Mufti Nazirudin appointed to Presidential Council for Minority Rights
The Mufti of Singapore has become the newest member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, said the President’s Office in a statement on Feb 1.
With the addition of Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, the council now comprises 17 members. His three-year appointment took effect the same day the statement was issued.
Dr Nazirudin, who has a PhD in theology from the University of Oxford, became the fourth Mufti of Singapore in 2020 after a career at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis.
Singapore’s top Islamic leader is also a member of the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony and the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.
“As mufti, Dr Nazirudin has played a pivotal role in guiding the Singapore Muslim community to navigate key challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, championing progressive Islamic thought and practice, and strengthening religious harmony in Singapore,” the statement said.
Besides Dr Nazirudin’s appointment to the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, Cardinal William Goh, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore, and Mr Surjit Singh, a former chairman of the Sikh Advisory Board, will be reappointed as members of the council.
Their reappointments will take effect on April 1 and last three years.
Established in 1970, the council ensures that laws passed in Parliament do not discriminate against any racial or religious community.
It advises Singapore’s president on nominees to the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.
It also advises the Malay Community Committee and the Indian and Other Minority Communities Committee to certify minority candidates for parliamentary elections.
Now chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, the council comprises five permanent members who are appointed for life and other members who are appointed for three years by the president on the advice of the Cabinet.
The five permanent members are Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, former Cabinet minister S. Dhanabalan and former Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi.
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