SINGAPORE \u2013 When Stamford Raffles came to Singapore in 1819, Indian Muslims from Bengkulu in Indonesia \u2013 then called Bencoolen \u2013 followed him to the island, bringing their faith, culture and community with them.<\/p>\n
These traders, labourers and settlers lived in Bencoolen Street, Prinsep Street and Waterloo Street, with many dhobis – traditional Indian launderers – working along Rochor River.<\/p>\n
They built an attap-roofed structure in Bencoolen Street in 1825 to serve as a mosque for their growing community, marking the establishment of Masjid Bencoolen, or Bencoolen Mosque.<\/p>\n
Over the decades, the mosque has been redeveloped several times. Following the latest renovations<\/span><\/a>, it reopened in 2024 and can now accommodate up to 1,100 congregants at a time, a far cry from the few dozen worshippers back in 1825.<\/p>\n Bencoolen Mosque\u2019s bicentennial was celebrated on Oct 18 with the launch of a book tracing its journey, and the contributions of the Indian Muslim community hailed by Zaqy Mohamad, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Defence.<\/p>\n The mosque, which has become a key centre of Islamic learning in Singapore, is one of the oldest in the country.<\/p>\n Three other mosques here are around two centuries old: Omar Kampong Melaka Mosque, Sultan Mosque and Jamae Mosque.<\/p>\n Speaking at Orchard Hotel at an event marking Bencoolen Mosque\u2019s 200th anniversary, Zaqy said the Indian Muslim community has played a significant role in the development of Singapore and has enriched the heritage of the country\u2019s Muslim community.<\/p>\n Referring to the early Indian Muslim settlers, he said: \u201cThey built this mosque not just to be a place of worship, but as an anchor for their community to find its footing in a new land.\u201d<\/p>\n Through years of giving, service and philanthropy, the community sustained the mosque and ensured that it continued to serve the changing needs of its congregants, he said.<\/p>\n Zaqy added that Bencoolen Mosque has been at the heart of the Indian Muslim community\u2019s deep and enduring contributions to Singapore\u2019s social, cultural and economic fabric by nurturing individuals who serve their families, community and faith.<\/p>\n \u201cThese contributions are not just simply part of the Indian Muslim history \u2013 they are an important part of the Singapore story, of the rich and diverse heritage of our Muslim community here in Singapore,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s Muslim community has always drawn strength from its diversity, said Zaqy, with people of different traditions, languages and experiences sharing a commitment to faith, family and service.<\/p>\n Zaqy also highlighted the Islamic concept of \u201camanah\u201d, which he said has sustained Bencoolen Mosque for two centuries and which must continue to guide its future.<\/p>\n Amanah refers to the responsibility entrusted to people to care for what they have inherited, and to leave something meaningful for those who come after.<\/p>\n Zaqy said the journey of individuals like Bencoolen Mosque\u2019s vice-chairman, Mohamed Abdul Jaleel<\/span><\/a>, embodies the spirit of amanah.<\/p>\n While Jaleel was born in Singapore, his family moved to Chennai in India before returning in 1964 when he was six years old.<\/p>\n His father ran a small convenience store in Singapore, with a young Jaleel helping him and taking on whatever work was needed to support the family.<\/p>\n At Bencoolen Mosque, he and his family found a sense of community, belonging and faith, and he became a mosque volunteer in 1972.<\/p>\n He later founded property and logistics solutions company MES Group, where he is still chief executive, and engaged in philanthropic work supporting students, ex-offenders and the preservation of the Tamil cultural heritage.<\/p>\n Bencoolen Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Singapore, celebrated its 200th anniversary on Oct 18. It has been redeveloped several times since it was established in 1825.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n He has served as Bencoolen Mosque\u2019s chairman and is now the mosque\u2019s vice-chairman.<\/p>\n Jaleel, now 68, noted that the Indian Muslim community is a minority here \u2013 there are seven Indian mosques among the more than 70 mosques in Singapore.<\/p>\n Even so, he believes that in time to come, the community will be able \u201cto do better not only for their families, but also for Singapore and their culture and heritage\u201d.<\/p>\n Bencoolen Mosque chairman Mohamed Rafeeq Mohamed Yusoof said: \u201cOne of our key priorities is nurturing the next generation of mosque leaders and volunteers. Our vision is to see more youth come on board, not just as participants, but as stewards of Masjid Bencoolen\u2019s legacy for the next 200 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 When Stamford Raffles came to Singapore in 1819, Indian Muslims from Bengkulu in Indonesia \u2013 then called Bencoolen \u2013 followed him to the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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