Public Consultation on Amendments to Administration of Muslim Law Act

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth

Consultation Period: 25 May 2026 - 22 Jun 2026

Status: Open

Detailed Description

AIM 

The Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth (“MCCY”) invites the public to give feedback on amendments to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (“AMLA”). The consultation period for the new amendments will be from 25 May to 22 June 2026. 

BACKGROUND 

2. The AMLA provides for the establishment of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (“MUIS”), the Syariah Court (“SYC”) and the Registry of Muslim Marriages (“ROMM”). It was last amended in February 2024 to empower MUIS to create and administer the Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura, and better exercise its functions to support the Muslim community, such as oversight of religious schools and halal certification. Administrative amendments were also made to streamline and digitalise ROMM and SYC processes. 

SCOPE OF THE CONSULTATION 

3. In this round of amendments, MCCY intends to amend AMLA in three areas: 

   1. Provide for the administration and oversight of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (“SCIS”) as part of MUIS’ statutory functions; 

   2. Enhance SYC’s judicial processes to strengthen considerations for child welfare and reduce the burden on Muslim couples undergoing divorce; and 

   3. Align ROMM processes with provisions in the Women’s Charter. 

PROPOSED AMLA AMENDMENTS 

A. Provide for the administration and oversight of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies 

4. The SCIS is Singapore’s first Islamic college dedicated to the development of asatizah, or religious teachers, and will open in 2028. SCIS will play an important role in developing future asatizah with the capabilities to provide contextualised religious guidance for our Muslim population living in a multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore. It will also groom religious leaders who are equipped with competencies to contribute beyond the religious sector, such as in social work and counselling. To achieve this, SCIS will adopt a unique interdisciplinary approach, grounded on Islamic principles and traditions, to enable Muslims to respond, thrive and contribute actively to our diverse society and the modern world. 

5. SCIS was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in 2025. Similar to the autonomous universities (“AUs”) in Singapore, SCIS will have the autonomy to administer its own constitution, as well as develop its own policies and rules under its own internal governance structures. Areas such as the Islamic Studies programme and overall academic direction of SCIS will be overseen by the executive committee of SCIS. At the same time, given SCIS’ significance to the Muslim community and the role of MUIS in supporting the college, we will amend the AMLA to strengthen the institutional governance and standing of SCIS.  

6. The amendments to AMLA will therefore introduce SCIS-related provisions to:

   1. Include the oversight of SCIS as part of MUIS’ statutory functions[1]. As part of MUIS’ oversight of the SCIS, MUIS will provide funding for SCIS from existing community sources that it administers, such as the Mosque Building and MENDAKI Fund (MBMF), Zakat, and Wakaf. As the religious authority, MUIS will also oversee the provision of tertiary religious education at SCIS, and facilitate the recognition of SCIS graduates as Islamic teachers under MUIS’ Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS).

   2. Provide legislative recognition of SCIS and its powers to confer and award degrees. SCIS will be empowered to award degrees, diplomas and certificates in respect of tertiary religious education, including the SCIS undergraduate degree in Islamic Studies. This provision takes reference from similar legislation governing the Autonomous Universities (AUs)[2], and will advance SCIS’ standing as a credible, local Islamic college.

   3. Accord the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs oversight of some administrative and financial aspects of SCIS. Today, the AUs in Singapore are each governed by their respective Acts, which grants the Minister of Education oversight of (i) the AU’s accountability and quality assurance framework; (ii) access to its financial records; (iii) powers to appoint its Board of Directors; and (iv) powers to approve key decisions such as amending its university constitution. The AMLA amendments will give the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs similar oversight of SCIS in these areas, to ensure sound management and governance of SCIS in the long term. This is important to establish from the outset, as the college will be supported with community funds. 

7. MUIS will also be provided with powers to uphold the standards of religious teaching of the SCIS. Teachers and lecturers involved in Islamic instruction at the SCIS will be required to be recognised as religious teachers by MUIS under the ARS. They will therefore have to comply with the Code of Ethics and professional continuing education requirements that are in place under the scheme, and will be regulated by MUIS in the same way that MUIS regulates teachers at Muslim religious schools today.   

