Speeches
Building Multi-ethnic Resilience: The Continuing Journey Keynote Address By President Tharman Shanmugaratnam At The International Conference On Communities Of Success On 14 October 2024 At Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre
14 October 2024
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Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health, and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Scholars and Community Leaders,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to join you this morning at the second International Conference on Communities of Success (ICCOS). To our guests from overseas, a warm welcome.
I am glad to see among you, religious scholars, community leaders and policy makers from around the world. When the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis, embarked on this biennial conference series two years ago, it was precisely with this in mind – to have leaders from wide-ranging backgrounds come together to share ideas and experiences, to have frank discussions on the challenges faced by minority Muslim communities, and to explore practical pathways for these communities to thrive as Communities of Success.
While the large majority of the 2 billion or so Muslims in the world live in Muslim-majority countries, about one-fifth – or close to 400 million Muslims – live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion.
These Muslim communities have experiences which are typically different from societies where Muslims are the majority. There are at times no precedents, from Islamic history and traditions, to guide them as they seek to practice their faith within societies where they are a minority.
The theme for this year’s conference, “Inspiring Future Leaders: Building Trust, Empowering Communities”, is also timely. It comes at a time of uncertainty globally, and growing ethnic intolerance and polarisation in many societies.
The unfolding, tragic conflicts in the Middle East have their own unique political features. However, we also see a broader loss of trust between communities in many other parts of the world. They remind us that multi-ethnic cohesion, even once achieved, can never be taken as a given.
They illustrate an uncomfortable reality: that history does not progress automatically towards greater understanding between people of different races or religions, a deeper sense of shared identity, or lesser segregation, even as societies advance in wealth. Ethnic prejudices and anxieties are hard to eradicate. And they can easily be aroused or manipulated by sectarian forces, as we have seen in recent years, both in Asia and around the world.
Witness the recent disorders in Britain, which has been regarded in many ways as a more tolerant society than many others in the developed world - the riots between Hindus and Muslims two years ago in Leicester, a city once celebrated as a model of diversity, and the more recent riots fomented by white nationalist groups, targetting Muslims especially.
The causes are rarely simple, and they vary from one society to another. And they often reflect both ethnic prejudices and social and economic anxieties that have been left to fester.
What is clear enough is that liberal or laissez-faire models of multiculturalism, where diversity is recognised or even celebrated but is not bolstered with proactive efforts to deepen interactions and build a shared identity between people of different races and religions, has failed.
It is also clear that when race and religion get woven into politics, the differences and anxieties between people grow over time and become more combustible.
We can and must draw from these lessons, not just from decades-old history but the recent and continuing realities in different parts of the world.
Yet, just as history tells us that multiethnic cohesion is never assured, neither is polarisation a given. We can build on the positive experiences we see, as we strive to build resilient multiethnic social compacts, and enable minority communities to succeed and thrive.
There are indeed such examples of tolerance and harmony in societies with significant religious minorities - from Albania to Kazakhstan. I will talk briefly about our own experience in Singapore - our continuing journey of building multiethnic unity, and enabling communities of success.
Growing a sense of togetherness
Singapore is one of the most culturally and religiously diverse countries in the world. Singapore’s Muslims make up about 16 percent of the population.
A study last year found that Singaporeans of all faiths are tolerant and accepting of followers of different religions. 88 percent of Singaporean adults believe that Islam is compatible with our national culture and values.
It has taken decades of hard work by government and society to weave a multi-racial and multi-religious fabric out of our diverse traditions. Where each community takes pride in its own culture and traditions, but where we also take pride together in being a peaceful, multicultural society. Where we not only accept each other as different communities but recognise everyone’s contributions to peace and progress, and develop a shared sense of belonging.
We have done this especially through our political system, through policies in education and housing that encourage ethnic integration, through an economy that provide opportunities for all, and through continuous dialogue between religious leaders and communities.
Coming out of a difficult history of communal strife, we took race and religion out of politics, starting from Singapore’s independence. Importantly, this included the majority Chinese community eschewing majoritarian politics, and accepting that being a majority did not mean having government policies that favour the majority.
I should highlight education too, as it has been our most fundamental strategy for developing the qualities needed for cohesive society. It is how we encourage social mixing from young, so that each new generation develops a sense of familiarity and solidarity with one another as Singaporeans, regardless of race and religion. This comes not from textbooks, but from their shared experiences in growing up together.
We have also created networks for frequent dialogue between members of different religious groups. Our religious leaders engage in regular inter-religious dialogue - through formal platforms such as the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony, and ground-up organisations such as the Inter-Religious Organisation, as well as through informal networks that breed friendship and understanding among religious leaders.
Within their own places of worship, our religious leaders guide their followers to practice their faith in a way that is consistent with the basic tenets of Singapore’s multicultural compact.
And at the grassroots level, our community leaders actively promote multiracial and interfaith mixing, through the Racial and Religious Harmony Circles, and through social activities such as sports.
In government, leaders and policymakers ensure that our laws and policies do not discriminate against any group. They frequently engage with community and religious leaders, speak openly about sensitive issues that have to be addressed, and keep open lines of communication.
Uplifting and Empowering the Muslim Community
Alongside these national efforts, Singapore’s Muslim community, including the ethnic Malay population, is charting its path forward to uplift and empower its members.
One of the most significant measures is M³, which harnesses the resources of three key Malay/Muslim institutions - which are key in religious guidance, self-help in education and skills, and grassroots activity. Some of its initiatives include efforts to strengthen marriages and families, empower students to aspire and achieve their goals, improve employment and health outcomes, and support low-income households within the community.
A key priority has also been to forge unity amid a diversity of Islamic traditions and practices. Here, competent and respected religious leaders and teachers play a critical role.
The Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) enhances the standing of our religious teachers, and serves as a credible source of reference for Singapore Muslims.
Our returning graduates from overseas Islamic universities in Muslim-majority countries undergo the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS). This helps them to apply religious principles in ways that align with our own cultural and societal fabric.
Our Prime Minister has also recently announced plans to establish the Singapore College for Islamic Studies to train future generations of asatizah. Such initiatives will help build a strong asatizah fraternity.
More recently in August, the new Islamic endowment fund, known as the Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura (WMS) or the Singapore Community Wakaf, was launched, to fund the needs of the Singapore Muslim community more sustainably. It shows us that when communities are strong, they build virtuous cycles of generosity and contribution towards a more confident, caring and inclusive society.
The journey never ends
Our Singapore Muslim community, even as a minority, enriches our society in every way. They are our teachers, doctors, police officers, firefighters, scientists, and sports heroes, whose contributions go far beyond their own community.
Building communities of success for our minority communities is not just good to have, but a necessity. When a minority community underperforms its potential or is discriminated against, it challenges the values we hold dear as a country.
As I highlighted earlier, however, building a multireligious and multicultural compact is a continuous journey, and we can never take our foot off the pedal. The high degree of trust and respect we have today between our communities is not assured for all time. It can unravel, as it has in so many societies.
And even as we eliminate overt racial or religious prejudices, we must pay attention to subtle prejudices and segregation - such as whether we include classmates or work colleagues from other ethnic groups in conversations, and in circles of friends at lunch and in the neighbourhood.
I have elaborated a little on Singapore’s experience in this speech, but we are by no means the only example. We have much to learn from each other’s experiences.
I hope that the ICCOS series will not only enable leaders to come together but to inspire each other and find practical pathways for how minority Muslim communities can flourish – now and for the generations to come.
I wish you a fruitful and meaningful conference. Thank you.