1.1 All 69 mosques in Singapore have come together to organise the very first “Blessings To All” Day – a Signature event organised by the 'Blessings to All' Committee which comprises chairmen of all mosques in Singapore.
1.2. The Committee was to explore opportunities and organize activities that demonstrate the desired attribute of the Singaporean Muslim community that is to be a community that brings blessings to all.
1.3 It is also an effort by the mosques to help build social capital with the larger Singapore society to further cement the good inter-community relations in Singapore.
1.4 The Blessings-To-All Day is an initiative to institutionalize this spirit to the grassroots level through the mosques. Please see Annex A on the detailed background information of the RLA Committee
1.5 The event is also supported by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), 13 grassroots organizations , 7 inter-faith groups, 20 welfare homes and 9 Malay-Muslim organizations. Please refer to Annex B for the full list of supporters.
1.6 The Guest-of-Honour at the event is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Joining Mr Lee are the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources who is also the Minister in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim; Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan; Mayor of North West District, Dr Teo Ho Pin; and Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Mr Liang Eng Hwa.
2. “BLESSINGS TO ALL” DAY
2.1 At the event, Prime Minister Lee together with the Muis President, Haji Mohd Alami Musa will witness the following:
· Presentation of blood donor pledges by RLA Chairman, Haji Paiman Supangat and four Mosque Chairmen to Singapore Red Cross (SRC)
· Presentation of cheque by Haji Paiman and four Mosque Chairmen to Mercy Relief
· Presentation of cheque by Mayor Dr Teo Ho Pin to Haji Paiman for Blessed Kitchen Project by Al-Iman Mosque (and RLA Project)
2.2 PM will interact with Mosque Chairmen and end the visit by penning down his thoughts on the RLA initiative on a special stationery. See Annex C for the programme
3. BLOOD DONATION DRIVE
3.1 In line with the tagline of the Blessings to All Committee, “Touching Hearts, Enriching Lives” the Committee in collaboration with Singapore Red Cross Society is organising a year-long mass blood donation drive with the objective of achieving 3,500 blood donors and pledges which has the potential of saving 10,000 lives.
3.2 To date, we have already succeeded in getting 897 donors which means saving and enriching the lives of about 2,691 people. Another 750 pledgers have come forward to donate their blood.
3.3 Singaporeans who want to contribute to this year-long blood donation drive can do it at a time of their convenience at any blood donation centre by quoting the code R0278 to the attending officers so that their noble effort will be included in the RLA blood donation drive.
3.4 We have chosen blood donation drive as one highlight of the RLA Day because donating blood in all its simplicity means touching hearts and enriching lives. At the end of the day, our efforts to bring alive the spirit of blessings to all would be meaningless if hearts are not touched and lives are not enriched. Hence, we have chosen 'Touching Hearts, Enriching Lives' as the tagline for the RLA logo.
3.5 Since March 2008, 18 mosques have already conducted RLA Blood Donation Drive.
4. FOOD FOR ALL
4.1 The “Food for All” segment is another attempt at touching hearts and enriching lives. We will be serving food specially contributed and prepared by all mosques on a cluster basis to 1,000 special guests comprising the poor and needy and ellderly of all races and faith groups.
4.2 They came from 20 welfare homes and some are the welfare clients of mosques and grassroots organizations. PM Lee will join them in the reception.that will be held at an open space adjacent to Al-Iman Mosque.
4.3 There will be a variety of food catering to the different dietary conditions of our guests. The preparation of these foods is prepared by all mosques and spearheaded by the women’s wing, MERAK and served to the special guests by mosque and community leaders, their volunteers and Muis staff.
4.4 PM, mosque, community and faith group leaders will distribute goodie bags to all the special guests.
5. SINGAPORE MUSLIM COMMUNITY’S CONTRIBUTION TO VICTIMS OF NATURAL DISASTERS IN MYANMAR AND CHINA
5.1 The Singapore Muslim Community continues to show its outpouring of compassion and care for communities outside of Singapore which are hit by natural disasters and tragedies. The latest such tragedies include the cyclone victims in Myanmar and the earthquake victims in Sichuan, China.
