Pakistanis in Singapore

Pakistanis in Singapore
Total population
4,562 (2012)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Uniformly distributed throughout Singapore
Languages
Urdu, English, Malay
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups

Jawi Peranakan
Pakistanis in Malaysia

Pakistani diaspora

The majority of Pakistanis in Singapore enter the country as university students. More than 100 Pakistani students study in the National University of Singapore alone.[2] In 2009, 22,300 Pakistanis visited Singapore[3] for tourism. Pakistanis living in Johor Bahru also use Singapore for their transit route for international travel, because of cheaper travel cost and shorter travel time duration travelling from the Singapore Changi Airport, as opposed to the nearest major Malaysian international airport in Kuala Lumpur, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Culture

Pakistanis in Singapore generally come from a middle-class background, with the majority working in engineering and business fields. Most Pakistani groceries, foodstuff, and restaurants can be found in Little India.

Pakistanis in Singapore sometimes speak the Singaporean Malay language, in addition to English and Urdu.

There is also a Singapore Urdu Development Centre offering classes in Urdu language to the children of Pakistanis, whereas Singapore Pakistani Association [4] promotes Pakistani culture in Singapore in collaboration with the Pakistan high commission in Singapore.[5] Singapore has also named one of its roads after Pakistan, the Pakistan Road in Sembawang.[6]

Religion

Pakistanis in Singapore follow similar religious affiliations as the people of Pakistan. Two of the masjid in Singapore controlled by MUIS have been named after Islamic personalities also revered by Muslims in Pakistan, namely Masjid Moulana Muhammad Ali,[7] named after Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar the famous South Asian leader and prominent figure of Khilafat Movement, and Masjid Abdul Aleem Siddique, named after Maulana Abdul Aleem Siddiqi, a prominent Barelvi scholar of South Asia. The Tableeghi Jamaat have weekly gathering at the Angolia Masjid, while the Pakistani Bohra visit the Anjumane Burhani Singapore Jamaat. However, the majority of Pakistani Sunnis frequent whichever masjid is close to their locality.

Ustaz Mohammed Iqbal Abdullah, a renowned Islamic scholar from Singapore, is a graduate of International Islamic University Islamabad,[8] and is currently the director of Azizah Chishty Quranic Centre.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Cheema, Umar (12 July 2012). "Where expatriates who reach the top come from". The News. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  2. ↑ Mercy Relief targets more donations for Pakistan flood victims
  3. ↑ http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/yos10/statsT-tourism.pdf
  4. ↑ Singapore Pakistani Association
  5. ↑ PR No. 281 PRESS RELEASE, Islamabad, January 28, 2010
  6. ↑ Map of Pakistan Road
  7. ↑ Moulana Mohd Ali Masjid, MUIS, Singapore.
  8. ↑ Ustaz Iqbal Abdullah
  9. ↑ Singapore MFA Press Release, 11/05/2005
  10. ↑ Cheryl Goh receives Capt Sayeed Scholarship, NOL Newsroom, September 18, 2009
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