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SINGAPORE – The man who led an elite team of rescuers into a Circle Line construction site on the Nicoll Highway in 2004 when it collapsed in 2004 will become the next chairman of the Singapore Islamic Religious Council (Muis).
Mr. Kadir Maideen, former Deputy Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) and former Commander of the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), will be named CEO-designate of Muis from September 20th.
The 54-year-old will lead Muis as the third CEO from November 1st, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) said in a statement on Friday (September 17th).
Mr Kadir is currently Muis’ deputy managing director and has more than 27 years of experience in the public sector.
In January of this year he was seconded to the SCDF, where he was involved in the implementation of the transformation plans.
He also co-chaired a committee that worked on the new HomeTeamNS clubhouse in Bedok, which features Singapore’s longest indoor waterslide.
MCCY said that as Muis’ deputy CEO, Mr. Kadir oversaw the strategic engagement, education and human resources functions.
He also chairs the Bedok M3 initiative, launched in April 2019 to support the needs of the Malay Muslim community in Bedok Town.
M3 is a link between Muis, the Mendaki self-help group and the People’s Association of Malay Activities.
“He has built close ties with the community and mobilized stakeholders to do outreach and develop programs,” the ministry said.
Mr Kadir will replace Mr Esa Masood (42), who was appointed CEO of Muis on January 1, 2019.
Mr Esa, who was the youngest boss ever when he was appointed CEO-designate in 2018, will take on another public service position.
The Public Service Commission scholar studied electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.
“As Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Esa’s greatest challenge was the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seriously disrupted the socio-religious life of the Muslim community,” the ministry said.
Under his leadership, Muis adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic by moving religious content, practices and engagement into the digital realm.
He helped ease the transition to home learning for madrasah teachers and students.
Mr. Esa also chaired the Committee for Future Asatizah and provided the direction for efforts to strengthen and promote the development of Asatizahs or religious teachers.
In particular, he helped implement the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies program, MCCY said.
The program is a collaboration between Muis and local and overseas academic institutions to equip Asatizah with the knowledge and skills to apply their Islamic knowledge and offer religious guidance in the context of Singapore.
Mr. Esa also guided Muis in planning a sustainable source of income for the religious sector through the development of Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura, a foundation project to support socio-religious institutions built on the principles of Islamic philanthropy.
Wakaf is traditionally defined as the permanent dedication of any property by a Muslim for any purpose designated as religious and benevolent under Muslim law. The concept has since evolved into a trust fund where money is invested and the proceeds are used to help the community.
Under the Administration of Muslim Law Act, Muis is the administrator of all wakaf in Singapore.
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