Appointment of the New Fatwa Committee (2022-2025)

26 January 2023

1. Muis celebrates the appointment of the new Fatwa Committee (legal committee), as it welcomes 1 new appointee to its Full Member and 7 new members as Associates to the committee. The appointment of new members is part of Muis’ continuous effort to mould the next generation of asatizah as they contribute their well-thought and well-researched opinions in fatwa on complex contemporary socio-religious issues.

2. Ustaz Firdaus Yahya is appointed as Full Member, replacing Ustaz Hj Ali Mohammad. Ustaz Firdaus previously served as Full Member during the 2016-2019 term, and had served as Associate Member during the last term (2019-2022). Ustaz Hj Ali Mohammad will continue to serve as Senior Associate of the Fatwa Committee for the new term.

3. Mufti and the four Full Members will be supported by 24 Associate Members of the new Fatwa Committee. Out of the 24, there are 7 new members whose expertise includes research, curriculum development and overseeing a social welfare organisation.

4. In his speech at the appreciation and appointment ceremony held recently, Mufti recognised the immense contributions of the outgoing Fatwa Committee (2019-2022). He highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic had challenged the Committee’s readiness to lead and think out of the comfort zone, whilst at the same time, produce religious guidance which brought hope and direction for the religious lives of the Muslim community.

5. To this end, Mufti thanked the Fatwa Committee as their contributions earned Singapore recognition with the Imam Al-Qarafi Award for Distinction in Fatwa from the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide, led by Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta (fatwa authority) in 2022.

6. Moving forward, Mufti encouraged the new Committee to take the lessons learnt from managing the Covid-19 as they begin their new term. He outlined that in providing guidance for current and future issues, there should be a fresh application of Islamic traditions to contemporary issues. The committee should also deliberate on moral and ethical considerations and look at long-term implications. This approach will further empower the Committee to produce innovative, progressive, and contextualised fatwas for the Muslim community to lead their religious lives confidently.

7. The Fatwa Committee three-year term has begun from 23 September 2022 and will end on 6 August 2025.

MAJLIS UGAMA ISLAM SINGAPURA