How Will They View Us Now?

Singapore may be having its first test at religious harmony now that one of our citizens has died in the hands of a Muslim militant.

The country has long understood the importance of understanding each other’s faith. We know that in the backdrop of global religious tensions, the ability to maintain rationality is the country’s best defence. We comprehend how terror is usually perpetrated by those who understand the religion least. This is why we have efforts like inter-faith dialogues and discourses on religions.

But these proclamations of religious harmony have so far been done from a safe, insulated distance. The nation has never experienced a terrorist attack, nor have any of our citizens died in the hands terrorists killing in the name of religion. Till last week.

28-year-old Singaporean lawyer Low Hwei Yen died after being shot twice during the Mumbai hostage ordeal. She was in the city to attend a one-day business seminar. Her captors have openly claimed the siege as an act of vengeance for oppressed Muslims all over the world, particularly in India. Singapore has experienced her first casualty in the hands of a Muslim militant.

The response by Singaporeans has understandably been vocal. Outpouring of grief has been forthcoming on and off the Internet. Others took this opportunity to espouse the much repeated cliché on how we must never let our guard down against terror. But what has been noticeably absent was any discussion on the perpetrators’ backgrounds and the fact that these deviants have killed yet again in the name of Islam.

Perhaps Singaporeans are being polite by avoiding religiously-charged topics. Or it could be that the nation is still reeling in the anger and grief over the lost of an innocent life at its prime.

But somehow I want to believe that the absence of castigations against Muslims in the backdrop of this senseless murder is scant evidence that Singaporeans have truly understood the fact that terrorism is not sanctioned by Islam. Trivialities such as the religion of the attackers may have been ignored in the understanding that they have committed these murders in defiance of the Quran and its commandments. If this is the case, then our efforts at cultivating religious harmony may have produced its first fruit in the form of this silence. If this is the case, then we have passed our first test at religious harmony. Or did we?

Irregardless, Muslims in Singapore must continue its effort in condemning these barbarous acts. We cannot continue to take on the current muted stance and take it for granted that the rest of our fellow citizens would understand every time murder is committed in the name of Islam.

The voice of practising Muslims is still barely audible amongst the clutter of deviant clerics and religious fanatics who are way to keen to disperse hate. If we continue this silence, we risk a time where wayward voices are taken as being representative of Islam.

Muslims, especially the ones here in Singapore, need to put in more effort to assure our fellow citizens and dispel the misconceptions that they may have with regards to our religion. This is especially so when radical Islam is on a rise in many parts of the world. Patience and understanding does have its limits and there will come a point of time where the country needs a fresh assurance from the local Muslims that we do not share the perverted views of the radicals.

Singapore Muslims strongly condemn acts of terror that has been committed in the name of Islam. Our grief is with the families of innocents who lost their and we stand shoulder to shoulder with all Singaporeans to defend our homeland against terror.

Please have a look at my other post titled “Religion of Peace: If Islam is really such a peaceful religion, then why does the Quran seem so violent?”