PUBLISHED ONNovember 03, 2026 10:30 AMBYHelmy Sa'atSingapore is set to take a significant step in strengthening its Islamic institutions and support for Muslim families.
Proposed amendments to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) will recognise Singapore's first Islamic college, introduce streamlined procedures for certain Muslim divorce cases and strengthen protections for children, Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad said during the Bill's Second Reading in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 3).
The Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS), which will welcome its first cohort in 2028, will offer an undergraduate degree in Islamic Studies, alongside elective modules in social sciences such as counselling, social work and psychology.
Students will also have opportunities for overseas immersion at established Islamic institutions and internships beyond the traditional religious sector, including in social services, family law and Islamic finance.
Zaqy said the college would provide an alternative pathway for madrasah graduates to pursue higher Islamic education locally while remaining connected to international Islamic scholarship through partnerships with institutions in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
SCIS has established partnerships with Dar al-Ifta in Egypt, the University of Jordan, Al-Qarawiyyin University in Morocco and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
"Our future asatizah must be deeply grounded in Islamic knowledge and tradition, while understanding the society in which they serve," he said.
The amendments will establish an oversight framework under which the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) will oversee SCIS' provision of tertiary religious education, while the college retains autonomy over its strategy, administration and academic policies.
An advisory panel comprising scholars and leaders from international Islamic institutions and local universities will also advise the college on global education trends and research opportunities.
The Government will fund a significant proportion of SCIS' non-religious components, including its social sciences modules and campus infrastructure, while MUIS may provide funding from community funds such as zakat and wakaf, subject to applicable requirements.
Funding may also come from the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF), in line with the applicable requirements governing those funds.
Turning to Muslim marriages and divorce, Zaqy stressed that the amendments are not intended to make divorce easier.
"These amendments are not intended to encourage divorce, nor do they lower the substantive legal requirements for obtaining one," he said.
"We will continue to support reconciliation wherever possible. What we are doing is removing unnecessary procedural burdens, while strengthening safeguards for families, particularly children."
The proposed amendments will also remove certain procedural requirements in Muslim divorce proceedings without changing the substantive grounds for divorce, Zaqy said.
Couples who agree to divorce through talak tafwidh, in which a husband delegates the right to pronounce divorce to his wife, will no longer need to appoint hakam, or marital conciliators.
The Syariah Court may also waive the requirement for two sworn witnesses in fasakh applications, which seek the annulment of Muslim marriages due to harm or breach of marital obligations, if other evidence is sufficient.
Muslim couples who have obtained a divorce overseas will also be able to seek financial and child custody-related orders through the Syariah Court, instead of having to navigate proceedings across multiple courts.
The amendments will also require at least one party to an intended marriage to have stayed in Singapore for a minimum period if either party is neither a Singapore citizen nor permanent resident, although the Registry of Muslim Marriages may waive the requirement in appropriate circumstances.
Zaqy clarified that the requirement applies even if only one party is not a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, and that only one party needs to satisfy the minimum period of stay.
He said these changes are intended to ease the burden on families facing marital breakdown.
"When families are already going through such a difficult period, we should be helping them find a way forward, not adding to their burden. Our laws and institutions must reflect that same compassion," he said.
"Through the amendments to our marriage and divorce laws, we are reaffirming the importance of marriage, strengthening fairness and compassion when families face difficulties, and placing the welfare of children at the centre of our decisions," Zaqy said.
The amendments will explicitly establish the welfare of children as the paramount consideration in Syariah Court (SYC) decisions concerning them, in line with existing principles under Muslim law.
The court will also be empowered to make orders preventing a child from being relocated overseas and to specify where a child should reside as part of custody, care or control orders.
Zaqy said these powers would allow the court to consider the impact of an overseas relocation on a child's education, stability and relationships with both parents.
Existing safeguards for overseas Muslim divorces will remain, with parties required to obtain the SYC's permission before applying for financial and child-related orders, and the court will consider whether Singapore is the most appropriate jurisdiction to hear the matter.
"Whatever difficulties parents may face with one another, their children deserve to grow up feeling safe, loved and supported," Zaqy said.
"A marriage may end. But a parent's responsibility to their child does not," he added.
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