Staying ‘halal’ in Singapore
“Before we head off to the next eatery, let me introduce you to one of Singapore’s liveliest cultural districts, Kampong Glam,” says Rahim, as we start to leisurely walk from the hawker centre towards Jalan Sultan.
Kampong Glam got its name, not from the word “glamour” (although it does have a graceful charm), but from the word gelam — which is a long-leaved paperbark tree. We stop at a landscaped park, the Kampong Glam Park, where Rahim shows us the remaining of the long, tall gelam tree on the island. Also known as Melaleuca Leucadendra, commonly known as Tea Tree, the tree was used to make boats and medicines.
Next to it is Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, a stunning mosque with a mix of Islamic and European architectural styles. It was built in 1845 on the site of what used to be the house of its founder, a wealthy Malay woman from Melaka who was married to a Bugis prince. When her husband died, she took over his business with great success. She donated the land to build the mosque, now gazetted as one of Singapore’s national monuments.
We then continue our walk where we spot the majestic Alsagoff Arab School, the oldest surviving madrasah in Singapore. Founded in 1912 by Syed Mohamed bin Ahmed Alsagoff, the madrasah was establised to teach Muslim boys the tenets of Islam. Back then, the school could actually accommodate more than 200 students, and they were taught not only about Islam but also the Arabic and English languages. In 1940s, the school started admitting girls and because of the increase number of girls enrolling rather than boys, the school was converted to an all-girls school in the mid1960s.
Another iconic landmark that we visit is the Istana Kampung Glam, the former Malay palace which is now home to the Malay Heritage Centre, where you’ll get many insights into Malay history and culture. Originally, the palace was the residence of Malay royalty, built by Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor in 1819 on a stretch of land which was given to him by the British East India Company. But in 1896, there was a succession dispute in Sultan Hussein’s family over rights to the Kampong Glam estate, and the court ruled that no one could rightfully claim to be the successor of the Sultan and that the estate became state land when Singapore gained independence.
Not too far from the heritage centre is Masjid Sultan, the most prominent landmark in Kampong Glam. The sultan wanted a mosque near his residence and raffles made provisions for the mosque to be built near the istana and allocated