When the Chief Editor of The RIDGE approached me to write about the array of religious activities on campus as my maiden assignment with the campus publication, my initial response was mixed with feelings of disgruntlement and apprehension. For the record, the internal grumble was not because I was averse to writing about religious issues, but because of what I saw as his implicit assumption (and the stereotypical notion) that Philosophy majors ought to be acquainted with the sphere of religion by default. The feelings of apprehension, on the other hand, subsided as the implications of the word “religious” hit me. Discussing religion, as I had drawn from my own limited experiences, was akin to taking a walk in a minefield—every tread had the potential to blow up in your face if you weren’t careful enough. To write about it in a campus newsletter thus seemed fairly suicidal to me, despite my article’s lack of intention to deliberately stoke controversy.
These early preoccupations of mine led me to wonder if those anxieties were the reasons for which discourse about religion rarely occurs outside of the classroom on campus. Do people refrain from talking about religious issues because they fear offending others? Or are they apathetic towards such issues in general?
I do not presuppose to speak on behalf of the general population, and neither would I invoke the use of dubious statistics of whose origins I know naught. My inferences are drawn largely from inferences based on observations of the interactions within my limited social circle, where discourse about religion and pertinent religious issues take place once in a blue moon, or are avoided altogether in some groups. Despite their humble origins, the implications of these observations are worthy of consideration.
Within the university classroom walls, I’ve many a time borne witness to fiery dialectics on controversial religious issues by feisty, outspoken individuals with vastly different views, all in the spirit of academic learning. These individuals appeared to be well-read, coherent and passionate, and their arguments were well supported by reason and literature. Of course, the abovementioned individuals engaged in weekly verbal sparring were in the minority (who got ‘A’s for their class participation grades, obviously). In every classroom, there also exists the inevitable silent majority who ‘just sits and listens and has no opinions of their own whatsoever’. Perhaps it’s been the silent majority I’ve been hanging out with all my life.
There are three reasons I can think of to explain why some people care not to indulge in religious debates. For one, some individuals might take religious beliefs to be deeply personal and might not be open to discussing them in the the public sphere. Others might avoid treading on these topics for fear of offending sensitivities. The last reason, which I see as a worrying issue, is apathy. It follows that a few amongst us simply do not care enough to know more.
While I respect the fact that individuals have varying interests and different concerns, I worry about this state of apathy regarding religious discourse, and wonder exactly how many amongst us feel this way towards religion.
A friend of mine once pointed out that religion is rather similar to soccer in some ways. In the world of soccer, there exist many different football clubs and affiliations. If you are into soccer, it is highly probable that you also support a certain club. And then there are the opposing clubs that have their fans tearing each other’s throats out at matches—just take any Manchester United and Liverpool FC match, for instance. There are also those who watch the matches, but who do not support any particular club, as well as those who hold absolutely no interest in the sport at all. Drawing a parallel between the two, it would seem excusable that those amongst us who do not have a religious affiliation adopt an indifferent attitude towards religion.
But the truth is religion isn’t anything like soccer. Sure, the world has an array of religions not unlike the multitude of football clubs, but that’s where the similarities end. One’s faith affects one’s worldviews and fundamental beliefs about life. The last time I checked, soccer did nothing of the sort. For many religious adherents, the teachings of their religion permeate several aspects of their life and serve to guide their motivations and behavior.
To quote Muhammad Haziq Bin Jani, President of the NUS Muslim Society, “Personally, Islam is more than just a set of moral guidelines and is a way of life. It is part of me, my culture, community, society and history. A space can only be called ‘secular’, but it is filled with people with their own personal beliefs.”
If we want to truly understand and respect the people around us, we should try to know more about their faiths for a start. To love thy neighbor would be to know thy neighbor first.
Moreover, in a religiously diverse society like ours, religious harmony is essential and should not be erroneously equated with religious indifference. Practising apathy and withholding one’s opinions with respect to controversial religious issues can hardly be said to be contributing to religious harmony. We bear the responsibility of educating ourselves properly about other faiths and to be involved in issues that would concern them and thus the society at large.
One group on campus that has been working hard in educating the NUS community on the diverse faiths in Singapore is the NUS Interfaith Interest Group. The relatively young interest group has been taking the lead in promoting interfaith understanding in the NUS community by organizing a series of discussion sessions designed to share introductory level knowledge about different religions, known as “Faith Firsts”. These sessions, including one on secular humanism, had audiences learning more about faiths such as Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, amongst others.
In addition to organizing interfaith dialogues between the different religious groups on campus including the NUS Catholic Society and the NUS Buddhist Society, the group also played a crucial role in bringing these religious clubs and societies on campus together at the Interfaith Student Congress held in 2012, putting in the spotlight possibilities of future collaborations amongst the various religious groups as well as discussing other interfaith issues.
Anjana Ramkumar, Co-President of the NUS Interfaith Interest Group, states, “It’s dangerous when youths don’t understand the religions practiced in their own backyards, and today even a flippant blog post about religion can threaten to destabilize societal fault lines. We need better understanding about faith in order to address potential misconceptions, and promote harmony between faith communities.”
Other religious clubs and societies on campus have not taken a backseat in promoting interfaith harmony either. The NUS Muslim Society, for one, was engaged in an interfaith dialogue session with the NUS Varsity Christian Fellowship in 2012. The topic of discussion was the role of religion in the life of a university student.
As Kwan Qi Xiang, Chairperson of the NUS Varsity Christian Fellowship EXCO puts it, “I think that the religious groups have done a good job in taking the lead to try to discuss how the different religious groups interact with each other in a way that promotes mutual understanding and peace. Despite having different ways of articulating why we think living peacefully with one another is important, and [having] different motivations for our public involvement, I think we do have a common desire to live peacefully and bring as much good as we can to society.”
In response to the question of how faith and religion fit in a secular institution like NUS, Ms. Ramkumar replies, “The environment of NUS is secular but not atheistic, and the religious beliefs of students should be respected and valued.” Indeed, the strong presence of a diversified range of religious groups on campus gives us an idea of the important role religion plays in an individual’s life.
Leong Chao Yang, President of NUS Buddhist Society, also shares his view on the matter. “NUS students often have to juggle between the rigour of school work, co-curricular activities, familial and personal commitments, as well as spiritual attainment for some. Faith on campus can provide a channel for helping students to learn how to achieve work-life balance while driving towards their own personal goals.”
Religious groups on campus also play an important role in providing a voice for their members and working with the relevant authorities to address pertinent issues. Mr. Haziq says, “We deal with many religious issues every day. We are currently discussing issues of Halal food options in school with many factors to consider: being imposing on the student population, effects on the capital of existing Halal food vendors in school, alternatives, student sentiments, whether it is an issue of non-issue… It gives people an idea as to the amount of consideration involved in any policy or action.”
In February of this year, the NUS Muslim Society and the NUS Varsity Christian Fellowship will be involved in NUS’s inaugural symposium on diversity, harmony and national integration in Singapore. The event will shed light on interfaith issues and bear testimony to the brilliant mix of cultures and religions in the country. If you’d like to start finding out more about other faiths, this would be a good place to start.
I know I will be there.