Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka Book Launch “A Reverent Journey: 1820-2020 and Beyond”

Mrs Josephine Teo

Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Mr Sa’at Abdul Rahman

President of Muis

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Assalamualaikum wr wb. Saya amat berbesar hati kerana dapat bersama hadirin sekalian untuk merasmikan penerbitan buku “A Reverent Journey” yang merakamkan sejarah penting Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka sejak 200 tahun yang lalu. Buku ini mencerminkan pembangunan negara kita selaku pembinaan dan pertumbuhan Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, iaitu antara masjid yang sulung di Singapura. Sejarahnya menggambarkan peranan penting yang masjid-masjid memainkan sebagai nadi masyarakat Islam di Singapura dan juga sebagai perantara dalam isu-isu semasa seperti keharmonian antara agama. Dalam pada ini, saya juga mengucapkan tahniah kepada Muis atas penghargaan antarabangsa Anugerah Imam Al-Qarafi yang diiktiraf kepada Jawatankuasa Fatwa SG baru-baru ini. Izinkan saya meneruskan ucapan saya dalam bahasa Inggeris.

I am happy to launch this milestone publication, “A Reverent Journey, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka”, which captures the significant history of the mosque over the last 200 years.

The publication mirrors the development of our small city state – a story of how an institution with humble beginnings survived the challenges and crisis of the past two centuries and continues to serve the needs of the community, while remaining strong and relevant in a fast-changing environment. 

Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka was built in a village that was known as Kampong Melaka near the Singapore river by an Hadhrami Arab businessman from Palembang named Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied. He built the mosque to express his gratitude for his growing business ventures in Singapore. He would not have envisaged that the tiny but busy waterway would witness the flourishing of a nation due to its strategic location in a global trade route.

In its early days, the mosque served the religious needs of those living in the village and the new arrivals and migrating Muslims from the region. Today, the mosque serves the socio-religious and community bonding needs of a highly diverse clientele. 

The book also shares how the families close to the founder were active in keeping the legacy alive throughout the decades, with the mosque declared a historical site in 2001. Some of the descendants are here today. It is important to preserve its history together with the support of the descendants of the founder.

Over time, mosques became essential nodes to build greater inter-religious harmony. I am happy to learn the mosque has reached out beyond its physical space to bring different faiths together. Some examples of these include, a joint Ramadan Breakfast with the Committee members of Kreta Ayer Racial and Religious Harmony Circle to build greater understanding of the Islamic festivals and tenets within the interfaith circles, as well as the Heritage Dash@One Community Fiesta involving visits to the different places of worship. The mosque also participated in the Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival organised by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan at the Thian Hock Temple. In 2021, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka launched Project Kukoh to assist the needy families residing in the rental blocks at Jalan Kukoh. The programmes organised include religious, motivational talks, financial assistance, and food rations for the residents.

Most recently, the mosque has also supported efforts to prevent radicalism amongst youths, arrest the spread of COVID-19, as well as many other worthy causes from health promotion to going green.  It is a laudable effort to keep the mosque timely and relevant to the needs of the community, including reinforcing and re-affirming the faith of the community.

I congratulate all those who have contributed in one way or another to the longevity, prosperity, and good management of Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka in the last 200 years. This is an important responsibility which you have carried out with commitment and dedication.

Your efforts and the efforts of all those who came before you are truly commendable. I would also like to call upon the current and future leaders of the mosque to remain agile and creative in lifting the institution forward and fulfil the spiritual, mental, and social needs of the community and the larger Singapore society. It is important for the mosque to develop a core of young leaders to continue with the good work of building the spirituality of the community and ensuring the relevance of the mosque in serving the needs of the community. Let me thank all those who were involved in the book for capturing the history of the mosque and in doing so, a part of the history of Singapore.

Wabillahi Taufiq Wal Hidayah, Wassalamualaikum wr wb.