NUS Law completes inaugural run of Muslim Law Practice Course

NUS Law has successfully conducted the inaugural Muslim Law Practice Course (MLPC) for legal practitioners in Singapore. A total of 54 participants attended the inaugural run.

Introduced in October this year, the MLPC is the first of its kind to be conducted in Singapore and serves to fill a gap in systemic legal training in Muslim law practice in Singapore. The course is a collaboration between NUS Law, the Syariah Court of Singapore, and the MUIS Academy, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth.

Led by NUS Law course convenors, Associate Professor Arif Jamal and Associate Professor Jaclyn Neo ’03, the MLPC was attended by legal practitioners from various organisations such as Legal Aid Bureau, Ministry of Law, Family Justice Courts, Syariah Court and law firms.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the closing ceremony on 1 December 2018 as a Guest-of-Honour and presented certificates to participants who had attended all the three modules offered under the course.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Maliki said, “While there are core tenets and foundational teachings in Islam that do not change, there is also a diversity of views that reflect the richness of the Islamic legal tradition.”

Dr Maliki also expressed hope that participants can appreciate both the classical and contemporary understanding of Muslim family law, and the ethical principles and objectives underlying Islamic legal thinking.

Mr Mohamed Fazal Bin Abd Hamid, a course participant and partner from I.R.B. Law LLP said, “This course provided me with an overview of the early developments of Islamic law and the formation of various schools of juristic thought, which is pertinent to comprehending contemporary themes in Islamic law. We are indeed privileged to have local and regional experts in Islamic law as our lecturers to share their knowledge and insights on various topics.”

Course participant Ms Cammie Loy, a senior legal associate from APEX Law LLP said, “Being in a multi-racial society in Singapore, it is crucial to familiarise myself with Syariah law in order to competently advise clients from all walks of life. This course has been very informative, in providing us solicitors with a holistic background, allowing us to better understand the rationales behind the laws which differ from the civil courts.”