Safeguards to Ensure Religious Teachers Accredited under Asatizah Recognition Scheme Do Not Hold Radical Views

17 Mr Mohamed Irshad asked the Minister for Environment and Water Resources & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) what safeguards are in place ensure that the religious teachers who are accredited under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) do not hold radical views; (b) whether there are mechanisms to periodically review and renew the ARS accreditation; and (c) whether there is an independent oversight body to review the ARS accreditation.

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Mr Speaker, the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) requires all Muslim religious teachers, or asatizah, to abide by a Code of Ethics. This includes not encouraging extremism or violence, denigrating other racial and religious groups, committing ethical misconduct and promoting segregationist practices. The Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) oversees the ARS and is supported by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS). The ARB consists of senior and respected asatizah in the community.

In the case of Mr Murad Mohd Said, who was placed on a Restriction Order in December 2018, his ARS-recognition was cancelled in May 2018, after he contravened the ARS Code of Ethics. This is how the ARS system should work. It monitors and takes action to bar those whose views are inimical to social cohesion from preaching.

I wish to assure the Member that the ARB and MUIS take ARS registration seriously. Processes have been put in place to ensure that our asatizah registered with the ARS can perform the role that the community entrusts them to do. These processes include instituting provisional periods of observation and requiring additional interviews when deemed necessary by the ARB. Each asatizah would also be required to renew their registration every three years.

All ARS-asatizah are also required to go for regular training, and their suitability is periodically reviewed. If there are reports or if they demonstrate that they are unfit to be asatizah, such as breaching the Code of Ethics, their ARS status will be cancelled.

Both MUIS and the ARB conduct regular reviews of the ARS system. The ARS is meant to build up and support our asatizah community, so that they are reliable and credible sources of religious knowledge for the Muslim community, and play an important role in fostering peace and harmony. Mr Speaker, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]: I would like to thank our asatizah for their hard work in implementing the ARS. The ARS was made compulsory in 2017 and more than 4,000 asatizah are currently registered under this scheme. Our community also supports this initiative. Through our collective efforts, we can build a Muslim community together that is strong, confident and constantly able to contribute to our nation's progress. The asatizah’s support of ARS is a reflection of their commitment to abide by the Code of Ethics that was established according to Islamic values that are durable, progressive and moderate. This is essential in promoting religious harmony within Singapore’s multi-racial society.

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): I have a supplementary question for the Minister. Assuming an asatizah loses his accreditation, is there a process whereby the asatizah can be accredited again?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: It is not easy for the asatizah to lose his accreditation. He must have been very egregious to have lost it. Therefore, the process of getting him on board should not be too easy either. So, the ARB and MUIS will look into how we can bring such asatizah back to ensure that they do not then regress into the situation when their ARS registration was cancelled in the first place.

Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Mr Speaker, can I just ask the Minister, currently, on the website, it is written that the face-to-face interview for people who are asking for ARS accreditation is conducted on an ad -hoc and case-by-case basis. Perhaps, this might be a useful thing to be made compulsory. But knowing the numbers are big, there may be some limitations. Perhaps, the best way to assess a candidate is when you are actually able to encounter them face-to-face, interact with them and look at their non-verbal communication skills.

Secondly, it is also about the numbers. Has there been any number that can be reported? Since 2017, when the ARS scheme came about, has there been any asatizah who has been reported to be doing something negative or inappropriate?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The interviews are conducted on a case-by-case basis because some of the asatizah come from institutions that we do not know about and the ARB needs to find out more before considering whether to register them. For those who come from established institutions, we are not too worried. But we also do monitor them and we must make sure that we are satisfied that, coming from those institutions, they do not mar the reputation of such institutions by teaching segregationist teachings and so forth.

The second question on the face-to-face interview, it is part of that process. I do take it that the numbers are not extremely difficult to manage, but we have to prioritise.