CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS IN SINGAPORE FROM INDEPENDENCE TO POST 9/11

by Guat Kwee See

Information:

Author: Guat Kwee See

Publisher: Centre for Interfaith Understanding (Singapore)

Year: 2019

ISBN: 978-981-14-3810-3

No. of pp.: 200

Retail Price: SGD 32.00 (inclusive of delivery) *

* At the moment, we mail to Singapore addresses only.

To purchase, write to: cifusingapore@gmail.com

(Include Name, Address, Contact Number and No. of Copies)

Synopsis:

Christian-Muslim relations in Singapore are influenced by a historical past. The founding of Singapore by the British and the subsequent arrival of Christian missionaries had impacted the Malays, who were primarily Muslims. The economic and religious isolation of Muslims, especially after the Treaty of Pangkor and British policies, led to precarious, and often hostile, Christian-Muslim relations. Christian proselytisation became a key point of contention. After Singapore’s independence, the rise of religious revivalism within the Christian and Muslim communities resulted in rivalries that had to be kept at bay. Among others, the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act was introduced in 1990 to manage inter-religious relations in the republic. This book explores the historical context of Christian-Muslim relations in Singapore, tracing its ebbs and flows from the nation’s independence in 1965 to the immediate years after the fall of the Twin Towers in 2001, which charted a new era in inter-religious relations.

About The Author:

Guat Kwee See holds a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Hartford Seminary, Connecticut, USA. She was awarded the Celie I. Terry Prize in 2008 for demonstrating commitment to academic achievement and excellence in the interfaith community. She is currently Chairperson of Centre for Interfaith Understanding (Singapore).

Endorsements:

This well researched book carefully documents Christian-Muslim relations in one of the world's most religiously diverse countries. All who are interested in the relations between these two global religions will and that they have much to learn from the example of Singapore.

Professor Heidi Hadsell

President Emeritus, Hartford Seminary, USA

History and memory plays a crucial role in Christian-Muslim relations. Events and incidents are remembered and celebrated in different ways. This book brings out those moments of relations in Singapore and in the region – vividly described and analysed by the author.

Ataullah Siddiqui

Professor of Christian-Muslim Relations, and Inter-Faith Understanding
Markfield Institute of Higher Education, UK;
and author of Christian-Muslim Dialogue in the Twentieth Century

This book’s survey is both broad and deep, and will be essential reading for anyone exploring the past, present, and future of Muslim-Christian dialogue in Singapore. But it is not only a study of Muslim-Christian relations, it also tells of a personal journey of discovery, and the story of a country from colonial times till the twenty-first century.

Paul Hedges

Associate Professor in Interreligious Studies
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Nanyang Technological University Singapore

This book provides a much-needed critical account of Christian-Muslim relations in Singapore, detailing the main issues of contention and the means by which the various actors in this interfaith arena have moved to make for what can today be said to be a relationship of understanding and appreciation between the two communities. This study is a must for anyone serious about inter-religious dialogue.

Professor Syed Farid Alatas

Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore

Guat Kwee See has efficaciously described how the historical background in Singapore has coloured Christian-Muslim relations. Her critique, calling for greater engagements and dialogues and for Christians to rethink its current theology of religions, is not a mere intellectual exercise but also a concrete proposal for the different stakeholders towards developing a better Christian-Muslim relation.

Fatimah Husein

Associate Professor in Philosophy and Theology
Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, Indonesia;
and author of Muslim-Christian Relations in the New Order Indonesia.

In this important and passionate book, the author insists that better interfaith relations require healing the wounds of history in the world and in Singapore (which she describes). Instead of divisive theology, she highlights shared beliefs and striving together for peace, justice, relief of suffering and care for the environment.

Revd Dr Marcus Braybrooke

Joint President of the World Congress of Faiths;
and author of Faiths Together for the Future.

This book is a gem among the rare collection of analytical literature on inter-religious issues and relations, particularly between various Christian and Muslim groups in Singapore, and for that matter, regionally and globally. Issues of proselytisation; conversion; theological interpretation; interfaith dialogue; and peace consistently pose complex and challenging responses and negotiations within Singapore's multi-religious society and secular state. This book provides crucial historical background, contexts and evidences to the macro and micro narratives of developments and incidents that shape or affect inter-religious relations. In a turbulent local-global world that is deeply affected by strong religious impulses, this book is a highly valuable contribution towards the rejection of simplistic, literalist or supremacist worldviews, and points towards a grounded, complex and nuanced understanding that is necessary for a healthy inter-religious relation.

Lai Ah Eng

Adjunct Senior Fellow
University Scholars Programme
National University of Singapore