Singapore Government Press Release, Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 6837-9666

SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE HARMONY CENTRE ON 7 OCTOBER 2006, 6.30PM AT AN-NAHDHAH MOSQUE

President of MUIS,

Mufti of Singapore,

Community and Religious Leaders

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Salam sejahtera. Saya berasa bangga dapat bersama tuan-tuan dan puan-puan dalam bulan Ramadan, bulan yang penuh bermakna bagi orang Islam. Saya tahu bulan Ramadan bukan saja bulan untuk berpuasa tetapi juga bulan yang mulia dan penuh erti. Dalam bulan yang mulia ini, ada baiknya kita renung bagaimana kita boleh tingkatkan keharmonian agama, yang pasti sekali bermanfaat bagi penganut semua agama. Sekarang izinkan saya teruskan ucapan saya dalam bahasa Inggeris.

I am happy to be here for the opening of the Harmony Centre, and to join you later for the iftar.

We are fortunate in Singapore to enjoy peace and harmony in our multi-racial and multi-religious society. We have made ourselves an oasis in a troubled world. Singaporeans sometimes take this for granted, but it is a rare and precious achievement that we must cherish and safeguard for ourselves and our children.

We did not reach this happy state of affairs by chance. It is the result of many years of patient effort. Singaporeans of all races learnt to trust one another, to give and take, and to accommodate each another抯 different customs and ways of life. The Government fostered racial harmony through many policies. We have upheld meritocracy and equal opportunity for all. We have integrated our population in HDB estates. We have ensured that the minority communities have the space to keep their heritages alive, and not feel pressured by the majority Chinese community.

We have paid special attention to religious harmony. All the major faiths of the world are present in Singapore. If any of the faiths had tried to assert itself in Singapore as if this were a society where it was the dominant religion, we would have had trouble. For Singapore is neither a Christian country, nor a Buddhist country, nor a Muslim country nor a Hindu country. Instead we are a secular country, where Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and other faiths have to live side by side peacefully. Happily, this is what we have done.

Fortunately, all groups have been sensible and responsible. From time to time someone does overstep the line, for example by trying aggressively to convert people belonging to other religions. When we come across such cases, the government has intervened to advise or restrain the persons, usually with the support of the religious leaders.

The government itself has remained strictly secular. It has been even handed in treating all faiths. We have passed special laws and created unique institutions to preserve religious harmony in Singapore. The Presidential Council for Minority Rights is enshrined in the Constitution, to ensure that no laws are passed which discriminate against anybody because of his race or religion. We also have the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony, created under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, to deal with anyone who causes enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different religious groups. These arrangements have reassured all groups that they will be fairly treated, and by their very existence deterred problems from arising.

Our religious and community groups have also played their part. The Harmony Centre by MUIS and the Malay/Muslim community is one noteworthy initiative. It aims to be a one-stop centre to promote inter-religious dialogue, and to explain the true teachings of Islam. It also celebrates and showcases Muslim thinkers and scholars who have contributed to society, and become role models for their community.

One scholar is the late Ustaz Syed Abdillah Aljufri, who passed away in 2003. He was a respected religious leader who did much for Islamic education. His books, newspaper articles and radio programmes were well-received throughout the Malay-speaking countries in the region, including Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia. As a community leader, he touched the lives of many with his compassion and generosity. His efforts and those of many others have helped to nurture trust and confidence between our racial and religious groups.

The Harmony Centre will partner with CDCs, schools and grassroots organisations to organise seminars and workshops. I urge the grassroots and community leaders to support the Harmony Centre in developing meaningful inter-faith activities that will reach out widely to Singaporeans.

While we do our utmost in Singapore to strengthen our social cohesion, we must be conscious that our community relations are also influenced by what goes on in the world around us. With satellite TV and the internet, events in one country can immediately impact many others far away. The worldwide movement of peoples has made many countries more racially diverse. New racial and religious minorities are altering the original mix of societies. These trends have made racial and religious relations an issue in many countries.

One key aspect of this is relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. The worldwide threat of extremist terrorism has made this a major concern. Terrorist attacks not only cause death and destruction, but also sow distrust and hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims. Indeed that is the purpose of the terrorists: to polarise relations, radicalise attitudes, and win recruits to their cause. We must not allow them to succeed.

In Europe particularly, relations between the Muslims and non-Muslims have come under strain. Attitudes are hardening on both sides. One example is the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were published in a Danish newspaper last year, and reprinted in other European journals. The editors of these journals did so in a show of solidarity and support, and in the name of freedom of speech. They refused to see why this caused deep offence to Muslims, and did not care that it did. The majority in Europe feel that they have bent over too far to accommodate a Muslim minority. On their part, the Muslims in Europe feel alienated, distrusted, and discriminated against. There is a deep gulf in perspectives between the two.