5.2 The RLA Committee has collected $129,000 from the Muslim community which will be presented to Mercy Relief for rehabilitative efforts there.
6. BLESSED KITCHEN PROJECT
6.1 Mayor of North West District, Dr Teo Ho Pin is donating $10,000 from PCF Bukit Panjang to the Blessed Kitchen managed by Al-Iman Mosque.
6.2 The Blessed Kitchen is a project of the RLA undertaken by the Mosque to feed the poor and thereby, give comfort and relief to those who need it most, irrespective of race, language or religion.
7. PM & VIPs PENNING THEIR THOUGHTS ON THE RLA INITIATIVES
7.1 PM, community and the various faith group leaders will pen their thoughts on the RLA initiatives by using special stationeries.
7.2 This will be pasted around the RLA logo that is erected on a special board.
ANNEX A
BACKGROUND OF THE RAHMATAN LIL ALAMIN (BLESSINGS TO ALL) COMMITTEE
1. Muis set-up the “Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin” (Blessings To All) Committee, comprising mosque chairmen representing all the mosques in Singapore in January 2005. The Committee was to explore opportunities and organize activities that demonstrate the desired attribute of the Singaporean Muslim community that is to be a community that brings blessings to all. It is also an effort by the mosques to help build social capital with the larger Singapore society to further cement the good inter-community relations in Singapore. The Blessings-To-All Day is an initiative to institutionalize this spirit to the grassroots level through the mosques.
2. The mosques in Singapore have actually been contributing beyond the local Muslim community for many years. However, the trigger point for the formation of the Blessings-To-All Committee was the Asian Tsunami, in which we saw a spontaneous outpouring of compassion and care for the less fortunate where the Muslim community managed to collect and extended a record $550,000 through the collection by all the mosques in Singapore in aid of the victims of the tsunami. This was channelled through the Mercy Relief.
3. The Committee’s initial activities involved fund raising for humanitarian relief efforts overseas primarily through collection from the friday prayers’ congregation. This included collection for humanitarian relief efforts for
- Victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami,
- Victims of earthquakes in South Asia 2005
- Victims of earthquake in Yogyakarta 2006
- Construction of Community/Prayer Hall in Meulaboh 2006
- Offering of tertiary bursaries to 100 children of victims of the Tsunami 2006
- Victims of Jakarta Floods 2007
- Victims of Myanmar Cyclone 2008 (Latest)
- Victims of Sichuan (China) earthquake 2008 (Latest)
3. In a short period of less than three years, the Committee managed to make a contribution amounting to nearly $1.3 million for such relief efforts
4. Here at home, the Committee undertook numerous “good Muslim, good citizen” and “good Muslim, good neighbour” projects to make a difference in the lives of the poor, needy, challenged and elderly living in the surrounding area of the 69 mosques in Singapore, especially in the last 4 years. The projects were undertaken either independently by the mosques, or in collaboration with grassroots organisations, national institutions, Muslim organizations and other faith communities. The mosques are also encouraged to work together with other parties like other Muslim organizations, faith groups, schools etc in order to further permeate this spirit of bringing blessings to all within the entire Singapore community
5. The following are some examples of the local projects:
(i) Fountain of Blessing by Darul Makmur, Khalid and Jamae Chulia Mosques Public Water-Cooler Project.
(ii) ‘Soup Kitchen’ Project by Muhajidin Mosque with the Lions Club of Singapore to provide food for the elderly poor
(iii) Distribution of staple to the poor and needy by An-Nur Mosque with Metta Home
(iv) Monthly Beach Cleaning Project by Assyafaah Mosque with Canberra Sembawang and Chong Pang RC Zones
(v) Community Patrol by Assyafaah Mosque with Sembawang Neighbourhood Police Post.
