New committee to strengthen safeguards in Islamic religious institutions after child sexual abuse case in mosque

SINGAPORE: A committee will be formed to examine safeguards across Islamic religious institutions and propose ways to strengthen them, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad said in parliament on Tuesday (Sep 8).

This follows the case of a self-styled religious mentor who sexually abused two young brothers, with some offences taking place in a mosque, while he was on bail. He was convicted and sentenced in August.

The offender was not an accredited religious teacher. Mr Zaqy described him as a regular congregant at the mosque.

"He gathered informally with small groups of youths in the main prayer hall. These were not religious classes that were approved or sanctioned by the mosque," said Mr Zaqy, adding that this is a common practice.

The man cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the victims' identities.

Mr Zaqy said the new committee will be led by two chairpersons who are respected members of the community: Associate Professor Razwana Begum and Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed.

The committee's composition and terms of reference will be announced later. It will report directly to Mr Zaqy and its findings will be shared with the community.

Members of parliament (MPs) filed parliamentary questions related to the case after it was reported in the media.

The government is also considering expanding the scope of criminal background checks for those who work with children to cover more types of roles, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming.

He added that this may include voluntary screening for those working in unregulated sectors. "This could take the form of a certificate-based system, which several members have proposed," said Mr Goh.

Considerations include the practicability of screening requirements for employers, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises.

"However, when it comes to such things, the safety of our children will have to take priority," he said, adding that more details will be shared when ready.

Mr Goh said that the government must work through many considerations, including how to manage the compliance burden and operational constraints being placed on employers.

"Another important consideration is also the need to strike a balance between the protection of children and young persons, and the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders," he said.

He added that the government will consult various industries and sectors to understand the potential challenges so that the screening framework can be implemented successfully. This will involve "many sectors, especially many of the unregulated ones", he said.

Currently, people applying for roles involving sustained contact with children and young persons are screened for past offences, including sexual offences, if these roles are regulated by public agencies.

This includes those applying to be full-time mosque staff, recognised asatizah or religious teachers, employees in Ministry of Education schools and Early Childhood Development Agency-licensed preschools, as well as members of SportSG's National Registry of Coaches.

Employers in unregulated sectors are not required to verify employees' criminal records. They may ask prospective employees to declare any past offences and consider this in their hiring decisions.

KEEPING RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS SAFE

Mr Zaqy noted that the offender in the sexual abuse case posted religious content on social media.

"Through that online presence, and his interactions with the victims at the mosque, they came to see him as someone they could trust for religious guidance.

"What were, in fact, informal unsanctioned interactions felt like religious classes to the victims. This was not a failing on their part. He cultivated that impression deliberately," Mr Zaqy said.

"This case exposes a troubling matter. Someone with no formal authority can still build a following online, and position himself as a trusted guide to young people seeking religious knowledge. That trust was then used against them to inflict harm on them.

"We cannot be complacent about this. In fact, we owe it to the victims and their families to learn from this incident and do something about it."

One of the mandates of the new committee is to look at emerging risks, including online influencers in religious education, he said.

Mr Zaqy added that existing screening measures at mosques include pre-employment staff screening and approval requirements for external religious classes. Recognised asatizah are also subject to a code of ethics and accreditation renewal every three years.

He said that he has asked the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) to work with mosques, parents and the community to strengthen safeguards.

"Our mosques must remain open and welcoming, while ensuring that every child, every parent, every congregant can worship and learn safely with confidence. This means establishing a common safeguarding approach across all our mosques," he said.

Mr Zaqy said this involves clearer reporting and escalation protocols, closer monitoring of informal gatherings involving minors, safeguarding awareness training for staff and volunteers, and periodic safeguarding checks.

"It also means partnering with parents, children and youths closely to equip our children to recognise inappropriate behaviour, understand personal boundaries, and more importantly, know who to turn to when something does not feel right."

WHY OFFENDER WAS GRANTED BAIL

The offender was arrested for the first time in December 2021 after a teenage boy reported him to the police for molestation. He was released on bail.

He then sexually abused the two brothers between 2022 and 2024. He was arrested in April 2024 and placed in remand after that.

MUIS was informed in July 2025 of the sexual abuse allegations against the man.

Mr Goh responded to MPs' questions on considerations for granting bail, as the offender was out on bail when he sexually abused the two brothers.

A person who has been arrested must be released on bail by the police, unless he or she is charged in court and the court exercises the power to order otherwise, said Mr Goh.

"In this case, further investigations were necessary to decide whether the person could be charged. The allegation against the individual was being denied and he had no prior record of similar offences."

The man was therefore released on bail with the usual conditions. After this, he continued to report to the police regularly as required.

"A fundamental principle of our criminal justice system is that an individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty save in accordance with law," said Mr Goh.

He pointed out that in most cases, an offender who has been charged in court must be offered bail unless the offence is non-bailable.

"The court will consider whether there is clear public interest to deny bail, such as where the offender has committed a serious offence that indicates he is a danger to the public, has shown a risk of reoffending while on bail, or may obstruct justice by absconding or tampering with witnesses."

These factors were not present in December 2021 when the man was first arrested, he said.

Subsequently, a police report was made in 2024 alleging that the man had committed rape while on bail. This was a serious allegation with substantive evidence supporting it, said Mr Goh.

"This fundamentally changed the assessment. The police then moved swiftly to arrest and charge him in court. The police objected to bail on public safety grounds, and he was remanded until he was convicted and sentenced."

"NO STRONG PUBLIC INTEREST" TO INFORM MUIS EARLIER

Mr Goh added that the police generally do not disclose the names of people who are being investigated, including to other government agencies.

The man in this case was not a registered asatizah, and there was no evidence that he held any formal appointment, role or affiliation with the mosque.

"He was an individual who engaged in informal religious sharing in his private capacity. On this basis, MUIS was not informed in 2021," said Mr Goh.

Mr Zaqy said that MUIS was informed by the police in July 2025 that the man would be charged for sexual abuse of children, including offences in the mosque.

"He had already been in remand since April 2024 and posed no further threat to the public," said Mr Zaqy.

MUIS acted by issuing an advisory in August 2025 to all mosques to strengthen safeguards for minors by ensuring adequate security camera coverage and training staff to identify suspicious behaviour.

MP Saktiandi Supaat (PAP-Bishan-Toa Payoh) asked if MUIS could have been informed earlier following the man's 2024 arrest.

Mr Goh said the police assessed that there was "no strong public interest" to inform MUIS until investigations were completed in 2025, when they did so.

"In general, we avoid compromising the integrity of ongoing investigations unless there are very strong reasons which may warrant such disclosure," he said.

Mr Goh said he had asked the police if they could have anonymised the information and shared this with MUIS so it could take some action in the meantime.

"The police shared with me, and I do agree with their position, that sharing anonymised case information can still lead to speculation, which could end up inadvertently prejudicing the rights of the accused," he said.

The police assessed that there were insufficient reasons to inform MUIS, even with names withheld, he said. The man was already in remand and no longer posed a threat to the community.

"Second, in order for MUIS or government agencies to put in effective remedial measures where warranted, they need the full and the proper facts, including the circumstances which contributed to the commission of the offence."

Such information would only be available after the investigations were completed, said Mr Goh.