Events in the Middle East also have worldwide repercussions. When Israel invaded Lebanon in July to destroy the Shiite Hezbollah militia, TV images of the destruction and civilian casualties were beamed around the world. These images provoked outrage in many countries, but the reaction was especially intense in Muslim countries. There were demonstrations in Malaysia and Indonesia. Extremist groups capitalised on this. In Indonesia Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, claimed to have registered 500 volunteers to wage jihad in Palestine and Lebanon.

We must not import these foreign problems into Singapore, but neither is it realistic to expect to insulate ourselves totally from them. I am glad that our community and religious leaders have reacted rationally to these issues. After the Danish cartoons were published, MUIS, Pergas and other Muslim organisations issued clear statements which calmed the ground, and guided Muslims here to react rationally and responsibly. When the fighting in Lebanon broke out, we had a multi-religious response, with leaders from the Ba’alwi mosque and the Inter-Religious Organisation gathering together to pray for peace. More recently, following the Pope’s remarks on Islam, both Catholic and Muslim leaders came forward quickly to clarify their positions and head off any potential misunderstanding. I commend our community and religious leaders for their responsible approach in dealing with these issues, which reflects the gradual maturing of our society. But we must continue to stay on guard, for there will be other events which will stress our social fabric, and may be harder to deal with.

The gravest threat to our harmony is a terrorist attack here. Such an attack will put our ethnic relations under severe strain. This is what happened in Britain after the London bombings last July. The British government had anticipated this, but they still could not prevent suspicion and fear between their Muslims and non-Muslims. Now more than a year later, after the discovery of the plot to blow up several aeroplanes flying to the US, the gap between the communities has not been closed.

This British experience has a serious lesson for us. If ever there is an attack in Singapore, it will severely damage not just our physical infrastructure, but also the harmonious ethnic relations that underpin our existence as a nation.

This is why in Singapore we have worked hard to reinforce inter-faith awareness and understanding, so that in a crisis the community network will hold our society together. Hence we launched the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) earlier this year. Under the CEP, we have organised a number of activities and forums. This includes a National Steering Committee (NSC) on Racial and Religious Harmony, chaired by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. The NSC brings together the leaders of the main religious groups in Singapore, as well as key community leaders. It will help to strengthen engagement and trust across racial and religious groups. It will also guide the Inter-Racial Confidence Circles, which will focus on promoting inter-racial activities and understanding at the local level.

The Muslim community itself has also made many commendable initiatives. MUIS has reformed part-time religious education, set up the Asatizah Network, conducted training for the asatizahs to understand the modern world, and introduced Friday sermons on more progressive topics relating issues of living in Singapore. The Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) has done an outstanding job. They have patiently set right the erroneous beliefs of the detainees, and held many public forums to educate the Malay/Muslim community and prevent people from being led astray.

Religious harmony is not just a matter between Muslims and non-Muslims; it concerns all faiths, and all citizens. Over the past decades, Singaporeans of all faiths have become more religious. This is so for Muslim Singaporeans, who are part of the worldwide revival in Islam. It is also the case for Christians of many denominations, whose services are filling up halls and auditoriums all over the island on weekends. Buddhists too are reaching out to younger followers, using English.

Faith is important to human beings, and a positive force for society. But greater religious fervour also means more activities within the same religious group, and inevitably less interaction between different groups. This can weaken our social cohesion as a nation, unless we actively work to bring the different groups together.

We need to foster more interaction between the different races and religions. We cannot force this, but we must do our best to encourage it. Singaporeans need to know one another, socialise together, and make friends who belong to different races and religions. We must also preserve public spaces like our schools, workplaces and community areas, as shared places where everyone belongs and feels comfortable. This is the way for Singaporeans to understand one another, widen the common ground which we all share together, and so strengthen racial and religious harmony.

Preserving the trust and understanding among our different communities requires constant care and attention. We have lived and worked in harmony, and built a cohesive society that we are all proud to call home. This is what makes Singapore truly special. Today’s opening of the Harmony Centre is a significant step forward in our continuing efforts to bring Singaporeans of different faiths closer together. This Centre can enrich the experiences of young people and adults, and complement school and community activities in promoting racial and religious harmony. Let us work together so that whatever happens in the world around us, we can keep Singapore tranquil and united for many years to come.

I wish all Muslims Selamat Berpuasa dan Selamat Menjayakan Semangat Ramadan.