(vi) Re-Union Dinner and Home Makeover on Chinese New Year for Chinese poor/needy/elderly by An-Nur Mosque and Sunlove Neighbourhood Link
(vii) Transporting the disabled by En-Naeem Mosque
(viii) Home Repair and Makeover Brigade by Al-Iman Mosque – volunteer repair and sprucing up of homes of poor and needy
(ix) Hospital Visit Programme by Sultan Mosque
(x) Community Tree-Planting Project by Tentera Mosque
(xi) Blessed Kitchen by Al-Iman Mosque – Food for Poor and Needy
(xii) Charity Briyani by Khalid Mosque for President’s Challenge
(xiii) Beach Cleaning at East Coast Parkway by Mydin Mosque and Muhammadiyah
(xiv) Assistance to Fire Victims by An-Ansar and Ar-Raudhah Mosques
(xv) Visit to Celebral Palsy Centre by Al-Istighfar Mosque and Darul Arqam
(xvi) Visit to Sunbeam Place by Al-Firdaus Mosque and Perdaus
(xvii) Blood Donation Exercise to Red Cross at Sultan Mosque, Bencoolen Mosque and Darul Ghufran Mosque.
(xviii) Painting of Pasir Ris Park Shelters by Darul Ghufran Mosque and Coral Secondary School
6. To ensure that the programme are sustained and the Blessings To All spirit is kept alive, the RLA Committee is already planning for year long blood donation exercise involving other mosques and blessed kitchen project to serve the poor and needy in the north west zone organized by Al-Iman Mosque.
7. The Committee will also be planning future projects in collaboration with other Muslim organizations, faith groups, grassroots organizations, schools and other national institutions after the Blessings To All Day.
ANNEX B
SUPPORTERS OF RLA PROJECTS
a) Grassroots Organisation
1) Kaki Bukit CCC
2) Henderson CCC
3) Cashew CCC
4) Bukit Panjang CCC
5) Chong Pang CCC
6) Taman Jurong CCC
7) Clementi CCC
8) Bukit Panjang Zone 7 RC
9) Whampoa CCC
10) Serangoon CCC
11) Nee Soon CCC
12) Hougang CCC
13) Kembangan CCC
b) Interfaiths Group
1) Hindu Advisory Board
2) Sikh Advisory Board
3) Zoroastrian Faith Rep
4) Jain Faith Rep
5) Singapore Taoist Federation
6) The Spiritual Assembly of Bahai’s of Singapore
7) Judaism Rep
c) Welfare homes
1) St Theresa’s Home for the Aged
2) Moral Welfare Home Henderson
3) Man Faat Nursing Home
4) Apex Lodge
5) Jamiyah Home for the Aged
6) Asian Women Welfare Home
7) Bishan Home for the Intelectually Disabled
8) Bukit Batok Home for the Aged
9) Society for the Aged Sick
10) Metta Hospice
11) Sri Narayanan Mission
12) Angsana Home
13) Jamiyah Home for the Aged (Darul Takrim)
14) Association of Children with Special Needs
15) Pertapis Home for the Aged
16) Lion Befrienders & Queenstown Multi Svs Centre
17) Sunlove (Marsiling)
18) Sunlove (Chai Chee)
19) Sri Arasakesari Sivan Temple
20) Swami
d) Malay Muslim Orgsanisations
1) Darul Arqam
2) Muhammadiyah
3) Pertapis
4) Perdaus
5) Taman Bacaan
6) Jamiyah
7) Pergas
8) Singapore Kadayanallur Muslim League
9) 4PM
ANNEX C
RLA SIGNATURE EVENT ON 13 JULY 08 @AL-IMAN
Programme at Mosque Foyer
09.30am Registration of participants for blood donation
10.00am Start of blood donation drive
10.45am Arrival of Guests (Grassroots Advisors of Northwest District, President Muis, Mufti)
11.00am Arrival of GOH (PM Lee)
11.05am Welcoming speech by RLA Chairman, Haji Paiman Supangat
11.10am Speech by President Muis
11.15am Multimedia Presentation on RLA
11.20am Presentation of blood donor pledges by RLA Chairman and 4 Mosque Chairmen to Singapore Red Cross (SRC) – witnessed by PM and Muis President
Presentation of cheque by RLA Chairman and 4 Mosque Chairmen to Mercy Relief – witnessed by PM and Muis President
Presentation of cheque by Mayor Dr Teo Ho Pin to RLA Chairman for Blessed Kitchen Project by Al-Iman Mosque (and RLA Project)
Group Photo session – involving all on stage as well as Ministers Dr Yaacob and Vivian, MP Liang Eng Hwa and Mufti as well as all members of RLA Committee
11.30am Tour to blood donation area
11.40am PM Interact with Mosque Chairmen and ends by penning down his thoughts on the RLA initiative on a special stationery
12.00pm PM proceeds to tentage age. Arrived at tentage area and sits down before being invited to give away goody bags to poor and needy families followed with lunch reception
12.30pm GOH take leave
