Religious experts back Singapore to host global inter-faith dialogue
One-of-a-kind event could meet global need, promote inter-faith understanding
A high-level inter-faith dialogue, which President Halimah Yacob had suggested Singapore could hold, will be a one-of-a-kind event that fills a global vacuum while promoting inter-faith understanding, said religious leaders and inter-faith activists yesterday.
Singapore is also well placed to hold such a dialogue given its high international standing and success in handling multi-religious issues, they added.
"If the dialogue were to happen on a scale like the Shangri-La Dialogue, it would be the first of its kind to bring together important international leaders of faith," said the president of the inter-faith initiative Roses of Peace, Mr Irshad Abbas Ali Mohamed.
The annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore is widely seen as the region's most important security forum. It is attended by defence ministers and military chiefs of 28 Asia-Pacific countries, including the United States, China and Indonesia.
While there have been international inter-faith dialogues in the past, none has been at such a high level, Mr Irshad Abbas noted. The Asia-Europe Meeting Conference held annual inter-faith dialogues from 2005 but stopped doing so in 2011.
President Halimah drew a parallel to the Shangri-La Dialogue on Wednesday when she mooted the idea for an event with the same prestige and status.
Ustaz Mohamed Ali from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) said Singapore's established international reputation makes it an appropriate place to host such a dialogue.
Dr Mohamed, an assistant professor at RSIS' Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme, said: "Singapore's high standing on the global stage makes it a safe space to host this kind of event that deals with the sensitive topic of religion."
The international community would be assured that inter-faith issues would be handled with respect and professionalism in Singapore, he added.
A study of 232 countries by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre in 2010 found Singapore to be the most religiously diverse country in the world.
The chairman of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Kampong Chai Chee, Mr Haridas Govindarajan, said the organisers would have to be judicious in selecting the religious leaders to invite.
"The leaders have to be sensitive to other religions. They also must not disrupt the racial harmony here which we have been building for more than 50 years," he said.
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