ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the politics that are part of creating the institutional framework. It outlines the ways in which individuals inhabit institutions and form networks that transcend institutional boundaries. The chapter discusses the contestations between associations over the question of representation. It traces how the peculiar system of institutions and community representation has come about, by paying closer attention to the contestations and interests of groups involved in the process. The chapter explores how contingent developments and decisions have shaped and constrained the articulation of 'Indian Muslim' demands in Singapore's Muslim public sphere. In the ensuing encounters between 'Indian Muslims' and state institutions, certain patterns crystallised that became the basis for new structures, but also created new problems. The interaction between Indian Muslims and state institutions like Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) is heavily mediated by civil society organisations that claim to represent the interests of various sections of Indian Muslim society.
