The Straits Times
10 March 2018
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Religious Differences Offer Valuable Opportunity
Religious Differences Offer Valuable Opportunity
Moving from religious harmony based on tolerance to a durable religious harmony based on the principle of mutuality should be the next big task in Singapore’s national resilience-building efforts to ensure that society stays together in the event of a terror attack.
Avoiding claims of religious superiority, affirming differences as good, cross-learning of one another’s religions, accepting the “gems” wherever they are found, living religiously in inter-dependent ways and embracing the value of synergy to nourish one another’s religious life will require faith leaders to instil the appropriate values in their congregations.
There are resources within religious traditions to support the principle of mutuality in inter-religious relations. The durability of religious harmony depends on how deeply people appreciate one another’s religions, how mutual they are prepared to be in inter-religious interactions, and how humble they can be to avoid claims of religious superiority.
… Mohammad Alami Musa is head of studies in the inter-religious relations in plural societies programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
SRP / Print / Online
