Islamic moderation in Singapore thrives in a secular environment<\/p>\n
Muhamad Ali, Manoa, Hawai<\/p>\n
Singapore is a unique example of how Islamic moderation could
\nbe made possible by a politically and economically secular
\nenvironment. It is commonly held that global modernity has
\nnothing to do with tradition and religion. But if one more
\nclosely observes, religious lives can be interrelated to the ways
\nin which a country modernizes itself in economy and education.<\/p>\n
It is true that Singapore remained one of the most tightly
\ncontrolled, though nominally democratic, states in Southeast
\nAsia. With a total population in 2000 of four million -- 77
\npercent Chinese, 14 percent Malay and 8 percent Indian --
\nSingapore faced sensitive issues relating to ethnicity, though
\nthere was little overt unrest.<\/p>\n
With a highly urban character and its predominantly Chinese
\npopulation, Singapore became Southeast Asia's most thriving
\nentrepreneurial state and a major regional -- and global-
\ncommunications center by the early 1990s, though it was done at
\nsome cost in personal liberties, self-expression and stringent
\ncontrols continued on information and the media.<\/p>\n
But paradoxically, most Singaporeans seem to be quite happy
\nabout their religious lives. The question arises: Is that because
\neconomic development has actually transformed in positive ways
\nthe pragmatic, thus tolerant minds of the religious peoples? Is
\nthe religious freedom that they have been experiencing made
\npossible by their prosperity? What is the relationship between
\nreligious observance and global modernity appropriation?<\/p>\n
In Singapore, where (mostly Malay) Muslims constitute a
\nminority living in a society undergoing far-reaching secularizing
\nchanges, some 68 mosques stand as an important bulwark of Muslim
\nidentity and community integrity. Though the main function of a
\nmosque is as a place of prayer, the mosque plays a variety of
\nroles. Many such satellite mosques have also madrasah (modernized
\nIslamic schools) and pre-school centers. Mosques also provide
\ndiverse services, mostly religious, educational, social and
\neconomic ones. Religious development and economic modernization
\nseem to support each other.<\/p>\n
Islamic organizations such as PERGAS (Union of Singapore
\nIslamic Teachers) and MUIS (Council of Islamic Religion in
\nSingapore) have been actively engaged in educational and social
\nactivities. Singapore has conditioned MUIS, for example, to have
\na vision of reaching towards \"a community of excellence that is
\nreligiously profound and socially progressive.\"<\/p>\n
MUIS further spells out the desired attributes of the
\nSingapore Muslim community with respect to socio-religious life,
\nnamely to hold strongly to Islamic principles while adapting
\nitself to changing contexts.<\/p>\n
Unlike Indonesian Muslims, Muslim communities in Singapore are
\ncomparatively \"conservative\" in their religious beliefs and
\npractices, but \"progressive\" in terms of economic and social
\nbehavior.<\/p>\n
The kind of Islamic \"conservatism\" can be easily recognized
\n(headscarves and Arabo-Malay attire) due to the influential role
\nof the particular kind of Middle Eastern Islamic preaching,
\npublications and organizations. In fact, Singapore used to be the
\ncenter for Islamic publication in Southeast Asia. Although they
\nare conservative in religious belief and practices, they are
\nagainst radicalism and terrorism.<\/p>\n
For example, a Singaporean Malay Muslim woman said, \"We as
\nMuslims should not be defensive about the misperceptions linking
\nIslam to terrorism; it is our responsibly to explain that Islam
\nhas nothing to do with terrorism; if the terrorists claim
\nthemselves as Muslims they have misinterpreted some of the
\nKoranic verses; but for us the terrorists are not truly Muslims
\nbecause the meaning of Islam itself is peace.\"<\/p>\n
It is also very interesting to understand the extent to which
\nSingaporeans experience religious freedom of its own. When I
\nattended a Global Education Convention at the National University
\nof Singapore in which international educators and students shared
\ntheir knowledge and experiences in an attempt to promote global
\ncitizenship and education, I observed and talked to some of the
\nSingaporeans about their religious lives.<\/p>\n
Most of them are proud of being Singaporean and of the ways in
\nwhich religious beliefs are being practiced. In places of
\nworship, it appears that different peoples of religion (Buddhism,
\nHinduism, Islam, and Christianity) are quite content with the
\ndevelopment of their religious lives.<\/p>\n
Thus, when a country prospers, radical Islamism becomes less
\npossible. Singapore provides a case in which Muslim minorities
\ncan actually live peacefully and prosperously in a secular,
\nglobalized country. Despite the imminent threats posed by
\nSoutheast Asian terrorist networks, Islam in Singapore can
\ncoexist with economic and political secularism.<\/p>\n
The writer, a lecturer at the Syarif Hidayatullah State
\nIslamic University of Jakarta, is pursuing his Ph.D in History at
\nthe University of Hawaii at Manoa under the East-West Center
\nFellowship. He can be reached at muhali74@hotmail.com<\/p>",
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