Your Excellencies

Venerable Shi Ming Yi, President IRO

Council Members of the IRO

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to be here this afternoon to celebrate IRO Day 2002 with you.

Recent events have raised the question of the role of religion in nation building. Is it possible to have strong religious identity as well as a strong Singaporean identity? What say should the State have in deciding how one should express their religious beliefs? What does it mean to create common space? How can different communities of faith and ethnicity work towards a deeper understanding and appreciation of one another within a multi-racial, multi-religious Singapore?

Those are relevant and pressing questions. But it is important to get the starting point correct. And it is that religion is at its core, a positive and human endeavour. Great religions have provided the spiritual and moral anchor for their followers. Some of these beliefs and values have been an integral part of human civilisation for thousands of years. The Communists tried to build a society without a place for religion but they failed. Millions of people today derive joy and hope from religion. For them, aspiring to the spiritual is part of being human. Indeed, religions often embody the nobler aspects of humanity. Enduring tenets such as the Golden Rule ‘Do unto others what you would others do unto you’ resonate with various religions. Motivated by spiritual purpose, individuals such as Mother Teresa have given their lives for others.

Yet, while religion is a force for good and moderation, we know that religion has also been manipulated as a force for divisiveness and destruction. The recent Hindu-Muslim clash in Western India claimed more than 500 lives. When a Muslim mob set fire to a train of Hindus, the Hindus retaliated by setting fire to Muslim homes and businesses. This came about as the Muslims were unhappy that the Hindus wanted to build a temple on a disputed site, on which a mosque used to stand. Religious belief appeals directly to the heart and emotions. It is easy for the irresponsible few to sway the many towards strife and disharmony. And then violence breeds more violence.

In Singapore, religious people and groups have been positive and constructive contributors to nation building. There are many religious-based Voluntary Welfare Organisations serving the community. For example, religious-based organisations run halfway houses to rehabilitate drug addicts. Many other faith-based organisations also provide compassion and care for the elderly, disabled and the children in our society. Some of these religious groups have also worked together to raise funds for charity. This is encouraging as religious differences have not prevented us from working together for the larger good. However, Singapore has also had to weather challenges by fringe groups that seek to undermine the harmony we have tried to build and reinforce over the years.

What then, makes religion a potent force for good in a society and what are the "right things" that Singapore is doing and must continue to do to ensure that religion remains a constructive force?

First, religious harmony is something that has to be constantly worked on. It is so fragile that one lapse or incident could destroy all that we have worked for. In this respect, I am pleased that many organisations, including the IRO, have been actively working independently and together with other groups to promote inter-faith and inter-racial understanding. Different religious leaders came together to celebrate Hari Raya and Christmas at the Malay village in Geylang; and recently, different religions came together for prayers at a Catholic Church speaking on the need for peace. Such efforts are crucial given our multiracial and multi-religious environment.

Secondly, the leaders of our respective religious communities need to understand the importance of taking a moderate approach that emphasises sensitivity and respect for all religious communities. In practising their beliefs, religious leaders have shown a willingness to take into consideration the needs of Singapore as a whole. For example, the Hindu community planned their Thaipusam walk in the early hours of the morning so that it would cause less public disruption and inconvenience. Mosques turn down the volume of their speakers to avoid disturbing their neighbours. The Chinese burn their incense, papers and joss sticks in special bins, and auctions for the Hungry Ghost festivals now end earlier, to give the residents a good night’s sleep.

The leaders of respective communities have shown that they understand their responsibility to guide their congregation to accept differences in beliefs, and not to "bad-mouth" other faiths.

I am confident that they also understand that when the dialogue becomes dominated by fringe and extremist groups, we can only expect differences to be magnified and the common space among religions to be withered away.

