Al-Mizan, a Blog by The Association of Muslim Lawyers

Assalamualaikum.
May Peace Be Unto You.

Bismillah-hir-Rahman-nir-Rahim. In the Name of the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:

It is an honour for the Association of Muslim Lawyers (AML) to finally celebrate the relaunch of Al-Mizan, since our last issue was published back in 2016.
The term to use for the twenty-first century is “information overload”. With the worldwide phenomenon of viral information-sharing taking-off with a bang, there is so much content readily accessible at our fingertips, making it
nearly impossible to sort which is true and which is false. With the issue of fake news today growing to become a considerable menace, our inaugural issue will tackle the Protection from Online Falsehoods Act (POFMA), to highlight how every Singaporean citizen is obligated to ensure that any news shared is true and based on facts alone.

In the same vein, the AML strongly supports any legal policies which advocate
for reliable, fact-based news untainted with bias, miscommunication or disinformation. The AML simultaneously condemns any attempt to spread malicious lies which may falsely smear the reputation of any person, as well as contribute to the erosion of peace in society. As the Qur’an rightly said: “(…) Allah will say: “Did you give the lie to My Signs even without encompassing them with your knowledge? If that is not so, what did you do?” (An-Naml 27: 84)

Therefore, through the collective effort of all lawyers, policymakers and the
community, let us work towards a society that’s rooted in facts and truth, by
trimming away any lies and falsehood in order to blossom into a stable and
peaceful community.

Additionally, the AML is a strong proponent for holistic wellbeing, particularly that of mental health. Chiefly, the youth especially are notably more vulnerable given their lack of maturity and high propensity to be easily influenced by external factors. Mental health treatment must be readily accessible at all times. The incident of the murder at River Valley High
School by a teenage student is certainly tragic. Whilst a black swan event, such a calamity cannot be shoved under the rug. We call for policymakers to take a look at the relevant existing law associated with mental health in Singapore, and to address any loopholes which may have inadvertently contributed to such a woeful tragedy.

Finally, we would like to sincerely thank all donors for their heartfelt altruism, during the AML Annual Ramadhan Charity Drive this year. People came together to provide back to society, in which we paid out SGD$20,000 to a total of 80 recipients. We look forward to the continued support of these donors, and we encourage more from the public to step forward to give
back to society as well.

Noor Marican
President
AML