Secularism and Spirituality

This compilation provides a systematic overview of the development andchallenges of Islamic education in Singapore. After the introduction by NoorAishah and Lai Ah Eng, Chee Min Fui focuses on the historical evolution ofmadrasah education (chapter 1) and Mukhlis Abu Bakar highlights the tensionbetween the state’s interest and the citizens’ right to an Islamic education(chapter 2). In chapter 3, Noor Aishah elaborates on the fundamental problemof the madrasah’s attempt to lay the educational foundation of both traditionaland rational sciences. Azhar Ibrahim surveys madrasah reforms inIndonesia, Egypt, India, and Pakistan in chapter 4, while Afiza Hashim andLai Ah Eng narrate a case study of Madrasah Ma`arif in chapter 5. Tan TayKeong (chapter 6) examines the debate on the national policy of compulsoryeducation in the context of the madrasah, and Syed Farid Alatas (chapter 7)clarifies the concept of knowledge and Islam’s philosophy of education,which can be used to assess contemporary madrasah education.Formal madrasah education in Singapore began with the establishmentof Madrasah Iqbal in 1908, which drew inspiration from Egypt’sreformist movement. This madrasah was a departure from traditionalIslamic education, which was informal and focused only on the traditionalsciences and Arabic. The madrasah’s importance and popularity in Singaporewas attested to by the fact that at one point, Madrasah al-Junied was“the school of choice for students from the Malay states, Indonesia and thePhilippines” (p. 10). After the Second World War, there were about 50-60such schools, mostly primary, with about 6,000 students using Malay asthe medium of instruction. The number declined with the introduction ofMalay-language secondary schools in the 1960s ...