Malay/Muslims in Singapore are making a difference today in global and regional events, such as responding to the call to support humanitarian aid efforts for Palestinians and Myanmar's earthquake victims.
For instance, Singapore has so far contributed more than $20 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, said Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli on April 4.
Nearly $2 million of that amount was raised over the last few weeks through the Aid for Gaza campaign organised by local charity Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF).
In the same spirit of care and empathy, the Singapore Civil Defence Force last weekend quickly deployed officers to help with disaster rescue efforts for the victims of the quake in Myanmar, he added.
Speaking in Malay at the annual Hari Raya Get-Together, Mr Masagos said: "This afternoon, RLAF organised a fund-raising collection at all mosques in Singapore after Friday prayers for the earthquake victims in Myanmar.
"The collections will be channelled to the Singapore Red Cross. I encourage all of us to contribute generously where we can."
This is one way for Malay/Muslims to work together and uplift one another, and go beyond the boundaries of Singapore, said Mr Masagos, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.
Much of this, he added, is due to the "extraordinary efforts" of M3 partners and the community. The M3 platform is a tie-up between self-help group Mendaki, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and the People's Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council.
Efforts by Singapore's Malay/Muslims to build a "community of success" have also attracted international attention from countries keen to learn from the Republic's experience, he added.
He said: "I recently visited Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand, and met my counterparts.
"They have expressed interest in our community's progress and look forward to establishing deeper partnerships with us - particularly in knowledge exchange and capacity-building programmes."
Singapore will soon develop a "Forum for Regional Communities of Success", which includes creating opportunities for participants from those countries to take part in mosque-based youth mentoring and community leadership programmes, he added.
There are also plans to work with partners such as the Singapore International Foundation to take volunteers to the three countries and carry out capacity-building programmes, as well as explore scholarships or attachments for Muslim secondary school students from those countries to study in Singapore madrasahs.
In his English speech, Mr Masagos took stock of the progress made by the Malay/Muslim community and touched on how it can build on the robust foundations laid by earlier community leaders.
A key plank in the three-pronged approach for Malay/Muslims to keep moving forward is for the community to unite so it can fulfil its shared aspirations, he added.
"Over the years, our community has nurtured the spirit of gotong royong and strengthened our mutual trust. This trust produces unity, and unity achieves big results," he said.
That is how the community - despite its small population of about 650,000 - raises about $40 million each year for the Mosque Building and Mendaki funds, in addition to $70 million in zakat, the annual tithe paid by Muslims to the needy.
Besides donating, many also volunteer to support those in need, he added.
In 2024, for instance, the 11 towns that are part of the M3 initiative organised more than 160 ground-up initiatives, benefiting more than 65,000 residents.
The second plank is for the community to strengthen bonds with other communities. "This is of existential importance as it contributes to a strong and resilient society in Singapore," Mr Masagos said.
He added that fostering racial and religious harmony has become part of daily life in Singapore, and the presence of leaders of different communities at the event is a testament to a "collective commitment to our life of harmony".
Third, the community must dare to push boundaries and explore new possibilities, and this has been demonstrated by the funds raised for Myanmar's quake victims and Gaza, and the tie-ups with Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand that are in the works.
"I hope that our collaboration will help the minority Muslim communities of Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand shape their own communities of success, thereby contributing to greater peace and progress in their respective societies," he added.
Mr Masagos said a community endowment fund called the Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura has been set up to ensure religious institutions in Singapore remain sustainable in the long term as the community's needs grow.
Later in 2025, Muis will convene a roundtable on wakaf - a type of Islamic religious endowment - with local and international religious scholars, who will look at ways to adopt innovative wakaf administration practices that can be shaped to meet evolving contexts.
This year's annual Hari Raya Get-together was held at the Pan Pacific Singapore hotel, and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Mufti of Singapore Nazirudin Mohd Nasir.
More than 500 guests, including community leaders, asatizah or Islamic religious teachers, foreign dignitaries and interfaith leaders were also at the event.