8. For consistency with legislative provisions typically applicable to student organisations under AUs, the AMLA amendments will also provide that student bodies constituted in SCIS will be governed by the Societies Act 1966, unless exempted by the Minister for Home Affairs.

B. Enhance SYC’s judicial processes to strengthen considerations for child welfare and reduce the burden on Muslim couples undergoing divorce 

9. The SYC plays an essential role in adjudicating marital or family disputes amongst Muslim families. It ensures that the outcomes of these cases are in the best interests of the children and therapeutically just for all parties involved. We regularly review SYC’s judicial and administrative processes under AMLA, to ensure that they effectively meet the needs of the Muslim community in Singapore, and that Muslim families in Singapore have access to the same legal protections as non-Muslim families, insofar as they are permissible under Muslim law. Our objective is to preserve marriages where possible; where this is not possible, we aim to reduce distress and bring greater clarity to families navigating disputes and divorce-related matters, particularly for the children involved. 

10. The following amendments have therefore been proposed to give SYC clearer powers to put children’s welfare first, as well as reduce any unnecessary procedural steps where religious and legal requirements can still be properly met, to avoid further strain on families. 

Strengthening considerations for child welfare 

11. AMLA will be amended to enhance SYC’s judicial processes to strengthen considerations for child welfare and bring it in line with the Women’s Charter. 

12. First, we will formalise SYC’s powers to make orders to allow the relocation of a child outside Singapore or prevent a child from being taken out of Singapore. This applies to cases where the divorcing parties are unable to agree, and where SYC determines that such orders would be in the child’s best interests. SYC has observed an increasing demand for such orders, driven by the rising numbers of transnational marriages and the trend of overseas work relocations. This amendment would help ensure that these Muslim families will benefit from similar legal protections under Muslim law, in line with the relevant sections of the Women’s Charter. 

13. Second, we will include a provision clarifying that the paramount consideration of SYC is the welfare of the child when dealing with matters relating to children. This amendment is aligned with principles already established in Muslim law.   

Reducing the administrative burden on Muslim couples undergoing divorce 

14. We will also make several amendments to enhance SYC’s processes by reducing the administrative burden on Muslim couples undergoing divorce, while upholding the integrity and rigour of the divorce process under Muslim law. SYC must continue to be satisfied that the grounds of divorce have been proven and are valid in accordance with Muslim law. All parties will also be required to undergo SYC’s Marriage Counselling Programme before filing the application for divorce, to ensure that they are first guaranteed an opportunity to resolve their marital issues and sustain the marriage. 

15. Building on this foundation, we will simplify some procedural requirements for divorce proceedings to remove unnecessary hardship on a party, including the costs of additional court sessions, where SYC has determined that the intent of such requirements can be met through other means. In particular, SYC need not appoint hakam (marital conciliators) in cases where both parties agree to dissolve the marriage by way of talak tafwidh[3]. It will also have the discretion to waive the requirement for sworn testimony of two witnesses in certain applications of fasakh[4]. 

16. Next, we will reduce the administrative burden for foreign Muslim divorces[5], while putting in place the necessary legislative safeguards in line with the Women’s Charter. Specifically for foreign Muslim divorce cases, parties will need to obtain permission from SYC prior to the application, as well as prove that Singapore is the most appropriate forum to bring the application. 

17. The AMLA will be amended to empower SYC to make orders on the division of matrimonial property, similar to the process for local Muslim divorces today. Currently, couples who have undergone a foreign Muslim divorce must go to two different courts to seek ancillary orders: (i) to SYC for issues on nafkah iddah[6] and mutaah[7]; and (ii) to the High Court for the division of matrimonial assets. This amendment will allow parties to settle their affairs at SYC, rather than having to do so at two different courts. SYC will also be able to hear these cases as long as either party is domiciled in Singapore or habitually resident in Singapore for at least 3 years, in line with the current requirements. 

