Minnarets stand tall amid the skyscrapers<\/p>\n
Mehru Jaffer, Contributor, Singapore<\/p>\n
Amid the towering glass and steel architecture of Singapore,
\nit is thrilling to spy a glittering inlay of numerous minarets
\nand domes of not one but many mosques that dot the island
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
The contrast is amazing, from the grandeur of the Sultan
\nMosque in Kampung Glam to the modesty of Masjid Hussein Sulaiman,
\nwith just zinc sheets for walls and a rooftop.<\/p>\n
What helps to recognise a mosque in the end is not its
\ndazzling architecture alone but the symbol of the crescent and
\nstar, no matter how humbly it is carved.<\/p>\n
The other sign that a mosque has been found is the large empty
\nspace of the prayer hall. At the end of this space is a hollow
\nniche in the wall and to its right the only furniture is a
\nplatform from where the sermon is given by the leader of the
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
Although Muslims are a small minority in Singapore, there are
\nat least 71 mosques from various times, of dissimilar shape, size
\nand color. The impact of Islam here is said to be considerable.<\/p>\n
Dr. Albakri Ahmad, divisional director of religious affairs,
\nMajlis Agama Islam Singapore (MUIS) and chairman of Madrasah Al-
\nIrsyad management board, feels that Singapore needs madrasah
\n(religious schools) to ensure that the community has a ready pool
\nof a well educated, religious elite that can teach and lead
\nother Muslims to contribute toward nation building.<\/p>\n
Those budding scholars may be found at the mosques dotting the
\ncity state.<\/p>\n
While the Malabar Mosque built by Muslim immigrants from the
\nsouth Indian Malyalee community has a peacock blue facade and a
\ngolden dome, the leaning tower of the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque from
\n1825 looks more like a church steeple than a minaret. It was
\nbuilt in 1845 by a Malay heiress married to a Bugis. Here the
\nwaters of the quaint well are still used by worshippers to wash
\nthemselves before they enter the recently restored skylight
\nroofed hallway leading into the main hall to pray.<\/p>\n
Masjid Khadijah's scalloped arches are of Mughal Indian
\ninfluence, but the niche inside has Indonesian patterns with the
\nMasjid Al-Amin bearing resemblance to the sloping roofs found in
\nWest Sumatra. The columns at the Abdul Gafoor Mosque from 1907
\nare Corinthian and the working language here is Tamil, spoken
\namong immigrants from Tamil Nadu, south India.<\/p>\n
The mosque at Kampong Holland is one place famous for its
\nsermons delivered in the English language.<\/p>\n
Kampung Melaka's Masjid Omar in the heart of Singapore's
\nbusiness center remains the oldest place of worship for Muslims,
\ndating back to 1820. Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied, an Arab merchant
\nfrom Palembang in southern Sumatra, built a simple mosque here
\nthat was fortified as a brick structure by his son Omar 35 years
\nlater. The place accommodates 500 worshippers and was officially
\ndeclared a historical site last November. It is a focal point for
\nall believers to this day.<\/p>\n
Indian and Arab traders had come to the region armed not just
\nwith wares but also with Islam for the first time in the 12th
\ncentury. Today it continues the mosque continues to be a
\nfavourite hub of office workers in designer suits who throng here
\nin large numbers, especially for the afternoon prayer on Fridays.<\/p>\n
It is in Kampung Glam on the banks of the Rochor river that
\nSultan Hussain Shah met the first British visitors to the island
\nin early 19th century and eventually ceded Singapore to the East
\nIndia Company.<\/p>\n
Kampung Glam was home not just to the Malay people but
\nsprawled into a cosmopolitan settlement of Muslims from different
\ncountries and cultural backgrounds to become Singapore's oldest
\nMuslim quarter.<\/p>\n
The scaffolding around the emerald green and delicately
\nfiligreed pillars of the ancient Masjid Al-Abrar, next door to
\nthe oldest Chinese temple dedicated in 1821 by Taoist-Buddhist to
\nthe mother of heavenly sages, resembles bandages wrapped
\nlovingly by renovators involved in rapid repair work who promise
\nto restore the mosque to its former glory.<\/p>\n
New mosques with ultramodern facilities are constantly built
\nalong with the construction of a new public housing development
\narea.<\/p>\n
For most Muslims cannot imagine life without a mosque, which
\nis considered to be not just a place of worship but a community
\ncenter where they like to come to cleanse the body and soul.<\/p>",
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