former drug abuser finds it's never too late to get a degree Singapore Driver arrested after 66-year-old woman dies in car crash at Geylang pasar malam Singapore Bland and boring? Some hospitals seek help from big names to enhance food menus for patients Asia Patriotism, peace and pain: The politics behind China's World War II narrative But behind the scenes, work has been advancing between the Sheinbaum and Trump administrations. Mexico is still in a favourable position relative to the rest of the world and its poised to benefit from protectionist US policies over the medium term, according to Bloomberg Economic's Felipe Hernandez. That outlook assumes the US does not apply the 30 per cent rate to goods that are compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement. That exception is part of the plan, but the situation remains fluid, a US official cautioned. Continuing the exclusion for both Mexico and Canada narrows the scope of Mr Trump's continental tariffs and would be a lifeline to sectors like the auto industry that rely heavily on the USMCA pact, which was renegotiated under Mr Trump's first term. Mexico and the US established a new binational working group on July 11 to address security, migration and economic issues, according to a statement posted on July 12 by Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard on X. The first major task of the group will be to find an alternative to the tariffs and 'protect jobs on both sides of the border', the statement read. 'We told the group that this treatment is unfair and that we're not in agreement,' read the statement, jointly signed by the Economy and the Foreign Affairs ministries. The US president said the 30 per cent tariffs are separate from sectoral ones and could be raised if Mexico retaliates. 'Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground,' Mr Trump wrote. 'If Mexico is successful in challenging the Cartels and stopping the flow of Fentanyl, we will consider an adjustment to this letter.' On July 11, the son of Sinaloa drug cartel kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman Loera pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges and agreed to cooperate with US prosecutors. The US has blamed the Sinaloa Cartel for leading the fentanyl trade, importing chemicals from China to make pills in Mexico and smuggle them into the US. On July 9, US Treasury extended a deadline that will cut off three Mexican financial firms from the US financial system for potentially aiding in money laundering from the fentanyl trade. The US praised Mexico's cooperation in the move. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Driver arrested after 66-year-old woman dies in car crash at Geylang pasar malam
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. SINGAPORE - A man was arrested after the car he was allegedly driving crashed into a pasar malam stall in Geylang on July 11. A 66-year-old woman died in the accident. The police said they were alerted to the incident at Block 52A Circuit Road at about 11.45pm . The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic. The car's driver, a 40-year-old man , was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and driving without a licence and insurance. Police investigations are ongoing. In photos posted to Facebook page SGRV Front Man on July 12, showing the aftermath of the accident, a GetGo car is seen to have rammed into the side of a flight of stairs. The car appears to have crashed into a pasar malam stall. Bits of what appear to be food remnants are seen splattered across the top and back of the car. Surrounding the car are items - including a table, styrofoam boxes and plastic bags - in a state of disarray.
