Masagos Zulkifli on Administration of Muslim Law (Amendment) Bill

Ensuring that the Administration of Muslim Law Act continues to reflect the Muslim community’s contemporary needs and that Muslim institutions stay up-to-date in supporting those needs - this was the crux of changes put up for debate in Parliament on Monday (Feb 5) by Social and Family Development Minister and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli. One major change is to empower the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) to create wakaf in order to provide an additional and sustainable source of funding for the Muslim community’s evolving and future needs. MUIS will also introduce a definition of Muslim religious schools and inspection powers for its officers. This will help it ensure that all Muslim religious schools in Singapore, physical or online, comply with requirements and enable it to take enforcement action against any unregistered institution. MUIS will also enhance its recognition framework for foreign halal certification bodies and expand the membership of its legal or Fatwa Committee. To enhance digitalisation of the Registry of Muslim Marriages’ (ROMM) services, the Bill enables ROMM to issue digital certificates of marriage. A final set of amendments aligns the Syariah Court’s (SYC) processes and powers with those of the Family Justice Courts, enhancing SYC’s power to deliver fair outcomes through a judge-led approach in administering divorces for Muslim families.