12.45pm End of event
Programme at tentage area
09.30 am Arrival of guests
10.00 am Performance by Darul Arqam
10.15 am Nasyid Performance by Syamil (Madrasah Aljunied)
10.30 am Kuo Chuan PreSbysterian School performance
10.45 am Magic Show
11.15 am Balloon Sculpture Show
11.45 am Gamelan Performance
12.00 am GOH & VIPs arrival in tentage area
12.05 am National Junior College Choir Performance
12.10 pm Goody bags presentation and followed with lunch
12.15 pm Performance by MADANIS
12.20 pm Performance by Spastic Children's Association
12.30 pm GOH take leave
Press Release from MUIS
“BLESSINGS-TO-ALL” DAY - SIGNATURE EVENT BY SINGAPORE MOSQUES
“BLESSINGS TO ALL” DAY
1. The “Blessings-to-All” (Rahmatan Lil Alamin - RLA) Committee comprising mosque chairmen who represent all the 69 mosques in Singapore is organising a Signature Event – a ‘Blessings to All’ Day - to coincide with the Racial Harmony month. The event is organized by all the mosques in Singapore supported by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), Grassroots Organisation, Muslim Organisations and other faith Organisations in Singapore. The detail of the event is as follows:
Date & Time : Sunday, 13 July 2008 / 10.00 am – 12.30 pm
Venue : Al-Iman Mosque 10 Bukit Panjang Ring Road
Tagline : “Touching Hearts and Enriching Lives” Guest of Honour : PM Lee Hsien Loong
2. This signature programme is an attempt by the mosque community to walk the talk when it comes to living one of the attributes of the Singaporean Muslim identity – to be a community that brings blessings to all.
3. The event also carries an important message to all Singaporeans on the importance of building social capital and bond of togetherness in the larger Singapore community in order to enhance the cohesiveness and resilience of the fabric of our nation to respond to all challenges as one united people.
4. The main highlights for the day:
A. Blood Donation Drive
In line with the tagline of the signature event, “Touching Hearts, Enriching Lives”, the RLA Committee in collaboration with the Singapore Red Cross Society (SRC) is organising a year-long mass blood donation drive with the objective of achieving 3,500 blood donor pledges which has the potential of saving 10,000 lives based on a statistics provided by the Singapore Red Cross that one donor can save 3 lives.
Beginning in March, as a build-up to the July 13 “Blessings-to-All” Day, 17 mosques namely Al-Falah, Assyafaah, Darul Ghufran, Sultan and Southeast Enhanced Mosque Cluster with its 13 mosques had already organised blood donation drives that had resulted in netting 411 donors which means 1,233 lives are saved. In addition, 1,000 people have come forward to pledge their blood.
Two more such drives will be organised in the coming weeks – Bencoolen Mosque (Bencoolen Street) will be organising its drive on Sunday 22 June 08 while Darul Ghufran Mosque (Tampines) will hold this event on Sunday 6 July 08.
On July 13 itself – the RLA Day – the Committee has set a target of getting 250 bags of blood which is the maximum number possible at one location per day according to the Singapore Red Cross Society.
B. Food For All
In addition to the blood donation drive, the Prime Minister will join 1,000 special guests comprising poor and needy and elderly of all races and faith groups, to a reception specially contributed and prepared by all the mosques in Singapore at an open space adjacent to the Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang. The guests from various homes and welfare clients of grassroots organisation and mosques have agreed to attend this event.
There’ll be a variety of foods catering to the different dietary conditions of our guests. These foods will be prepared by all the 69 mosques on a cluster basis through the Mosques’ Women Wing or MERAK. The food will be served by mosque management, staff, volunteers and activists from all the mosques and Muslim organizations.
5. Other invited guests will include community and religious leaders of all the major faiths of Singapore. Other VIPs for the day will include Members of Parliament and grassroots leaders from the Bukit Panjang area.
