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Religious dialogue crucial to address Islamophobia

I share the sentiments expressed by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam that “Singaporeans must guard against intolerance towards Muslims” (Jan 20).

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Darren Chan Keng Leong

I share the sentiments expressed by Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam that “Singaporeans must guard against intolerance towards Muslims” (Jan 20).

In Singapore, many people live in multireligious communities, and it is important that the Government and religious organisations continue their dialogue. This is to allow everyone to help one another in preventing misguided religious ideologies. After all, religion is a force for good.

With the ongoing inter-faith dialogues and the presence of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) in constituencies, all religious organisations would have more opportunities to reach out, address any misconceptions of their faiths and guide their followers, especially the youth, in the right direction.

Respect and tolerance play essential roles in preserving the multiracial and multi-ethnic society in Singapore. Indeed, the Government needs to pay closer attention to the use of the Internet and social media, which can be used to spread misguided religious ideologies.

Although it is necessary to stamp out intolerance towards Muslims, it is more important to educate the public that religion can be misused, and they must stand firm in their own religious beliefs and foster more community bonding with the larger population.

Islamophobia is a cause for concern because it reinforces stereotypes and is very demeaning to the Muslim population, creating a lot of resentment and scrutiny towards them.

Everyone is affected by acts of terrorism and any religion can be potentially misused to spread extremist and radical ideologies.

A lack of understanding of the religious teachings of a certain faith is not confined to the Muslim population, but is present in other religious populations as well.

More can be done to bring people together and to understand the challenges that different religious organisations are facing.

I believe such greater engagement and efforts will help bring people closer and create a more cohesive society.

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