A Pulau Ubin tour guide’s recital of the azan, or Muslim call to prayer, meant to immerse participants in the lives of the island’s former residents has allegedly led to a complaint against him.
Nor Syazwan Abdul Majid, curator and guide of Malay Kampung Heritage Tour, said he was informed by NParks on Monday (May 18) that someone had asked the authorities to investigate him for reciting the azan during a 2024 free public tour of the island as part of Ubin Day celebrations.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Syazwan, 29, a descendant of Ubin residents, expressed his “disappointment that the purpose and intention… appears to have not been understood”.
“I was made aware that a call for investigation had been made towards me for [reciting] the Muslim call to prayer at my Malay Kampung Heritage Tour. I wish to make clear that I will continue [reciting] the azan,” wrote Syazwan.
‘It’s for participants to experience’
Syazwan told AsiaOne the azan during the 2024 tour was recited at the former grounds of the Pulau Ubin Mosque as part of a two-and-a-half-hour heritage walk.
“It is where the Pulau Ubin Mosque once stood, and throughout its time the azan would’ve been called there. However, since the mosque was demolished in the early 2000s, the azan has not been heard there for over two decades,” he shared.
“As the azan was called for about two minutes, I invited participants to just appreciate the soundscape of the area, which includes the sounds of cicadas, waves crashing by the nearby shore and leaves on the trees rustling in the wind.