6. The detailed programme for the day will be issued later.
Unveiling the “Blessings to All” (RLA) Logo
7. As a curtain raiser to the signature event, the RLA Committee representing all the mosques in Singapore is unveiling the “Blessings to All” logo at a media conference on Friday, 20 June 2008.
8. The RLA logo has a tagline, “ Touching Hearts, Enriching Lives”. The logo encapsulates a heart with pink etches which symbolises a healthy lifestyle – in the pink of health both in the physical and spiritual sense – where the words “Blessings to All” are inscribed at the centre of the heart to signify a lifestyle that not only touches everyone but also brings blessings to all. Radiating this spirit by the entire community is represented by the silver portion at the centre of the heart.
9. The rising sun in the logo indicates an enriched life brought about by this spirit of Blessings-to-All. The crescent at the bottom of the logo stands for the hands that are ready and willing to render help and assistance to those in need. This is in keeping with the teachings of Islam that the best among us are those who are able to benefit many others in their life.
10. Ten thousand “Blessings To All” lapel pin depicting the logo will be distributed to members of the public from 20 June onwards at all events of the RLA Committee. This is to encourage the public to embrace the message of always striving to do good to others as a life value. The public is encouraged to put on the lapel pins especially during the RLA Day on July 13 up to July 31. Subsequently, the public is encouraged to put on these lapel pins throughout the year at all events of the RLA Committee.
Public Education to Iconise the Blessings to-All Spirit
11. To ensure that the spirit of Blessings-to-All does not begin and stop with the “Blessings-to-All” Day, many more activities have been planned and will be organized by the mosques in Singapore in collaboration with other Muslim organizations, other faith communities, national and grassroots organizations throughout the year.
12. A number of activities have been planned before the signature event. These include Beach Clean-up by the North West Cluster, Soup Kitchen for all regardless of race, language or religion by the North East and South West Clusters, Makeover Brigade to paint and clean the flats of the poor and needy by the North West Cluster.
13. Following the unveiling of the Logo, several community projects have also been planned. They include Food for the needy, beach cleaning, home visiting project jointly organized by various mosques with their partner organizations.
14. The message of the need and beauty of embracing the Blessings to All spirit has been broadcast through the Friday sermons to the community. This will continue throughout the months of June and July. Weekly talks have also been arranged by the mosque on the same theme throughout this period.
15. The RLA lapel pins would also be distributed to the public, madrasahs, schools, other faith organisations and at grassroots events. The Harmony Centre at An-Nahdhah Mosque in Bishan will welcome its visitors from the schools, grassroots and youth organizations with the lapel pins.
16. A website is currently being constructed to put across the message and the projects being undertaken by mosques and all partnering organizations under the Blessings to All theme for a wider public awareness and participation.
MAJLIS UGAMA ISLAM SINGAPURA
BACKGROUND OF THE RAHMATAN LIL ALAMIN (BLESSINGS TO ALL) COMMITTEE
1. Muis set-up the “Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin” (Blessings To All) Committee, comprising mosque chairmen, in early 2005. The Committee was to explore opportunities and organize activities that demonstrate the attribute of the Singaporean Muslim community being one that brings blessings to all.
2. The Committee’s initial activities involved fund raising for humanitarian relief efforts overseas primarily through collection from the friday prayers’ congregation. This included collection for humanitarian relief efforts for
- Victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami,
- Victims of earthquakes in South Asia 2005
- Earthquake in Yogyakarta 2006 - Jakarta Floods 2007
3. In a short period of less than three years, the Committee managed to make a contribution amounting to over $1 million for such relief efforts. The latest collection for humanitarian relief work was in May and June 2008 namely for the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar and the Sichuan earthquake in China.
4. At home, the Committee undertook various “good Muslim, good citizen” and “good Muslim, good neighbour” projects to make a difference in the lives of the poor, needy, challenged and elderly living in the surrounding area of the 69 mosques in Singapore. The projects were undertaken either independently by the mosques, or in collaboration with grassroots organisations, national institutions, Muslim organizations and other faith communities.
