Committee formed to review child safeguards in Islamic religious settings after sexual assault case

This comes after a religious influencer sexually abused two young brothers, including one at a mosque, while on bail for another offence.

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad speaking to the media at MUIS on Sep 30, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

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SINGAPORE: A committee has been formed to review safeguards for children and young people in Islamic religious settings after a self-styled religious mentor sexually abused two young brothers , with some offences taking place in a mosque.

The committee will also review frameworks governing the provision of religious instruction, so that the community, especially children and young people, can access credible religious guidance safely, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said on Wednesday (Sep 30).

The committee was announced in parliament on Sep 8 by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad, who said it would examine safeguards across Islamic religious institutions and propose ways to strengthen them.

It comes after the offender, who is a religious influencer and not an accredited religious teacher, raped and sexually assaulted the boys. He was convicted and sentenced in August.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less The man cannot be named due to gag orders protecting the victims' identities.

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

Associate Professor Razwana Begum, one of the co-chairs of a new committee formed to strengthen safeguards in Islamic religious settings, speaks to the media at MUIS on Sep 30, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

The new committee will work with relevant community stakeholders and agencies to make practical recommendations to strengthen safeguards and child protection in religious settings, while maintaining the "open and welcoming" nature of religious institutions.

"The review will take a preventive and community-centric approach, looking at the systems, culture and practices that prevent harm, surface concerns early, and promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young persons," the ministry and MUIS said in a joint media factsheet.

Speaking to reporters at the Singapore Islamic Hub on Wednesday, Mr Zaqy said the committee will conduct its review in an independent and objective manner.

“We want to give them space and latitude to review with independence and objectivity – how we can better improve, how we deliver religious classes guidance, both in the physical space, online space, formal classes, informal classes,” he said.

The committee will be co-chaired by Associate Professor Razwana Begum and Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed.

Assoc Prof Razwana is the head of the global security and strategy programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences and is also the president of the non-profit organisation PPIS, or Singapore Muslim Women's Association.

Mr Fathurrahman is the executive director for the education division at Islamic education centre Andalus Corporation, and the chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), a non-profit organisation.

Over the next few months, the members will be reviewing and talking to various mosque boards and institutions to better understand the challenges on the ground and gaps, as well as how processes and guidelines can be improved, Mr Zaqy said.

The committee is expected to submit its recommendations on two key areas around the end of the year, said MCCY and MUIS. The findings and recommendations will also be shared with the community.

Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed, one of the co-chairs of a new committee formed to strengthen safeguards in Islamic religious settings, speaks to the media on Sep 30, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)

First, the committee will review governance and safeguarding frameworks in mosques, madrasahs and Islamic education centres and providers to better protect the safety and well-being of children and young people.

This includes screening and oversight of individuals who work or volunteer with children and young people, as well as establishing professional boundaries around interactions and activities with children and young people, including organisational practices that promote safe and child-centred environments.

The committee will also look into protocols to report, escalate or respond to incidents, as well as to share information within and across institutions.

The review will cover how institutions respond to an incident on the ground, such as the immediate response, victim support and case management protocols.

Another area of focus is ensuring accessible channels for children, young people and adults to raise concerns, including whistleblowing arrangements and appropriate protections for those who report.

Members of the committee will also look at equipping leaders, staff and volunteers with skills to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns and uphold safeguarding standards and practices.

Second, the committee will review safeguards and oversight for religious instruction in formal and informal settings, as well as a code of conduct and penalties for religious teachers.

This includes precautionary measures while serious concerns or allegations are investigated, and disciplinary action where misconduct is established.

It will look at educating children, young people and parents on appropriate boundaries, raising concerns and seeking help. This includes teaching them about barriers that may discourage or prevent concerns from being raised.

It will also take into account emerging risks, such as online religious influence, digital communications and interactions involving children and young people.

The committee will seek to strengthen the systems, culture and practices that prevent harm and surface concerns early, alongside child protection measures where harm has occurred or a child or young person may be at risk, said MCCY and MUIS.

It will also consider how frameworks and protocols tie in with the broader national child safeguarding and protection system.

The committee will seek views from children, young people and parents to understand their experiences and inform its recommendations.

"Recommendations should be practical and proportionate to institutions' differing contexts and capacities. Relevant lessons and good practices may also be considered for wider application across other religious settings," they added.