18. In the same vein, we will empower SYC to make child-related orders upon a foreign Muslim divorce. These include orders on the custody, care and control of and access to children of parties, which currently come under the Family Justice Courts (FJC) through the Guardianship of Infants Act. Today, families with children who have undergone a foreign Muslim divorce have to go to the FJC for child-related orders and to SYC for other ancillary orders. This amendment will allow them to settle their affairs collectively at SYC. Similar to para 17, SYC will also be able to hear these cases as long as either party is domiciled in Singapore or habitually resident in Singapore for at least 3 years, in line with the current requirements. 

C. Align ROMM processes with provisions in the Women’s Charter 

19. Finally, we will amend AMLA and its subsidiary legislation to prescribe a minimum period of stay for Muslim marriages, where at least one party must have been physically present in Singapore for the prescribed period before the date of application. We intend to set the prescribed period at 31 days, similar to that for civil marriages in the subsidiary legislation. 

SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS

20. In summary, the proposed amendments to the AMLA are as follows:

    1. Include the oversight of SCIS as part of MUIS’ statutory functions;

    2. Provide legislative recognition of SCIS and its powers to award degrees;

    3. Accord the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs oversight of some administrative and financial aspects of the SCIS;

    4. Formalise SYC’s powers to make orders to allow the relocation of a child outside Singapore or prevent a child from being taken out of Singapore;

    5. Clarify that the paramount consideration of SYC is the welfare of the child when dealing with matters relating to children;

    6. Simplify some procedural requirements for divorce proceedings, i.e. to remove the need for hakam for cases of talak tafwidh, and to allow SYC the discretion to waive requirements for applications on the ground of fasakh;

    7. Empower SYC to make orders on the division of matrimonial property upon a foreign Muslim divorce;

    8. Empower SYC to make child-related orders upon a foreign Muslim divorce; and

    9. Prescribe a minimum period of stay for Muslim marriages involving a party who is neither a Singaporean Citizen nor Permanent Resident. 

GUIDELINE FOR SUBMISSION OF COMMENTS 

21. We request that all interested parties submit their comments on the proposals for the new regulations using the feedback form in the link here. All submissions should be sent no later than 22 June 2026, 6.00pm. 

22. Respondents are also requested to follow these guidelines

    1. Please indicate your name and the organisation you represent (if any) as well as contact details (email address and/or telephone number) within the template to enable us to follow up with you to clarify any points, if necessary. 

    2. Where respondents feel that the proposed amendments can be improved, it would be helpful to give details on the potential operational/implementation issues anticipated, and share specific suggestions to improve the amendments where possible. 

23. We will review all comments received during the consultation and refine the proposals where appropriate, based on feedback received during this consultation. We will then publish a summary of the main comments received on the REACH website, together with our responses, after this consultation exercise closes. Identities of the respondents will not be disclosed in the summary.

[1] MUIS’ current statutory functions include administering matters related to haj, halal certification, Muslim endowments, collection of zakat, mosques and Muslim religious schools in Singapore.

[2] Reference has been taken from the powers granted to the Minister of Education under the Singapore University of Social Sciences Act 2017.

[3] Talak tafwidh is the dissolution of Muslim marriages in which the husband delegates pronouncement of divorce to the wife. The requirement to appoint marriage conciliators could be waived in cases where there is mutual agreement for divorce and the Court deems a marriage conciliator unnecessary.

[4] Fasakh is the annulment of Muslim marriages due to harm or breach of marital obligations. The requirement of two sworn witnesses could be waived if the grounds of fasakh can be proven through other means and obtaining two witnesses is not practicable.

[5] A foreign Muslim divorce is one in which parties had obtained a divorce from a foreign court of competent jurisdiction to SYC

[6] Nafkah iddah is the financial support given by husband to wife during the period of waiting after divorce.

[7] Mutaah is the conciliatory gift given to the wife by the husband upon a divorce.