5. The following are some examples of the projects:
(i) ‘Soup Kitchen’ Project by Muhajidin Mosque with the Lions Club of Singapore to provide food for the elderly poor;
(ii) Distribution of staple to the poor and needy by An-Nur Mosque with Metta Home;
(iii) Monthly Beach Cleaning Project by As-Syafaah Mosque with Canberra Sembawang and Chong Pang RC Zones;
(iv) Community Patrol by As-Syafaah Mosque with Sembawang Neighbourhood Police Post.
(v) Re-Union Dinner and Home Makeover on Chinese New Year for Chinese
poor/needy/elderly by An-Nur Mosque and Sunlove Neighbourhood Link (vi) Transporting the disabled by En-Naeem Mosque
The Straits Times - Mosques feed 1,000 needy S'poreans
14 July 2008
Event aims to foster closer ties between Muslims and others
By Zakir Hussain
SCORES of Muslims worked together over the weekend to prepare a hearty Sunday lunch for 1,000 Singaporeans of different races and religions at the Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang.
The spread included beriani, spiced chicken and vegetable dalcha.
Mindful that many guests would be old or have special dietary requirements, the volunteers from various mosques prepared dishes with less coconut milk, fat and oil, and readied mee goreng and porridge for vegetarians.
Toa Payoh resident Wong Wai Yap, 80, beamed as he tucked into a plate of beriani, saying: 'Shiok! I haven't had this for some time.'
He was among those at the inaugural 'Blessings to All Day', an initiative by the chairmen of the 69 mosques here to underline the importance of building ties and sharing what one has with others, regardless of race or religion.
But the mosque leaders' work in this area began several years ago, not long after the December 2004 tsunami.
Spurred by the spontaneous show of compassion from worshippers in raising $550,000 for tsunami victims, at that time, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore and mosque heads set up a Blessings to All committee to help in humanitarian efforts.
To date, it has raised $1.3 million for disaster victims in South Asia, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sichuan, China.
There are also plans to help youth volunteers do humanitarian work abroad.
The committee also encourages mosques to make a difference to others in their neighbourhoods. Some mosques now run projects like soup kitchens and beach clean-ups.
Yesterday, the committee presented a $129,000 cheque to Mercy Relief for survivors of this year's cyclone in Myanmar and earthquake in China.
North West District Mayor Teo Ho Pin also presented $10,000 from the Bukit Panjang People's Action Party Community Foundation to Al-Iman's Blessed Kitchen project for needy residents.
Said Al-Iman chairman Paiman Supangat, who heads the Blessings to All committee: 'We hope that through these activities, the wider community will gain an understanding of Islam as a religion of peace and compassion.'
Lunch guests were treated to musical performances, a magic show and received goodie bags with food items.
The event also saw a blood donation drive - part of the committee's goal to rope in 3,500 donors this year.
Praising their efforts was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who thanked the volunteers for organising a successful and meaningful event.
'Keep up the good work, to be good Muslims, good citizens, good neighbours!' he wrote in a note at the mosque, alongside comments from other well-wishers, who included representatives of major religions in Singapore.
Said Mr R. Bawajee of the Hindu Advisory Board: 'The promotion of sharing among communities facilitates inter-faith harmony.'
Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH.
The Straits Times - Briyani way to building ties
14 July 2008
Volunteers from the Mosques' Women's Wing dishing out lunch for 1,000 Singaporeans at the Al-Iman Mosque.
Yesterday's event marks the first 'Blessings to All Day', an initiative by the heads of the 69 mosques here to build ties and share with others, regardless of race or religion.
The organising committee presented a $129,000 cheque to Mercy Relief for the Myanmar cyclone and China earthquake victims.
North West District Mayor Teo Ho Pin also presented $10,000 from the Bukit Panjang PAP Community Foundation to Al-Iman's Blessed Kitchen project for needy residents.
Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH.
TODAY - Blessings across all lines
14 July 2008
Event at mosques around Singapore aims to strengthen community ties
Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE’S Malay Muslim groups have launched a range of community projects that benefit the under-privileged, regardless of race or religion, in the island’s first ever "Blessings For All Day" event that was held at all 69 mosques across the country yesterday.
