SINGAPORE — The International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) was held June 19 – 21 at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
It was organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.
Spanish Bishop Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican, opened the first plenary session by recognising Singapore as a good example of living together amidst religious and cultural diversity.
He said the Roman Catholic Church recognised the good moral things people did around the world and sought to approach people of other traditions in a brotherly way.
Bishop Ayuso Guixot was one of the five panel speakers for the first plenary session themed What We believe (Faith) which was moderated by Associate Professor Dr Farish A. Noor from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Other speakers at the forum were Ms Karen Armstrong, a Historian of world religion, Dr Veena Howard, Associate Professor, Asian Religious traditions and Coordinator of Peace and Conflict Studies Programme, California State University, Fresno, Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, deputy Mufti, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), and Venerable Guo Huei, Abbot-President, Dharma Drum Mountain.
Dr Farish Noor opened the session with a view to considering how religion guides us in living in a diverse, complex society.
Dr Farish Noor, in his opening remarks, said religious differences are often pegged as the source of tensions in diverse communities, but religion should be part of the solution as well, as most teach acceptance of others and the importance of doing good.
The three-day inaugural event brought together around 1,000 academics, officials and members of religious and civil society groups from close to 40 countries to discuss issues surrounding faith, identity and cohesion.
Bishop Guixot said the concept of human fraternity was at the core of humanity, and awareness of human dignity of each person and their right to religious freedom was a unique expression of the image of the Creator.
He stressed that interreligious dialogue was a necessary condition for peace in the world and therefore a duty for all.
The Bishop noted that migrants and victims of human trafficking require protection and support.
“The essence of harmony is a call for human beings to fulfil their task in society by creating a network of multiple relationships of solidarity, justice and love, thus breaking through that sense of isolation which represents one of the “deepest forms of poverty” that a person can experience today,” said Bishop Guixot
To enhance social harmony in society, he said, there needs to be human fraternity, brought about through the promotion of a “culture of encounter”, that is open and fruitful with the other, and demands that we be ready to listen.
The Vatican Head of Interreligious Dialogue said all human beings long for a better and more prosperous life, and the challenge of migration cannot be met with a mindset of violence and indifference, nor by offering merely partial solutions. “Pluralism has an added definition – the settling of migrants and refugees seeking hope and their basic human dignity,” he said.
One of the challenges in the context of the new perspectives in Interreligious Dialogue is exactly the promotion of a major reciprocal collaboration to build a more harmonious society, addressing the global movement of people coming out of a variety of world situations and crises.
He said that the peaceful coexistence of different religious communities is an inestimable benefit to peace and to harmonious human advancement.
“Their capacity for charity is an effort towards this harmony. Faith has an irreplaceable role in nurturing peace and promoting a harmony not built only on differences, but on the day-by-day living out as believers of our common responsibility for peace and collaboration in the promotion of each person’s human dignity,” he added.
What the other panelists said…
Dr Veena Howard observed that Hinduism is not a monolithic religion, but by nature, pluralistic.
She said, “It offers peace resources for us to consider interfaith visions and harmonious society.”
She elaborated that despite varying ideologies, the Hindu response to other traditions has generally been charitable.
In Hinduism, she said, truth is so multi-faceted that no one tradition can capture it fully.
“Dharma is rooted in the idea of cohesion, and the idea of karma — that what goes around comes around – recognises the impact our actions have on society,” she said.
Humans, she said, are connected to each other by their shared humanity and have a responsibility to each other.
“Secularism is not about having no religion but, instead, defined by equal respect for all religions and the collective wisdom of religious traditions, is a great asset for humanity,” she said.
Dr Nazirudin Mohamed Nasir spoke on what religions can do to promote social cohesion.
“Strengthening interreligious dialogue, carried out in many forms such as sports or sharing traditional practices, would lead to increased understanding between various faith traditions,” Dr Nazirudin said.
Our challenge today, he said, is less of encountering difference, but of living with difference. “Theologies that were ambivalent of our social context could lead to ideologies of hate and fear.”
He mentioned that a theology of compassion, drawn from the compassion of God, was needed, and required us to live in harmony.
He also stated that religious ethics and character could mean demonstrating hospitality to others who are different from us or with whom we are unfamiliar.
“Interreligious competence is needed to prevent misinterpretation that could be used divisively,” he said.
Venerable Guo Huei noted that we depend on each other for survival. “The starting point of any interfaith dialogue should not be that each person’s belief is the only right one but a recognition of the richness of other traditions.”
He said respect is a universal value of all religions and it is needed to ensure all are treated equally and invested in solutions.
“Seeking common ground is not to deny that differences exist but that we must search for this common ground to ensure peaceful coexistence and cooperation,” Venerable Guo said.
He urged people to find common ground and then use dialogue and cooperation to mitigate potential conflicts.
Vincent D’Silva HM
