Deepening religious understanding

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim

Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, 

Members of the National Steering Committee and Working Committee for Racial and Religious Harmony, and Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles, 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

A very good evening to all. 

Current state of inter-faith harmony in Singapore

1. In Singapore, we are fortunate to live in one of the most religiously diverse yet harmonious countries in the world. Here, it is not unusual to find a Hindu temple, a Chinese temple, a mosque and a church located in close proximity to each other and peacefully coexisting. In my constituency of Yuhua, we have just that, all within 400m of each other. It is a reflection of our social policy behind town planning and housing norms. Our public housing promotes multi-racial and thus multi-religious living, and places of worship follow to serve the needs of the residents.

2. The daily interactions between individuals are a testament to our religious harmony. A joint 2013 study by the Institute of Policy Studies and OnePeople.SG showed that more than 9 in 10 households are comfortable living and working alongside people of different faiths. This did not happen by chance. It is the result of deliberate policies, and a concerted effort by the community to be tolerant and treat one another with mutual respect.

3. In Singapore, our approach to religious freedom is to maintain a wide common space, where individuals feel safe to practise their religion. In this common space, respect for religious diversity and knowing how to navigate our differences are essential. We must be able to hold our differences not in opposition to each other, but in mutual respect to one another.

4. This stands in contrast to societies elsewhere, where religious freedom is championed alongside absolute freedom of speech. In multi-racial, multi-cultural Singapore, if every community makes strident claims, the outcome will be tension and conflict. Feelings become inflamed. Relations between groups become zero-sum and antagonistic. It requires give and take and negotiation to co-exist harmoniously. It requires even-handed enforcement of laws that protect the practice of religion. We cannot privilege one above another. Indeed, our five decades of peace and harmony show that our approach has worked.   

5. 5 decades on, a question we need to ask ourselves is whether the harmony we enjoy in Singapore is due to tolerance – a notion that implies bearing with one another– or genuine acceptance. Another joint study by CNA and IPS last year revealed that 6 in 10 respondents were uncomfortable discussing sensitive issues such as race, for fear of offending others or creating unnecessary tensions. 

From tolerance to understanding: Everyday practices of faith in Singapore

6. This fear of offending others or causing unnecessary tension arises from two factors. First, a lack of understanding of the practices of different faiths, and second, a lack of confidence in engaging across differences.

7. There are ongoing initiatives contributing to deepening religious understanding. These include inter-faith dialogues by South-East CDC and the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) that many of you are involved in. These efforts emphasise commonalities and build social relationships between communities.

8. We want to amplify these efforts and go even further. A nation of people who merely tolerate one another will be fragile. We must move beyond tolerance, to mutual understanding and acceptance. We need to continuously invest in a society where ‘us’ and ‘them’ can become “we”, united by mutual respect, shared values and national solidarity. This will strengthen our social fabric, and make us more resilient against forces that seek to divide us.

9. Two trends intensify the need for us to forge an understanding of religion in our local context. The first is the increasing diversity in the interpretation and practice of religion worldwide. Second, social media has helped import ideologies from abroad, which are sometimes incompatible with our society. Issues facing Christians in the US may be different from issues facing Christians in Singapore. Likewise, the context of Islam in Singapore is different from that in the Middle East. Moving from tolerance to understanding thus entails clarifying the practice of religion in the context of a multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore.

Partnership with and outreach to the community

10. For our efforts to bear fruit, we need to deepen our partnership with the community. By community, we mean groups that may or may not be bound by faiths, and whose constituents include those who may not be religiously inclined. In other words, we need to reach beyond groups that are already active in inter-faith dialogues. That is why we are launching BRIDGE tonight. BRIDGE is short for ‘Broadening Religious and Racial Interaction through Dialogue and General Education’. It is a series of community-led initiatives to improve racial and religious understanding in Singapore.

11. Tonight’s documentary and dialogue is one such example. We organised this with the support of the religious leaders at both apex and local levels, and our community partner, OnePeople.SG. The high level of trust among our religious and community leaders gives us confidence that we can have a frank dialogue on youth radicalisation without criticism or misunderstanding.

12. The support of our religious leaders is important. You provide the intellectual and moral compass to guide your followers through your actions. We need community leaders to step up and play a part too. We need to create a strong civic culture where Singaporeans care enough to understand and appreciate the religions and cultures that make up our society. Extremism is not the only issue that can divide us. Ignorance of everyday practices of religion can similarly lead to misunderstanding and disunity.

Growing a strong civic culture and catalysing ground-up movements

13. Through BRIDGE, we want to do the following:

14. First, we will develop content to clarify the practice of religions in the context of Singapore. We will do this with the help of community partners and religious leaders. These materials will form the bases of our outreach efforts.

15. Second, we will create safe spaces for dialogue to deepen understanding on issues deemed sensitive, such as the one today. This will build confidence in community leaders whom we rely on to address inter-faith issues, particularly in times of crisis.

16. Third, we will catalyse ground-up initiatives and develop a wider pool of skilled facilitators. They can then bring these conversations back to the community, managing them sensitively with the right skills, experience and knowledge.

17. To encourage more ground-up community initiatives to propagate BRIDGE, I am pleased to announce that we have made available $3 million in MCCY’s Harmony Fund for the next 3 years. The Harmony Fund is open to application from the public, and will fund activities under BRIDGE.
    

Conclusion

18. I hope that all of you will seize this opportunity to build bridges and deepen understanding across faiths and cultures. In a world increasingly pulled apart by differences, it is vital that we appreciate each another’s faiths and cultures in spite of differences. It is important that we can engage confidently across differences, and work together as a community, for the community.

19. Relationships between communities will always be complex. We won’t always agree on everything. But because of our deep abiding respect for one another, we can successfully navigate those complexities and still stay strong, as one united people.

20. We look to you, our religious and youth leaders, to partner us in this journey of building a more cohesive society, and a united Singapore. I hope you have a pleasant evening ahead. Thank you.