Rilek1Corner

Tag: racial harmony

  • An Open Invitation For Non-Muslims To Fast For A Day

    An Open Invitation For Non-Muslims To Fast For A Day

    Ramadhan is coming in about two weeks. I hope my Muslim brothers and sisters can introduce Ramadhan, and its significance in Islam (and why Muslims are markedly nicer in this month, if only in this month!) to our friends from other (or no) faiths.

    In fact, I suggest we encourage the people we know to try out fasting for a day. If nothing else, just to get the multiracial experience.

    For my friends, those who wish to try fasting for a day (or more), please inform me and you have an open invitation to my place for the breaking of fast on that day(s).

     

    Source: Walid J.Abdullah

  • Netizen Who Asked Where To Stay In Singapore With Little Or No Muslims Told to Stay In Christian Cemetary

    Netizen Who Asked Where To Stay In Singapore With Little Or No Muslims Told to Stay In Christian Cemetary

    Unless you are a foreigner, or have been living under rock, almost everyone will notice that Singapore is a multiracial and multireligious society.

    This did not stop an anonymous netizen from asking a potentially seditious question on Quora.

    He wrote: “What are the best areas to live in Singapore with as little Muslims as possible?”

    The result was a flurry of witty responses that only Singaporeans can give.

    One netizen wrote: “Try Orchard road. A little expensive than your normal neighbourhoods but really, there are Muslims in every area possible and they avoid Orchard road for more than the economic reasons. If Orchard road area is too steep for you, you can consider migrating. Or try to live in harmony like a Singaporean will.”

    Another helpful netizen suggested an unlikely but fitting venue.

    “You want to live in an area of Singapore with as few Muslims as possible?

    I got one for you.

    It’s a place with open fields and fresh air. You’re surrounded by nature and it’s really peaceful staying there.

    It’s the area around 920 Old Choa Chu Kang Road. Only Christians reside here. There’s not a single Muslim there.”

    And then there are netizens who seem to pluck statistics out of a hole no one can see.

    “Public housing in Singapore has racial quota. The effect is that, all public housing estates have similar ratio of Chinese, Indian, and Malay. Very few Chinese are Muslims, not many Indians are Muslims (there are not that many Indians, anyway), and most Malays are Muslims (but Malays are not that numerous, either). Thus, all public housing estates don’t have many Muslims.

    Private housing, on the other hand, has no racial quota. However, Muslims in Singapore tend to be less well-off (to use the polite term), and thus you will less likely see them in private housing.”

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: https://www.allsingaporestuff.com

  • Islamic Renaissance Front: Deport Zakir Naik For The Sake Of Malaysians

    Islamic Renaissance Front: Deport Zakir Naik For The Sake Of Malaysians

    Malay-Muslim scholars and thinkers regrouped under the Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) are not in favor of the presence of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Malaysia, and his involvement in local political matters.

    In a long article entitled “Zakir Naik’s Appeal and the Quagmire of Inter-Religious Relations in Malaysia“ published on June 17, 2016, by Singaporean based interfaith group Left Right and Center creator Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib.

    In the article, Mohamed Imran explained the reasons why Zakir is diverting from the real issues of ‘comparative religion’ debates, into that of a politically charged engagement in Malaysia.

    He said Zakir’s presence in Malaysia may have bad fallout on the country’s religious harmony.

    He urged for the replacement of the ‘confrontational’ religious education with one that builds approaches, reconcile and create a sense of respect for each other, to accept diversity and difference. and the desire to jointly pursue the common good in a spirit of peace, justice and equality between religious and non-religious communities.

    This with the desire to jointly pursue the common good in a spirit of peace, justice and equality between religious and non-religious communities.

    “While politics can often derail this process, it is important to work towards building a community that can fight the tide effort to seed the dispute.

    He said these actions may not be carried out by outright prohibition, which would instantly make them martyrs in religion classes and strengthen the “conspiracy theory” against Islam.

    “In contrast is the strong effort to show that the relationship between religion will be harmed if Zakir Naik is left unchecked.

    Original article here: http://irfront.net/post/articles/articles-malay/rayuan-zakir-naik-dan-jerlus-hubungan-antara-agama-di-malaysia/

     

    Source: www.theindependent.sg

  • Teacher Calls Out Student For Racist Comments, Class Learns Meaning Of Majority Privilege

    Teacher Calls Out Student For Racist Comments, Class Learns Meaning Of Majority Privilege

    There are a few things I don’t abide in my classes.

    One of them is racism. Today in class I pulled a boy out of class because he called one of his classmates “死黒人” (it literally translates to “die black person” but colloquially it’s more accurately translated to “stupid black person”, and is typically used on people who have dark and tanned skin, not necessarily just African Americans).

    This kid was from a majority race in Singapore, and I called him out on it. I told him people of his race were literally being abused and faced racism daily overseas, and that he was taking advantage of the safe environment here where he’s one of the majority. I told him that saying sorry to his friend was not enough, that he shouldn’t do it again.

    Don’t we all know that’s not going to happen.

    So I addressed the class on this. Acknowledged that I have said racist things before years ago, and that I have also been the target of racism right here in sunny Singapore. And that if you can’t even respect your friends and peers (because that’s what it boils down to), then how can you expect others to respect you.

    Pretty sure most of it fell on deaf ears, given that they are a class that has trouble respecting themselves, and with very probable self-esteem issues.

    It is so, so painful to see the world the way it is. To see kids behaving that way because we as adults tell them (through our behavior and the words we say) that it is okay. That it is normal to have pre-conceived (negative) notions of what different cultures or races or ethnicities are, or do, or have. It is tiring and exhausting trying to re-educate these kids into thinking that everyone deserves respect.

    The very fact that we NEED to RE-EDUCATE them about that is, in itself, appalling.

    And no, this isn’t just at the secondary school level either. I had to address a similar issue while teaching a primary 2 class this morning, when they didn’t react to 2 ethnic dances I mentioned we would be learning, but started giggling and making noise when I mentioned the third.

    Every day I realize how broken our world is, and how we are the ones who broke it. But shouldn’t we also be trying to help fix it?

    Sarah
    A.S.S. Contributor

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

  • What Are Religious Leaders Doing To Promote Pluralism?

    What Are Religious Leaders Doing To Promote Pluralism?

    I applaud Dr Yap Kim Hao’s call for “religious pluralism” ( Need for those who can teach religious pluralism; April 11).

    It is a reality that religious communities, even in Singapore, remain in their silos.

    It is not uncommon for religious organisations and businesses to place emphasis on recruiting those who are of the same faith, even for roles not directly religion-related.

    Of course, it is their prerogative to do so.

    But it is sad that instead of living and working side-by-side with non-religious affiliated parties to forge mutual understanding and friendships despite their differences, these groups choose exclusivity and isolation.

    I have seen it even in charity and volunteer organisations, where one can overhear remarks like “this person will not have genuine compassion because he does not share our faith” or “he is an outsider, so he cannot fully understand our religious goals”.

    Rhetoric like this from any religious organisation or individual is disconcerting. Such comments are dangerous and not to be accepted here.

    With the City Harvest case and the one in which an imam made insensitive remarks, it is clear that religious leaders have a big influence over their followers.

    But what are they doing to promote religious pluralism?

    In this age of heightened consciousness of one’s religious identity and of religious diversity, Singapore can never deviate from our pledge of “regardless of race, language or religion”.

     

    Wong Lai Chun

    Source: www.straitstimes.com/forum