Everything we know about Faishal Ibrahim’s resignation so far
On July 20, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim resigned from political office over a “lapse of judgment” in the way he handled his interactions with a woman who is a member of the public.
Since then, the resignation has sparked widespread discussion online, with fellow Members of Parliament (MPs) and members of the public thanking him for his years of service, while others expressed disappointment over his abrupt departure from all his political appointments.
Here’s everything we know about Faishal’s resignation so far — from his 20-year political career and the key developments surrounding his departure, to reactions, his contributions to the Malay-Muslim community and who will succeed him.
Key developments since Faishal’s resignation
According to a statement by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the matter came to their attention “about a month ago” after the Prime Minister’s Office received an email from a female member of the public regarding her interactions with Faishal.
The statement said that most of their interactions took place through online messages, although they also met on the sidelines of public events.
Both parties subsequently made harassment allegations against each other, and the matter was referred to the police for investigation.
After investigations, the police, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, assessed that no criminal offence had been committed by either party and no further criminal action would be taken.
However, Faishal accepted that his conduct fell short of the standards expected of a political office holder and MP for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, and tendered his resignation.
In a Facebook statement on July 20, Faishal said he was “deeply sorry to have let down” his residents and supporters. His Instagram and TikTok accounts have since been removed.
“Thank you for your friendship and for the honour of allowing me to serve you. I will now be spending more time with my family. I’m grateful for their support, especially my wife, who has been standing by me throughout this difficult period.” He is married with two children.
On July 22, Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said in a Facebook post that Faishal’s messages to the woman were “objectively, inappropriate and questionable”.
He explained that the pair had engaged in a series of online exchanges, and that Faishal was concerned the woman might react negatively if he abruptly cut off contact.
When he later tried to end the exchanges, the woman became "angry” and emailed PM Wong, attaching messages and photos and accusing Faishal of harassment. Faishal, in turn, made harassment allegations against her.
Shanmugam said that once the woman emailed the PM, the matter “ceased being a purely private, consensual matter between two individuals,” as it had been escalated and became “semi-public”.
“Regardless of his intentions, one has to look at the evidence and facts. Faishal himself reflected on the matter and acknowledged that he should not have allowed his exchanges with the lady to carry on, and he should have established clear boundaries from the start,” he wrote.
It was also announced that the remaining Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC MPs – Seah Kian Peng, Goh Pei Ming, Tin Pei Ling and Diana Pang – will support the transition for Faishal’s Kembangan residents by taking over his Meet-the-People Sessions, appeals and ongoing community initiatives.
Speaking to reporters outside the PAP branch in Kembangan on July 20, PAP chairman Desmond Lee said a by-election would not be called following Faishal’s resignation.
He added that the PAP would announce, in due course, more details on how it plans to “strengthen the team”.
Faishal’s 20-year political career
Faishal, 58, was also Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and a member of the PAP’s central executive committee.
His political career spanned 20 years. He entered politics in 2006 as part of the PAP team for Marine Parade GRC, before serving three terms in Nee Soon GRC. He returned to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC for the 2025 General Election, where the PAP team was elected unopposed.
Before entering politics, Faishal was a real estate professor at the National University of Singapore. He joined the government in 2012 as Parliamentary Secretary for Transport.
He was promoted to Senior Parliamentary Secretary in 2017, overseeing the education, and social and family development portfolios, before becoming Minister of State in 2020.
Following the 2025 General Election, PM Wong promoted him to Senior Minister of State and Acting Minister during the cabinet reshuffle in May 2025.
Faishal took over the Muslim Affairs portfolio from Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, who had held the position for seven years.
He had been involved in the Malay-Muslim community for almost 30 years, serving first as a grassroots and community leader before entering politics.
The role of Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs
The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs is a cabinet appointment that oversees government policies relating to Singapore’s Malay-Muslim community. The minister works closely with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) on matters such as mosques, halal certification and Islamic education.
The minister also represents the interests of the Malay-Muslim community within the government and helps promote community development and religious harmony. Religious rulings remain the responsibility of MUIS and the Mufti of Singapore.
The Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) was enacted in 1966, establishing MUIS to oversee Muslim religious affairs. The position of Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs was introduced in 1977 to provide political oversight of Muslim affairs and coordinate government policies affecting the community.
Since then, there have been six Ministers-in-charge of Muslim Affairs: Ahmad Mattar, Abdullah Tarmugi, Yaacob Ibrahim, Masagos Zulkifli, Faishal Ibrahim and, most recently, Zaqy Mohamad.
How Faishal positively impacted the Malay-Muslim community
During his tenure as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs from May 2025 to July 2026, Faishal focused on strengthening Islamic institutions, community support and regional cooperation.
One of his key priorities was overseeing the haj preparations and pilgrim welfare. Working with MUIS, he strengthened preparations and contingency plans for Singapore pilgrims, with an emphasis on health, safety and coordination with the Saudi authorities amid evolving regional security concerns.
The haj, one of the five pillars of Islam is a pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims who are physically and financially able are expected to undertake at least once in their lifetime. Faishal also led the 2026 haj delegation earlier this year.
Association of Muslim Professionals chairman Fathurrahman Dawoed told The Straits Times that the association had worked closely with Faishal on initiatives including the Development and Reintegration Programme, which supports the rehabilitation and reintegration of male Muslim drug offenders, as well as M3+.
Well regarded by his peers and constituents
Faishal was also known for his active presence on the ground, regularly engaging residents and serving the community.
Shanmugam said Faishal has always been “focused on making a difference to the lives of others”, describing him as a “true gem”.
“I haven’t come across many people, in or out of government, better than Faishal,” he said.
There was an outpouring of support on social media, with fellow MPs paying tribute to Faishal’s years of service. They described him as “responsible”, “humble” and “empathetic”.
Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng called Faishal a “great guy, the friendliest, most amiable person you can ever meet.”
In a Facebook post on July 20, Nanyang Technological University Associate Professor Walid Jumblatt Abdullah said Faishal took over as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs at a “difficult time” in government-community relations. He said Faishal had been tasked with rebuilding ties between the government and the Malay-Muslim community after the relationship had “soured” during his predecessor’s tenure.
“He was a good minister for our country,” he said. “When the dust settles, I hope people will remember his two decades of public service, and how his one year as minister was pivotal in restoring some of the lost trust mentioned above,” Prof Walid concluded.
Ground sentiments appeared to echo those views. In street interviews with The Straits Times, Kembangan residents said they were saddened and disappointed by Faishal’s resignation, describing him as “dedicated” and “down-to-earth”.
Zaqy Mohamad takes over as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs
Zaqy Mohamad, 51, who is currently Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and Defence, has taken over as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs on July 20.
Speaking to the media, Zaqy said he would work closely with the M3+ network — a collaboration between MUIS, Yayasan MENDAKI, and MESRA to uplift the Malay/Muslim community — as well as volunteers and community partners to champion programmes to help support the community.
Zaqy had been appointed to support Faishal when he assumed the role of Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, alongside other Malay-Muslim political office-holders.
He entered politics in 2006 as part of the PAP team for Hong Kah GRC, which was elected unopposed. He later represented Choa Chu Kang GRC for two terms before moving to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the 2020 General Election, where he was elected as an MP.
Between 2018 and 2020, he concurrently served as Minister of State for National Development and Minister of State for Manpower.
Zaqy served as Deputy Chairman of MENDAKI from 2018 before taking over as Chairman from Masagos in May 2025.
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