Cohesive Societies

June 2022

John, Lord Alderdice, a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords in London and a former Convenor of the Liberal Democrat caucus in the House, wrote that various crises have exposed fault-lines in the existing global order. It has spotlighted the existing differences in ideologies across the world. It is necessary to engage complexity and conflict differently by paying attention to what the circumstances and contexts illuminate about humanity’s dark side.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Humanity’s Dark Side: Coping With a Failing World Order”

May 2022

Mohammad Alami Musa, Head of Studies in Interreligious Relations in Plural Societies Programme at RSIS, wrote that secularism and multi-culturalism in modern societies are not the simple answer to mitigate the divisiveness of a plurality of beliefs and practices. Singapore’s experience shows that nuancing and contextualising secularism and multi-culturalism in a constructive way works better in achieving a cohesive society.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Social Cohesion: Adapting Secularism and Multiculturalism”

Jack Meng-Tat Chia, Assistant Professor of History and Religious Studies at the National University of Singapore and an associate of the Religion and Globalization Cluster at the Asia Research Institute (ARI), wrote that in recent years, a number of Asian countries have increasingly turned to Buddhism as a balm to relieve tense relations and foster cultural understanding. Buddhist diplomacy has the potential to encourage regional cohesion and interfaith harmony in the region.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Buddhist Diplomacy: Potential for Regional Cohesion”

April 2022

Dr Al Nuaimi, first Chairman of the International Steering Board of Hedayah, The International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism based in Abu Dhabi, wrote that throughout history, humanity has been punctuated by conflicts based on race, religion and faith, the cause of countless wars between and within nations. It is important to understand the value of social cohesion and to cultivate it through a culture of peaceful coexistence, to avoid confrontations and maintain international peace and security.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Coexisting with Diversity and Differences”

March 2022

Yudit Greenberg, the George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Endowed Chair of Religion and Founding Director of the Jewish Studies Program at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, wrote that in a world of instant communication and social media, the ease with which hate, and bias spread compels us to rethink our approach in education and community learning. It is important for the state, educators, and religious actors to actively involve themselves in anticipating the different means in which this hatred is expressed, educating people, and developing preventive measures to protect faith communities in every country.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Repairing the World: Faith Against Online Hate”

February 2022

Yaacob Ibrahim, Adviser, Office of the President, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), wrote that the Internet has enabled misinformation to spread wildly, divide people easily, and incite violence and chaos quickly. Regulatory approaches and effective actions by individuals and civil society are needed to curb misinformation and contain the harm to social cohesion.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Online Misinformation and Cohesive Societies”

December 2021

Anna Halafoff, Associate Professor in Sociology and member of the Alfred Deakin Institute at Deakin University, wrote that growing clashes within cultures, and the ongoing threat of terrorism, have drawn attention to the importance of educating youth about different worldviews – religious, spiritual and non-religious – as a strategy to prevent violent extremism and to create socially inclusive and peaceful societies.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Worldviews Education: Strengthening Social Inclusion”

Tan See Seng, Research Advisor at RSIS, wrote that with big powers seemingly throwing off restraint and privileging power over principle against their strategic rivalries, and interactions between and among the great religions of the world deteriorating significantly, the need for multilateralism around HADR has never been greater.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – HADR in Multilateral Asia: Whither Faith-Based Actors?”

Venerable Chang Ji, Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association’s representative to the United Nations, wrote that humanity is facing an impending environmental crisis of our own making, and resources within religious communities may point to ways we can respond.
Read more in RSIS Commentary: “Towards ICCS 2022 – Religious Communities and Climate Change: Four Ways to Coherence”

October 2021

Katherine Marshall, Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, wrote that societies across the world are tested by the COVID-19 pandemic in countless ways. Deep cracks in social cohesion have become visible in many countries, and many fall along religious lines. Post-COVID-19 policy needs to address robustly what inclusion means both for government policy and for each society.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Towards ICCS 2022 – COVID-19’s Testing of Religious RolesCOVID-19’s Testing of Religious Roles”

Amalina Anuar, Senior Analyst with the Centre for Multilateralism Studies at RSIS, wrote that thanks in part to geopolitics, the digital economy is leading towards less, not greater, integration, connectivity and connection. Defusing tensions by redesigning technology to work for cohesion will be pivotal to reversing this trend.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Towards ICCS 2022 – Digital Destinies: Geopolitics, Division and Cohesion”

September 2021

Barry Desker, Distinguished Fellow at RSIS, wrote that the Catholic Church has been at the leading edge of interreligious dialogue since the 1960s, and it is important to reflect on what it has contributed to cohesion and welfare both in Singapore and globally.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Towards ICCS 2022 – Inter-Religious Dialogue: Catholic Social Teachings and Cohesion”

August 2021

Jolene Jerard, Adjunct Senior Fellow at RSIS, wrote that social cohesion is a work in progress. Societies can choose to achieve greater levels of social cohesion by forging greater inclusivity. Two things can break this: Exclusivist ideas and the imposition of perceived group superiority.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Towards ICCS 2022 – Cohesion as a Choice: Regardless of Faith and Identity”

