Community Involvement of Arab Immigrants

Source 1: An extract about the community contributions of Syed Omar Ali Aljunied.

The first Wakaf we know about in Singapore was created in 1820. This is the Wakaf of the Omar Mosque in Kampung Melaka, beside the Singapore River. It was endowed by Syed Omar Ali Aljunied – a successful trader from Indonesia but who came originally from the Hahdramaut (now known as Yemen). Syed Omar also made a Wakaf of the Bencoolen Mosque and the properties that supported it. A number of important Wakaf in Singapore were established in the 19th Century – by merchants who had come from Yemen and brought with them the rich tradition of Wakaf from the land of their birth.

Reference:

Majilis Ugama Islam Singapura. (Accessed in 2020). History of Wakaf in Singapore. Retrieved from https://www.muis.gov.sg/wakaf/About/History-of-Wakaf-in-Singapore

Source 2: An introduction of a Waqf in the Arab community.

A waqf is an unincorporated trust, an endowment that is established under Islamic law and holds land or real estate in perpetuity for the benefit of the family and their descendants, while maintaining social provisions for the poor. Although there are both public and private waqf, in Singapore there was no distinction between the two, and a fundamental motive for the creation of a waqf by a wealthy patriarch was to avoid fragmentation of his assets through taxation or family feuds. The public aims included religion and education as well as political and economic motives… and upon the death of all the descendants, it was to be transferred to charity.

Reference:

Brown, R. (2008). Islamic endowments and the land economy in Singapore: The genesis of an ethical capitalism, 1830–2007. South East Asia Research, 16(3), 343-403. Retrieved December 10, 2020, from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.sg/stable/23751009

Source 3: An extract on how the Arabs helped to provide for the poor.

I have just seen a laughable sight. A huge wooden bowl, some two feet in diameter and full of boiled rice, was placed in the middle of the sterrt; a crowd of Arabs immediately squatted round, all plunging in their hands at once, and licking their fingers with monstrous delight. The mess vanished rapidly; everyone who passed was invited to partake…

… I afterwards learned that this was a gift to the poor on the occasion either of a marriage, a circumcision, or a death – St. John’s Two Year’s Residence in a Levantine Family.

Reference:

The Straits Times. (1851, June 24). Feeding the Hungry. Retrieved from http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes18510624-1.2.7

Source 4: An extract on the philanthropy of the Arabs in Singapore.

By the 19th century, Arabs in Southeast Asia dominated trade, commerce and maritime networks. They operated the largest fleets and vessels in the Indo-Malay archipelago, and the port of Singapore became the hub of Hadhrami shipping. For a time, Singapore was also the major transit point for Hajj pilgrims.

Hadhrami Arabs were instrumental in the spread of Islam in the region. Many held high positions in civic and religious affairs or took part in politics. Others owned large swathes of land in the early colonial days — an estimated 50 percent of Singapore’s total land mass at one time, according to one scholar.

Known for their philanthropy, they also donated much of their land for cemeteries, hospitals and places of worship including famous landmarks such as St. Andrew’s Cathedral and Singapore’s first mosque, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka — both of which still stand today.

Reference:

Tan, J. (2018, July 20). Singapore’s Arab community traces ancestral roots to Yemen’s Hadhramaut Valley. Arab https://www.arabnews.com/node/1342016/world

Source 5: The philanthropy works of the Aljunieds.

This culture of philanthropy and giving was not an afterthought, but took root quite early on in Singapore’s development. Their contributions served not just the Arab or Muslim community – but also the wider Singaporean community.

Singapore’s first mosque, Masjid Omar Kampong Melaka, located at its original site in Keng Cheow Street, was established with the generosity of Arab pioneer, Syed Omar Aljunied. It was built just a year after 1819, one of the earliest landmark of Singapore, and will reach its bicentennial next year. Today, this mosque continues to serve the Muslim community in Singapore.

Syed Ali Aljunied followed his older relative’s example and donated additional funds towards the construction and maintenance of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital when it moved to its new site in the 1850s. TTSH was the first hospital in Singapore completely funded by the people, including our Arab pioneers.

Reference:

Fu, G. (2019, October 26). Stories of Arab community woven into Singapore’s multicultural tapestry. Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, at the Launch of the Arab Association Singapore’s Heritage Exhibition, at Wisma Geylang Serai Retrieved from https://www.mccy.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-resources/speeches/2019/oct/stories-arab-community

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