By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz
SINGAPORE, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- The upcoming Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS) will offer full-time undergraduate degree programme in Islamic Studies and Social Sciences, in partnership with both local and international institutions.
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that for the Social Sciences pathway, SCIS will collaborate with the Singapore University of Social Sciences, while for the Islamic Studies pathway, the partners will be Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, the University of Jordan, and Morocco’s Al-Qarawiyyin.
“Leaders of these institutions, as well as other universities like Al-Azhar in Egypt, have expressed their support for SCIS. In fact, they will sit on its advisory panel, contributing valuable perspectives on contemporary issues impacting Muslim minorities,” he said at the M³ forum on Sunday.
He said students can choose to major either in Islamic Studies or Social Sciences.
Wong, who is also finance minister, explained that the dual-track approach will provide students with a solid foundation of knowledge to qualify as asatizah (religious teachers), as well as practical skills to pursue careers in religious and related fields, such as social work.
He highlighted that the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), with the government’s support, has established the governance structures for SCIS, with a steering committee led by Mufti Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir.
Wong said the establishment of SCIS will strengthen Singapore’s capacity to nurture and develop a pipeline of future asatizahs.
“We want them not to have only the knowledge and skills to provide religious guidance for our Muslim communities, but to also have an understanding of religion that is contextualised for living in a diverse multi-cultural society like Singapore, and to guide our Muslims in responding confidently to issues of the modern world,” he added.
The college, first proposed in 2016, was mentioned again by Wong in his first National Day Rally speech in August.
-- BERNAMA
