Malay Muslim leaders rethink future

Malay Muslim leaders rethink future

SINGAPORE (AFP): Malay members of the Singapore parliament
have unveiled the blueprint of a 10-year plan which they say will
fit the Muslim community into the city-state's high-tech drive
into the new economy.

But while the aim is to keep pace with the rest of Singapore
and the world, it would not be at the expense of "our faith and
ethnicity," Muslim Affairs Minister Abdullah Tarmugi said.

Malay Muslims, who account for about 14 percent of Singapore's
population, have publicly argued in the past year over issues
such as how compulsory education will affect Islamic schools, and
whether they should have a greater say in the political
leadership.

Tarmugi, who released details of the 10-year plan at a
gathering of Malays on Friday night, said the community had to
reflect on the type of Muslim society they wanted, their
contribution to Singapore, and how they wanted to be perceived.