Registration of Islamic teachers is currently on a volunteer basis. It was introduced in 2002 after the arrest of Ibrahim Maidin, a local religious leader whom authorities alleged was also a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah extremist network.

By March it is hoped that about 800 religious teachers, known as asatizah in Arabic, will have been certified by the panel called the Asatizah Recognition Board, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore said in a statement obtained Thursday.

"This scheme serves to provide recognition to qualified, trained and experienced asatizah for their knowledge in Islamic matters and education," the government statutory body said.

With the board in place, only those who have been approved by it will be able to use the title of "ustaz" and for women, "ustazah", it said.

According to a report in the Straits Times newspaper Thursday, Muslim teachers without the proper qualifications will be able to describe themselves as asatizahs and conduct classes at home.

Concerns about some Islamic teachers arose after the government announced the arrest of suspected JI members including Maidin, who allegedly recruited followers during his classes.

More than 30 Muslim Singaporeans suspected to be JI members are being held without trial under the Internal Security Act.

Authorities have blamed JI for numerous attacks including the 2002 bombings on Indonesia's Bali island which killed 202 people.

Singapore is a mainly ethnic Chinese city-state of 3.4 million residents of whom Malay Muslims comprise 13.7 percent. They are the second-biggest group behind the Chinese at 76 percent.

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