Zaqy Mohamad 'deeply disturbed' by sexual assault case involving young children at mosque
Singapore’s Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad said he was “deeply disturbed” after a court sentenced a 37-year-old man to 27 years and 10 months’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for sexually…
Source: Channel NewsAsia · August 18, 2026 at 10:01 PM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceSINGAPORE, 19 AUGUST 2026 —
Singapore’s Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad said he was “deeply disturbed” after a court sentenced a 37-year-old man to 27 years and 10 months’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane for sexually assaulting two boys during informal religious lessons at a mosque.
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The assaults occurred while the offender was conducting unsupervised lessons, taking in two boys from a broken family. According to court documents, the younger boy was raped and the older was molested. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said the offender was neither staff nor an accredited teacher under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme.
Zaqy, who posted a video on Facebook, said MUIS is reviewing safeguards around informal activities involving children and youths. “What happened should never have happened. Not to any child. Not anywhere and certainly not in a place where our children and families should feel safe,” he said.
MUIS said it is strengthening mosque security with patrols and CCTV monitoring. Zaqy asked the council to go further. “MUIS has announced measures to strengthen security, including patrols and CCTV monitoring. But I’ve asked MUIS to go even further and review our safeguards carefully, especially informal activities and gatherings involving children and youths.”
Zaqy acknowledged the case raises broader questions about safety in mosques. He stressed the offender was not a mosque worker or volunteer and was not conducting an approved class. “The fact remains that some of these interactions did take place within a mosque,” he said. MUIS confirmed the offender had no formal role at the mosque.
Parents and caregivers should stay close to their children and know who they interact with, both online and offline, Zaqy said. He urged children who feel uncomfortable to tell a trusted adult.
Related: Singapore