July 2021

Norman Vasu, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of Policy Studies at RSIS, wrote that the inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) hosted by Singapore in June 2019 brought together a diversity of faiths and perspectives on religion’s role in contributing to social harmony and cohesion. With ICCS 2022 on the horizon, he shared how this conference can maintain its relevance and strengthen trust across a very diverse global community.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Towards ICCS 2022 – Cohesive Societies, Shared Humanity: Looking Back, Moving Forward”

July 2019

Stephanie Neubronner, Research Fellow with the National Security Studies Programme (NSSP) at RSIS, wrote that while discussing ways to build social cohesion is important, how do we move beyond such conversations and motivate everyday individuals to take action?
Read more in RSIS Commentary “After the ICCS – Building Social Cohesion: Committing to a Participatory Approach”

June 2019

Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman at RSIS, shared that ‘Many Communities, One Shared Future’ was the theme of the recently concluded International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS). A key takeaway is that diversity is not a hindrance to social cohesion; it is how people manage the difference. It is also important that everyone plays a part and not wait for the government or institutions to do something.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “International Conference on Cohesive Societies – Appreciating Diversity: What Has The ICCS Achieved?”

Shashi Jayakumar, Head, Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) and Executive Coordinator, Future Issues and Technology at RSIS, wrote why is it that it feels like we are living in an increasingly tribalist age – one where it seems different peoples, separated by colour, religious creed, or political ideology, can no longer live together harmoniously? What can be done about it and where does Singapore stand?
Read more in RSIS Commentary “International Conference on Cohesive Societies – Tolerance and its Enemies: Three Observations”

Paul Hedges, Associate Professor with the Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme, RSIS, noted how the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) in Singapore brought together academics, thought leaders, policy makers, youth leaders, and practitioners and pointed towards ways we can build cohesive societies.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “The International Conference on Cohesive Societies – How to Build Cohesive Societies”

Adrian Tan, Head of Policy Coordination and Specialist Research and Coordinator of the Malaysia Programme, RSIS, and Abigail Leong, Visiting Associate at RSIS, wrote that there are growing instances of religions being exploited for political ends, resulting in conflict and violence worldwide. As a country where people of different religious beliefs share the same living space, what more can be done to encourage inter-faith dialogue in Singapore?
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Forging Cohesive Societies – Living With Religious Diversity”

May 2019

Jeanne Conceicao, Visiting Fellow at RSIS, wrote that The past few months have witnessed more tragedy and violence as extremists continued to target places of worship around the world. Several governments have taken constructive steps to strengthen societal bonds and social cohesion. But in a world of growing diversity and tension, what more can governments do to bridge the divisions within societies?
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Forging Cohesive Societies – Harmonious Co-Existence: What Can Governments Do?”

Paul Hedges, Associate Professor with the Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme, RSIS and Jude Lai Fernando, Assistant Professor in Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies at the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, wrote that the recent Sri Lankan attacks risk stigmatising the Muslim community in Sri Lanka while reshaping the fragile inter-communal relations in new ways.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Sri Lankan Attacks and Inter-Communal Relations”

April 2019

Han Fook Kwang, Senior Fellow at RSIS, wrote that Singapore’s commitment to multiracialism and inter-faith harmony is not just about keeping the peace but about its identity as a nation. It has achieved much over the last 50 years but serious challenges remain. The speed in which fake news and hate speech are spread online can easily create enmity among the races and religious groups. Much depends on whether Singaporeans are merely tolerant of each other or have developed deep trust and understanding.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Forging Cohesive Societies – Singapore’s Multiracialism: A Matter of Identity”

January 2019

Paul Hedges and Nursheila Muez,  Associate Professor and Research Analyst respectively with the Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme, RSIS, noted that Singapore hosted ASEAN’s inaugural interfaith exchange programme in December. It was a platform for sharing best practices among the region’s neighbours, especially inter-religious dialogue. While an important tool for cultivating inter-religious harmony, there is a need to ensure that the practice of dialogue itself is inclusive.
Read more in RSIS Commentary “Plural Traditions in Plural Societies: Inclusivity in Inter-Religious Dialogue“

July 2019

Han Fook Kwang, senior fellow at RSIS, shared that diversity is strength, have no fear of challenging orthodox thinking.
Read more in the article “Let’s Talk Openly about Religion – Yours and Mine” in The Straits Times

June 2019

Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, wrote that despite the challenges of diversity, it should not be viewed as a hindrance. What matters is how we view diversity in society and make the most of our differences, bearing in mind we share one common future.
Read more in the article “The Challenge is How We Make the Most of Diversity” in The Straits Times

May 2019

Mohammad Alami Musa, Head of Studies with the Inter-religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme at RSIS, wrote that it is time to address the elephant in the room – that religion is being used to justify terror attacks.
Read more in the article “Terror Attacks and the Confusing Role of Religion” in The Straits Times