Members of the public can also share their views and suggestions through an online feedback form .

The committee has nine members, including the two co-chairs, who bring diverse professional and community experience across areas such as child protection and well-being, law enforcement, governance and risk, Islamic education and religious guidance, as well as online and digital spaces, said MCCY and MUIS.

"This mix of expertise will enable the committee to consider safeguards to prevent harm to children and young persons, and decisive response protocols when they happen," they said, adding that more members and people with relevant expertise may be brought on board as the committee’s work progresses.

Associate Professor Razwana Begum (co-chair) Head of the global security and strategy programme at Singapore University of Social Sciences and president of PPIS, or Singapore Muslim Women's Association

Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed (co-chair) Executive director for the education division at Andalus Corporation and AMP chairman

Ustazah Dr Rohana Ithnin Freelance lecturer and member of the MUIS Fatwa committee

Ustaz Ridhwan Mohd Basor Principal consultant and programme manager of consultancy firm DigitalWell.ai, and member of Asatizah Youth Network

Ms Suree Rohan Audit and tax principal at accounting firm Rohan Mah and Partners, and member of the board of governors at Republic Polytechnic

Assistant Commissioner of Police Masagoes Idris Hussain Commander of the public transport security command at the Singapore Police Force

Ms Ravina Said Abdul Rahman Senior deputy director of operations at the protective service rehabilitation and protection group under the Ministry of Social and Family Development

Dr Quah Saw Han Principal clinical psychologist for psychological services at Community Psychology Hub

Mr Krishnan Aravinthan Zonal director for schools (East) at the Ministry of Education

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此前，一名宗教界网红在因另一项罪行保释期间，性侵了两名幼兄弟，其中一人在清真寺内。

2026年9月30日，代理主管穆斯林事务部长扎基·穆罕默德在新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会（MUIS）接受媒体采访。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：一名自称宗教导师的男子性侵两名幼兄弟，其中一些犯罪行为发生在清真寺内。事后，一个委员会成立，负责审查伊斯兰宗教场所中儿童和青少年的安全保障措施。

文化、社区及青年部 (MCCY) 和新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会 (MUIS) 周三（9 月 30 日）表示，该委员会还将审查有关提供宗教指导的框架，以便社区，特别是儿童和青少年，能够安全地获得可靠的宗教指导。

9月8日，代理穆斯林事务部长扎基·穆罕默德在议会宣布成立该委员会。他表示，该委员会将审查伊斯兰宗教机构的各项保障措施，并提出加强这些措施的方法。

此前，这名罪犯是一名宗教网红，而非注册宗教教师，他强奸并性侵了这些男孩。他已于8月被定罪并判刑。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，大脑筋急转弯 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 由于保护受害者身份的禁言令，该男子不能透露姓名。

由于保护受害者身份的禁言令，该男子的姓名不能公开。

2026年9月30日，伊斯兰宗教理事会（MUIS）新成立的旨在加强伊斯兰宗教场所安全保障的委员会联合主席之一、副教授拉兹瓦娜·贝古姆在MUIS接受媒体采访。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

新委员会将与相关社区利益相关者和机构合作，提出切实可行的建议，以加强宗教场所的保障措施和儿童保护，同时保持宗教机构“开放和欢迎”的性质。

“此次审查将采取预防性和以社区为中心的方法，着眼于预防伤害、及早发现问题以及促进儿童和青少年安全和福祉的系统、文化和做法，”该部和新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会在一份联合媒体情况说明书中表示。

扎基先生周三在新加坡伊斯兰中心对记者表示，委员会将以独立和客观的方式进行审查。

他说：“我们希望给他们空间和自主权，让他们能够独立客观地审视——我们如何才能更好地改进，我们如何才能更好地提供宗教课程指导，无论是在实体空间、在线空间、正式课程还是非正式课程中。”

该委员会将由副教授拉兹瓦娜·贝古姆和乌斯塔兹·法图拉赫曼·达沃德共同担任主席。

拉兹瓦纳副教授是新加坡社会科学大学全球安全与战略项目的负责人，同时也是非营利组织新加坡穆斯林妇女协会（PPIS）的主席。

Fathurrahman 先生是伊斯兰教育中心 Andalus Corporation 教育部门的执行董事，也是非营利组织穆斯林专业人士协会 (AMP) 的主席。

