Asatizahs can help Malay/Muslim community even more: Masagos

Nearly 30,000 Malay/Muslim couples have benefited from a programme to support them in their marital journey, with a study showing positive results.

- Syarafana Shafeeq

Since 2019, Bersamamu has paired soon-to-be-wed couples with a solemniser to journey with them before their big day and within the first two years of their marriage.

A study by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Registry of Muslim Marriages in 2022 found that couples were highly satisfied with the programme, and said it was useful in guiding them.

The programme was expanded in August 2023 to rope in female asatizahs, or religious teachers, to provide religious and emotional advice to women on familial and spousal issues.

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said Bersamamu is one of two programmes that Singapore's asatizahs are encouraged to take on.

He added that there are many people who work as asatizahs and have the potential to effect larger change in the community.

“They are training themselves to provide beyond the religious services – like social work and counselling. That has got our asatizah community to uplift and upgrade themselves in order to address the issues upstream and prevent the problems that every society faces, like divorces,” he said.

Mr Masagos, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development, was giving a five-year update by M3 – a collaboration between the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), Mendaki and the People's Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council – on Oct 10 to the media at the Singapore Islamic Hub.

The second programme by M3 that asatizahs have also taken up is one to address the reoffending rates in the Malay/Muslim community.