Muis will be convening the Fatwa in Contemporary Societies from 2 to 3 February 2024. The theme of the conference is “Empowering Muslims Communities of the Future through Fatwas”.

To address contemporary and emerging issues affecting the community, the Fatwa Committee of Singapore issues new fatwas whilst actively imparting ethical values in the religious guidance to empower individuals and the community. One of the defining features of Fatwa institutions in Singapore is to enable the Muslim community to embrace and embody religious and universal values.

The term “empowering” captures the goal of both intellectual and ethical empowerment in individuals to navigate their unique challenges through guidance from Fatwas, thereby facilitating their development into principled contributors within their communities.

The approach of issuing a fatwa while empowering the community with values is grounded in the belief that Shariah is more than just a collection of laws. It is, in fact, a way of life that offers solutions and guides the community toward a path of success firmly anchored in enduring universal values and principles. Therefore, a fatwa does not only provide religious positions and guidance, but should also educate and nurture a confident mindset that is developed from strong morals and principles. A community that is empowered will be able to make informed decisions in their daily lives, even in the face of significant challenges such as in the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

The Conference on Fatwa in Contemporary Societies 2024 seeks to address the following key questions:

1. How contextualised fatwas can cultivate intellectual and ethical empowerment in Muslims, facilitating their development into principled contributors of their communities and wider societies.

   In particular, it will discuss the role of fatwas in shaping Muslim communities that embody universal values, guided by enduring principles, and can promote compassion and harmony. It seeks to discuss the evolving concept of fatwas in guiding Muslims to live effectively and confidently in facing contemporary challenges in plural societies.

2. How fatwa institutions can remain resilient and continue to facilitate the development of robust and comprehensive solutions for the Muslim community in addressing their evolving needs.

   In particular, it will discuss developments within fatwa thinking and solutioning in adopting comprehensive, inclusive and collaborative approaches, to facilitate the understanding of complex contemporary issues, and development of nuanced and contextually relevant fatwas that empower Muslims to navigate present and future challenges.

The Conference on Fatwa in Contemporary Societies 2024 seeks to achieve the following outcomes:

• Share the contributions of the Singapore Fatwa Committee to the growth of contemporary Islamic jurisprudence through its contextualized and progressive fatwas, rooted in Islamic traditions and cognisant of the lived realities and the changing needs of the community.
• Highlight the evolution of fatwas in line with the changing context of Singapore, illustrating the dynamism of Islamic jurisprudence, and the idea of compassion in engaging with complex and challenging issues faced by Muslim communities.
• Empower confident religious leaders and scholars to engage with Islamic legal and ethical issues in a meaningful way, who in turn will shape a confident Muslim community.