扎基先生表示，在接下来的几个月里，成员们将审查并与各个清真寺理事会和机构进行对话，以更好地了解实际情况中的挑战和差距，以及如何改进流程和指导方针。

文化、社区及青年部（MCCY）和新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会（MUIS）表示，该委员会预计将于年底前后就两个关键领域提交建议。调查结果和建议也将与社区分享。

2026年9月30日，为加强伊斯兰宗教场所安全保障而成立的新委员会的联合主席之一法图拉赫曼·达沃德（Ustaz Fathurrahman Dawoed）接受媒体采访。（图片：CNA/Raydza Rahman）

首先，委员会将审查清真寺、伊斯兰学校和伊斯兰教育中心及提供者的治理和保障框架，以更好地保护儿童和青少年的安全和福祉。

这包括对与儿童和青少年一起工作或做志愿者的个人进行筛选和监督，以及围绕与儿童和青少年的互动和活动建立专业界限，包括促进安全和以儿童为中心的环境的组织实践。

委员会还将研究报告、升级或应对事件的规程，以及在机构内部和机构之间共享信息的规程。

审查将涵盖各机构如何应对现场发生的事件，例如紧急响应、受害者支持和案件管理规程。

另一个重点领域是确保儿童、青少年和成年人能够便捷地提出担忧，包括举报机制和对举报人的适当保护。

委员会成员还将研究如何使领导、员工和志愿者具备识别和应对保障问题以及维护保障标准和做法的技能。

其次，委员会将审查正规和非正规场所宗教教育的保障和监督措施，以及宗教教师的行为准则和处罚措施。

这包括在调查严重问题或指控期间采取的预防措施，以及在不当行为成立时采取的纪律处分。

它将着眼于教育儿童、青少年和家长如何设定适当的界限、提出问题和寻求帮助。这包括让他们了解可能阻碍或妨碍他们提出问题的障碍。

它还将考虑新兴风险，例如网络宗教影响、涉及儿童和青少年的数字通信和互动。

文化、社区及青年部 (MCCY) 和新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会 (MUIS) 表示，该委员会将致力于加强预防伤害和及早发现问题的制度、文化和做法，以及在发生伤害或儿童或青少年可能面临风险时采取儿童保护措施。

它还将考虑框架和协议如何与更广泛的国家儿童保护体系相衔接。

委员会将征求儿童、青少年和家长的意见，以了解他们的经历并为提出建议提供依据。

他们补充说：“建议应切实可行，并与各机构的不同背景和能力相称。相关的经验教训和良好做法也可考虑推广到其他宗教场所。”

公众也可以通过在线反馈表分享他们的观点和建议。

马来西亚文化、社区及青年部 (MCCY) 和新加坡伊斯兰宗教理事会 (MUIS) 表示，该委员会由九名成员组成，包括两位联合主席，他们在儿童保护和福祉、执法、治理和风险、伊斯兰教育和宗教指导以及在线和数字空间等领域拥有丰富的专业和社区经验。

他们表示：“这种专业知识的融合将使委员会能够考虑采取保障措施，防止对儿童和青少年造成伤害，并在伤害发生时制定果断的应对方案。”他们还补充说，随着委员会工作的推进，可能会吸纳更多成员和具有相关专业知识的人员加入。

拉兹瓦娜·贝古姆副教授（联合主席），新加坡社会科学大学全球安全与战略项目负责人，新加坡穆斯林妇女协会（PPIS）主席

乌斯塔兹·法图拉赫曼·达沃德（联合主席），安达卢斯公司教育部门执行董事兼AMP主席

Ustazah Rohana Ithnin 博士 自由讲师兼 MUIS Fatwa 委员会成员

乌斯塔兹·里德万·莫哈末·巴索尔，咨询公司 DigitalWell.ai 的首席顾问兼项目经理，以及 Asatizah 青年网络的成员。

Suree Rohan女士是Rohan Mah and Partners会计师事务所的审计和税务主管，也是共和理工学院理事会成员。

新加坡警察部队公共交通安全指挥部指挥官、助理警察总监马萨戈斯·伊德里斯·侯赛因

拉维娜·赛义德·阿卜杜勒·拉赫曼女士，社会和家庭发展部下属保护服务康复和保护小组的高级副主任

柯绍汉博士，社区心理中心心理服务首席临床心理学家

教育部东部地区学校主任克里希南·阿拉文坦先生

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