Seen against the public unease over the Jemaah Islamiyah-related arrests, the timely inaugural event aims to strengthen the image of the community — one that contributes and brings blessings to all, in line with the teachings of Islam.
"Keep up the good work to become good Muslims, goodcitizens and good neighbours," urged Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who turned up in support of this massive community event at Bukit Panjang.
Significantly, the event was attended by seven inter-faith groups representing the major religions in Singapore.
For the 1,000 people from more than 30 welfare homes and grassroots organisations who turned up, the event provided a good opportunity to interact across racial and religious lines.
Mr P N Karunakaran, president of Sri Arasakesari Sivan Temple, said: "It was good to see all races mixing — there were lots of youngsters, elderly people handicapped people interacting. It was a good gathering."
Event committee chairman Paiman Supangat stressed that the JI problem and all that it portended resulted from a misunderstanding about Islam.
The programme to reach out to non-Muslims would provide a better understanding of the situation.
"It would then be much easier for us to interact with the other communities," said Mr Paiman.
The event also featured a blood donation drive. The target is to get 3,500 donor pledges which can potentially save 10,000 lives.
There was also food distribution to the needy and a donation of $129,000 to Mercy Relief for the Myanmar cyclone and Sichuan earthquake victims.
"Blessings For All Day" will be an annual event to be held every July, during Racial Harmony Month, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).
Note : No reproduction or downloading of this article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from TODAY.
The New Paper - Muslim groups reach out to others
14 July 2008
SINGAPORE'S Malay Muslim groups came together yesterday to reach out to the wider community in a Blessings For All Day event.
The event, the first of its kind, was held at all 69 mosques across the country and attended by representatives from all major religions here.
Mr Paiman Supangat, chairman of Blessings To All committe, said: "The problem of the JI and all that - This happens because of the misunderstanding about Islam. But, with this... the outreach to the non-Muslims - I think it will be better, and if the understanding is better, then the way forward will be much easier for us to interact with the other communities."
Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH.
StraitsTimes.com - 1,000 share feast prepared by mosques
13 July 2008
By Zakir Hussain
SCORES of Muslims worked together over the weekend to prepare a hearty Sunday lunch for some 1,000 Singaporeans of various races and religions at the Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang.
The spread included beriani, spiced chicken and vegetable dalcha.
But the mosque leaders' work in this area began several years ago, not long after the December 2004 tsunami.
Spurred by the spontaneous show of compassion from worshippers in raising some $550,000 for tsunami victims, at that time, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore and mosque heads set up a Blessings to All committee to help in humanitarian efforts.
On Sunday, the committee presented a $129,000 cheque to Mercy Relief for survivors of this year's cyclone in Myanmar and earthquake in China.
Praising their efforts was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who thanked the volunteers for organising a successful and meaningful event.
'Keep up the good work, to be good Muslims, good citizens, good neighbours!' he wrote in a note at the mosque, alongside comments from other well-wishers, who included representatives of major religions in Singapore.
Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH.
The Straits Times - First 'Blessings To All Day'
12 July 2008
ALL 69 mosques here have joined hands for an event that community leaders hope will come to signify what the Muslim community in Singapore stands for.
Called the 'Blessings To All Day', the first of what will be an annual event is being held tomorrow at the Al-Iman Mosque in Bukit Panjang.
The highlight will be the launch of a blood donation drive and the sharing of food with needy Singaporeans. The blood drive will run for a year and aims to attract some 3,500 blood donors and pledges.
As for food sharing, the organisers have planned for some 1,000 needy and elderly Singaporeans of different religious backgrounds to be served food on Sunday.
Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) chairman Alami Musa yesterday provided details of the event and explained the aim behind it.
'What we are trying to do here is a bit of corporate branding: that when Singapore Muslims come to people's minds, the imagery is one of giving blessings to all,' he said.
Muis, together with grassroots organisations, inter-faith groups, welfare homes and Malay-Muslim organisations, is supporting the event, which has been organised by a committee of mosque chairmen.
Tomorrow's event marks the biggest undertaking so far by the 'Blessings To All' committee, which was set up in 2005.
Committee chairman Paiman Supangat described the event as a way for the community to 'walk the talk' and show its positive attributes.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be the guest of honour at the event.
