UOB Plaza, 80 Raffles Place, #B1-01
Singapore 048624
Owned by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)
This mosque is unique for two reasons. Firstly, it is located underground in basement one of the UOB Plaza which to some Muslims is not good as it is located “in the bowels” of the earth. Secondly, it is the first mosque that was built to serve people who lived and worked around Raffles Place – the heart of the city in Singapore. Realising this need for a mosque, the Indian Muslim community raised funds and commissioned three representatives from the Muslim League to purchase two shophouses located at 16 and 18 Market Street for use as a mosque in 1953 and 1955.
Due to redevelopment of the area, an agreement was entered into with the owners of the adjoining land, UOB Limited in June 1982. The two shophouses were exchanged for the current mosque premises.
The mosque was named in honour of Moulana Mohamed Ali (1878 – 1931) who was a famous champion of Islam. He was also an eminent Muslim scholar, a journalist, a poet and a leading Indian politician. He was also a member of the Indian delegation that attended the Round Table Conference in 1931 in London to seek independence for India.
The Masjid Moulana Mohamed Ali was officially opened on 31st March 1996 by Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Minister for Community Development and Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs.