A Pulau Ubin tour guide said he felt his identity as a Singaporean Malay-Muslim has been “attacked” after a call for investigatioan surfaced about his recital of the azan — a Muslim call to prayer — during a tour of the island in 2024.
Nor Syazwan Abdul Majid, the 29-year-old curator and guide of Malay Kampung Heritage Tour, said in a May 18 post that an individual had called for an investigation towards him after he recited the azan while conducting a free tour for the public as part of an Ubin Day celebration.
The prayer, recited five times a day, was performed at the former Pulau Ubin Mosque. Mr Syazwan explained that it was for participants to “experience the soundscape” of the island, if the mosque and the Ubin Orang Pulau community — the indigenous coastal community of Pulau Ubin — had still existed.
Mr Syazwan expressed “disappointment” that the purpose and intention of the tour appeared “to have not been understood by this individual”.
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He added that he would continue performing the azan, as he felt it was his “social duty” as a descendant of the Ubin Orang Pulau to keep the culture alive.
The guide called for greater openness to understanding one another’s cultures, traditions, and religions, as “this is what it means to be Singaporean”.
He also noted that the call for investigation was concluded shortly “after relevant authorities and parties have been clarified of the context and intention”.
Guide felt identity was ‘attacked’
In a follow-up post on May 22, Mr Syazwan shared screenshots of comments from netizens criticising his performance of the azan, with one calling it “ridiculous”.
