or Arab States of the Persian Gulf, but it was not a success. The young men did not like living in Saudi Arabia as their prospects in Singapore were better than on the Arabian peninsula. Present day Identity crisis The Hadhrami community in Singapore is now facing an identity crisis. The younger generation does not speak Arabic and has lost its affiliation with Hadhramaut, partly because Hadhramis have stopped sending their children back there. Due to the above-mentioned factors and the current ongoing civil war in Yemen, it is unlikely that a strong link with Hadhramaut would be established anytime in the near future. Singaporean Arabs census today Singapore is a cosmopolitan city state made up of various races. The 1990 census shows the Chinese as the majority with around 74% of the population, the indigenous Malays with 14%, the Indians at less than 10% and the balance placed in the category of "others". This "others" category includes, but is not limited to, Filipinos, Eurasians, Vietnamese and Arabs. The census shows Arabs to be around 7,000, but unofficial estimates place the actual number of Arabs at around 10,000. Arabs and (waqf وقف ) properties today The Singapore Hadramis were major landlords, the large families having substantial properties held in trust, which ranged from private family trusts to public charitable trusts. Most of the land in today’s central business district of Singapore was once owned by Hadrami . These , bearing the family names, whether private or charitable, gave considerable prestige to the Arab community among the Muslims in Singapore. In recent years, four factors have affected the and undermined the status of the community. The first three factors have been a direct result of government policies. First factor The first was the enactment of the Administration of Muslim Law Act 1968. The Singapore Islamic Council is the corporate body now empowered to oversee the administration of charitable in Singapore. Prior to the Act, the Arab trustees were in total control of their . With the transfer of the ’ administration to the Council, the Arabs’ authority over them was considerably undermined. The association of with the Arabs and their reputation as benefactors diminished as the public no longer saw their connection with the charitable functions of the . Second factor The second factor was the Rent Control Act 1947. The rents of pre-war properties were controlled and, in effect, frozen.