Thirdly, Singaporeans must continue to interact, and get to know one another, so that we can understand and appreciate one another’s special characteristics as individuals and communities. When Singaporeans from different faith and racial communities live, study, play and work together, they can begin to know one another, understand and appreciate one another. When that happens, differences become less threatening or alien. Hence, we must ensure that there are always opportunities for Singaporeans to mix and interact naturally, in school, in the playground and as neighbours in the housing estates. These are the common spaces in which communities participate, and practice give and take. As leaders of various community and faith organisations, you can play a key role in helping your followers to extend a hand of friendship to another community. For example, Jamiyah and The Singapore Buddhist Lodge worked together to organise the Regional Assembly of Muslim and Buddhist leaders last year.

In a dialogue on 28 January this year between our Prime Minister and members of the various communities, PM Goh proposed the idea of Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) and Harmony Circles (HCs). He wanted to create a platform by which leaders of the various communities and groups within each constituency can come together to establish rapport and understanding. It is an attempt on his part, as our leader, to bring about a deeper sense of appreciation and trust among all Singaporeans. It is a noble aim, which should be supported by all Singaporeans.

Each constituency will have an IRCC comprising leaders of the various religious and community groups operating in the constituency. The task of the IRCC is to bring the various communities closer through activities organised by the HCs.

There is no one model for an IRCC for all of us to follow. Each constituency is left to find its own model based upon the constituency profile and the dynamics between the various groups existing within the constituency. Each IRCC would have to find its own path and process towards the desired goal of greater trust and understanding among the various communities.

For the IRCC to succeed, religious and community leaders must be prepared to come forward and play their part. If we are all convinced that the peace and harmony that we have developed thus far are precious, then we owe it to the next generation to preserve and develop these further to the next level. The IRCCs and HCs are the next step for us to develop further the trust and understanding needed for greater appreciation of each other’s beliefs and values. I would like to encourage our religious leaders to encourage their members to actively support and participate in the various IRCCs.

Singaporeans have done well in maintaining harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society. We can be proud of our achievements. While religious conflicts are hardly uncommon in today’s world, we have been able to stand strong together. Let us make sure that our children will also enjoy this strong unity, and be allowed to grow up in the Singapore that we know today.

In the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks, we have become more conscious of the need to work constructively towards maintaining religious harmony. I am heartened by the spirit in which Singaporeans have volunteered their ideas on ways to encourage our young of different races to interact. Many ideas and programmes are beginning to take concrete shape, including activities at the community centres aimed at generating more positive interaction among the races, and the formation of the IRCCs. I am also encouraged by the concrete actions of the NTU and NUS Muslim student groups to introduce Islam to fellow students; and the positive response of the non-Muslims to their exhibitions.

There are many examples in the world today of peaceful co-existence and understanding between various communities. These however are not achieved overnight. A Muslim scholar from India recently shared with a Singapore audience a heart-warming story of the strength of friendship between the Hindu and Muslim communities in India. Just after India’s independence, Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in some parts of India. A group of Hindus wanted to burn down a student hostel of a Muslim college. But there were 4 Hindu students in an otherwise all Muslim hostel. The 4 Hindu students refused to leave the hostel or take their belongings unless the same choices were given to their fellow Muslim students. The mob finally asked all to leave the hostel and burnt it down with the students’ belongings. One of the 4 Hindu students lost his Ph.D. thesis. He could have saved it if he and the other 3 Hindu students agreed to take their belongings leaving the belongings of the Muslim students to be burnt. When asked why he did not do so, he remarked that he would have saved his thesis, but would have lost his humanity.

When I was studying in the United States, my fellow Muslim students and I would have our Friday prayers at the basement of a church. All student religious organisations have their offices within the church’s premises. We conducted our meetings and sessions in rooms and halls shared by all religious groups. We learn to accommodate each other’s needs. We got along well under the supervision of the priest of the church.

These are just some examples that I would like to share with all of you today. Perhaps the lesson here is that religion can either be used to divide us or bring us closer together. The choice is ours. I am confident that we all agree that we should use the positive force of religion to bring people of different faiths closer together. For Singapore, that is the only rational choice.

On this note, I wish the IRO many more successful years to come, and I commend you once again, for your efforts in promoting peace and harmony in Singapore.