SINGAPORE'S FIRST WOMAN (MUSLIM) PRESIDENT: It's your character, not gender...

Singapore’s First

Woman (Muslim) President:

Mme Halimah Yacob

It’s not your gender but your

character that matters!

(M. Javed Naseem)

“He it is Who has placed you as viceroys

of the Earth and has exalted some of you

in rank above others, that He may try you

by (the test of) that which He has given you.

Lo! Your Lord is swift in prosecution; and

Lo! He verily is Forgiving, Merciful.”

(al-Quran 6:165)

According to Maaqil, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said:

“Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never get even the smell of Paradise.”

The new President of Singapore, Mme Halimah Yacob, is of Indian descent from her paternal side and Malay descent from maternal side. Her father was a watchman who died when she was eight years old, leaving her to be brought up by her mother. So, she is well aware of all the sufferings and problems of single mothers’ children. But she overcame all hardships with a lot of courage and patience.

She was educated at Singapore Chinese Girls School and Tanjong Katong Girls School, before going on to the National University of Singapore where she completed an LLB (Hons.) degree in 1978. She was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981. In 2001, she completed an LLM degree, and was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NUS on 7 July 2016. On 6 August 2017, Halimah announced that she will step down as Speaker of Parliament and MP of Marsiling to run for the presidency in the 2017 Singapore presidential election.

Halimah is married to Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee, a retiree of Arab descent, and has five children. Halimah is a Muslim. She lives in a public flat of Housing & Development Board in Yishun.

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Halimah’s story is Singapore’s story –

How they have come that far together

and what they aspire to be as a nation!

All countries facing apartheid, racism

and Islamophobia can learn from

Singapore experience.

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Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said she symbolizes, visibly, the country's perseverance with the "nobler dream" of a multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore. He said:

“Your early years were of hardship and privation. But you studied and worked hard, to get a good education and a steady job to support your family. In time you achieved success, but you never forgot the poverty of your childhood. You went out of your way to help those in need, and enable many others to succeed as you yourself have done.

Your life story symbolizes the sort of society that we aspire to be, and reminds us that the Singapore Story is one of hope and opportunity.”

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Singapore’s chief justice, Mohammed Alhabshee,

is also a Muslim and he maintains the best justice

system in the world. Judges of other nations should

see a good role-model in him and try to deliver

justice to minorities without prejudice!

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Todayonline adds:

Halimah Yacob said: “The Presidency is the highest office in our land and is a key institution in our democracy. It unifies our nation by embodying our shared values as a people – multi-racialism, meritocracy, and stewardship. These values are even more important today, guiding us as we find our way forward in a troubled and uncertain world.”

“Our first President, Encik Yusof Ishak, together with our other founding fathers, established the foundations of multi-racialism during Singapore’s formative years. They understood that multi-racialism does not mean ignoring or forcibly erasing differences between ethnic groups. Instead, they recognized our diversity, and took steps to reassure every community that they were a unique and valued part of our society. I am glad that our founding leaders went beyond enshrining multi-racialism in our national pledge, to entrench it in key national policies like housing, education, and security. With these strong foundations, we have been able to build a diverse yet cohesive community."

"I grew up in Selegie House, in a multi-racial neighborhood. I attended Singapore Chinese Girls’ School, and had classmates and friends from all races. In the unions, I served workers regardless of their race. As a Member of Parliament, I took care of the needs of Singaporeans from every race and religion. I am proud that I belong to a country that does not just say it is diverse, but lives out this diversity every single day.”

She said: “We have made great progress building a multi-racial society over the years, but we also know that this endeavor is a constant work in progress. We need guideposts to help us along this journey. For example, integration in housing and schools is now part of our social landscape. Had we left them on their own, they might have taken a different direction.”

“Meritocracy is another of our core values. We believe that all Singaporeans should have the opportunity to get a good education, and a good start in life, regardless who your parents are, or where you come from. We firmly believe that anyone who works hard should be able to realize his or her full potential, and make valuable contributions to society.”

The new president promised: “I will use the President’s Challenge to uplift the less privileged in our society. Beyond giving immediate help, we must also assist needy families to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. I thus welcome the Government’s plans to make major investments in early childhood education, to get those from humble backgrounds off to a good start, ready to do well in our meritocratic system. I also welcome the major investments in skills upgrading, to help their parents earn more and enjoy better job security.”

 “The last core value I want to speak about is stewardship. Stewardship includes taking care of one another, and working together to solve the problems we face today. Socially, we have to take care of our ageing population and growing healthcare needs. Economically, we have to prepare workers and businesses for new jobs and opportunities. And in terms of security, we must deal with divisive forces that are sweeping across the world, including the twin threats of extremist terrorism and Islamophobia.”

“Our honest and capable public service is a precious asset that enables us to perform well as a nation, and hold our own internationally against bigger and better endowed competitors. I will do my duty to ensure that new appointments to critical posts measure up to our high standards of integrity and ability. In my previous roles, I have seen how much we can achieve by working together. Now, as President, my duty is to unite the people, to overcome the many challenges ahead of us, together.”

(Courtesy: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/full-president-halimah-yacobs-welcome-speech-swearing-ceremony)

Abu Burda narrated that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) sent his father Abu Musa and Mu’adh bin Jabal to Yemen (as rulers/governors) and told them:

“Make things easy for the people and do not put hurdles in their way, and give them glad tidings, and don’t let them have aversion (i.e., to make people hate good deeds) and you both should work in cooperation and mutual understanding.”

If we are Muslims and believe in the Day of Judgment, there should not be any doubt in our minds about the accountability process. It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

“Beware! Every one of you is a shepherd and every one is answerable with regard to his flock. The Caliph (ruler) is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs). A man is a guardian over the members of his family and shall be questioned about them (as to how he looked after their physical and moral well-being).”

“A woman is a guardian over the household of her husband and his children and shall be questioned about them (as to how she managed the household and brought up the children).”

“A servant/slave is guardian over the property of his master (employer) and shall be questioned about it (as to how he safeguarded his trust).”

“Beware! Every one of you is a guardian and every one of you shall be questioned with regard to his trust.”

Those who are given the charge of others, will be questioned on the Judgment Day. There is no escape from it. To come out clean, they need to perform their duties honestly, sincerely and diligently.

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