Acting Min. of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim Quits Politics Over Interactions With Woman

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has resigned from politics after his interactions with a female member of the public "fell short" of the standards expected of a political office holder and Member of Parliament, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on 20 July 2026.

Faishal has also stepped down as Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, Member of Parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, and as a member of the PAP.

According to Wong, the Prime Minister's Office received an email about a month ago from the woman regarding her interactions with Faishal. Investigations found that most of their interactions took place through online messages, although they also met on the sidelines of public events.

Both parties later made allegations of harassment against each other, prompting police investigations.

After consulting the Attorney-General's Chambers, the police concluded that no criminal offence had been committed by either party and no criminal action would be taken.

However, Wong said there remained a separate question of whether Faishal's conduct met the standards expected of a political office holder and MP.

In his resignation letter, Faishal acknowledged that "a situation has arisen involving my conduct with a female member of the public"

He said there was "no physical relationship" between them and that he had not intended for the interactions to develop into one, but admitted there had been "a lapse of judgment" in the way he handled the interactions and in failing to establish clearer boundaries earlier.

He added that he accepted his conduct had fallen short of the standards expected of him and decided to resign so he could focus on his family.

Wong accepted Faishal's resignation, describing it as a responsible decision and thanking him for his more than two decades of public service, including his work strengthening community resilience, supporting offender rehabilitation and serving the Malay-Muslim community.

Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim was one of the PAP's longest-serving Malay political office holders.

He entered politics in 2006 as part of the PAP team contesting Marine Parade GRC, later serving three terms in Nee Soon GRC before returning to Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC in GE2025.

Over nearly two decades in politics, he held several government appointments, culminating in his appointment as Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in 2025, succeeding Masagos Zulkifli.

Faishal was also known for helping spearhead the M³ framework, which brings together the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), Mendaki and the People's Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (Mesra) to better coordinate support for the Malay-Muslim community.

In 2026, he announced the expansion of the initiative into M³+, aimed at strengthening support for families, youths and workers through closer collaboration with community organisations.