Inter-Faith Dialogue .. Keeping The Faith
The OPSG–IRO Inter-Faith Dialogues are held for each religion according to the chronology of the advent of the different religions Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Baha’i Faith. And at times we will hold certain topics of key importance based on the current affairs in the society.
OnePeople.sg held an inter-faith dialogue session, ‘Keeping the Faith’ with guest speaker Imam Nurayn Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye who was flown down from Abuja, Nigeria at the Hall of Trust on Tuesday, 12th July.
Imam Ashafa and Pastor James led opposing armed militias, dedicated to defending their respective communities during the violent civil unrest in Nigeria in 1987. The two gentlemen went through an amazing change of heart after they were on separate occasions, advised by their spiritual leaders to live true to their religious convictions and cease the violence. They resolved their conflict and went on to set up the Inter-Faith Mediation Centre to facilitate peace-building efforts between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. Imam Ashafa and Pastor James have received several international awards for their inter-faith work and have traveled to different countries to share their experiences.
Around 40 people of which includes the religious representatives, grassroots and youths attended the dialogue where they were first shown a short introduction video of the Imam and Pastor followed by a dialogue with the speakers where they share their experiences on their peace building efforts in their hometown of Abuja, Nigeria.
The attendees also had a meaningful exchange with the speakers where they share the framework for peace building from their own experiences.The interactive dialogue was an eye opener to some while to others it offers fresh perspectives on how harmony here in Singapore can be better fostered in view of issues as rising immigration. This dialogue also manage to show that the experience of reconciliation and collaboration in spreading and promoting peace holds a very powerful and inspirational story which should be shared and use as an example.
More About Inter-faith Dialogue - "The Relevance of Islam Today"
OnePeople.sg and Inter-Religious Organisation are proud to jointly bring to you an inter-faith dialogue conducted by prolific inter-faith expert, Dr Farid Al-Atas on 28 April 2010. The topic is “The Relevance of Islam Today”.
Speaker Curriculum Vitae
Dr Farid Al-Atas
Head, Department of Malay Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Science, NUS
Dr Farid is a well-known speaker in the inter-faith circles of Singapore.
He obtained his basic education from Anglo-Chinese School , honours degree from National University of Singapore and his doctorate from the John Hopkins University. He is a prolific writer, having written many books and articles. He has also been interviewed on by CNN and Channel NewsAsia on many occasions.
Dr Farid Al-Atas shared insightful views about Islam with the audience.
He addressed the interpretation of the semantics to the term Jihad. It has been widely used after the September 11 incident. Jihad’s actual meaning is “struggle”, but it has been translated to “holy war” in the Western countries. The audience was kept captivated by the extensive knowledge of Dr Farid.
The highlight of the night was the “Question and Answer” segment. It was a highly interactive session with questions continuously flowing. The segment provided the audience the opportunities to voice their opinions and clarify misconceptions about Islam. The audience was enlightened by the concise explanations provided by Dr Farid.
This inter-faith dialogue provided a platform for people to gain valuable knowledge about Islam and how it remains relevant in today’s society. Check our website regularly for updates on the next OPSG-IRO Inter-Faith Dialogue. For any enquiries, kindly contact Ms Heryanti at 6258 6828 or send an email to: heryanti@onepeople.sg.
7th Inter-Faith Dialogue on Non-Violent Communication
Our speakers presented the topic from a common social perspective and highlighted the importance of respect and responsibility. Speakers strongly encouraged words of aggression and hatred to be rephrased with peace and forgiveness. Speakers emphasised the importance for communications to be sincere, truthful and clear to promote respect and understanding.
As individual views and perceptions may differ, it is important not to distort the truth based on prejudice. Everyone’s right to their views has to be respected.
The dialogue session was informative and engaging with the effective facilitation of discussing sensitive topics. The audience participated enthusiastically in the “Question & Answer” segment and the session ended on a high note. Many participants requested for details of the next session.
Please check our website for the next OPSG-IRO Inter-Faith Dialogue. For any enquiries, kindly contact Ms Heryanti at 6258 6828 or send an email to: heryanti@onepeople.sg.
OPSG – IRO INTER FAITH DIALOGUE
OPSG in partnership with IRO held an Inter faith dialogue on “Introduction to Religions” last Saturday, 28th May 2011 at the OPSG Hall of Trust. Religious representatives from the Baha’I Faith (Mr Kuek Yi Hsing), Christianity (Rev Gabriel Liew), Islam (Mr Zainudin Md Ismail) and Taoist (Master Chung Kwang Tong) gave the participants a short presentation on their respective religions.
The Introduction to Religions talk was previously conducted as a short workshop session aimed at giving participants basic awareness and understanding of the 10 religions recognized under the Inter-Religious Organisation (Singapore). The ten religions are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha’I Faith.
This talk provided the participants with a basic understanding of the ten religions covering topics like origins, scriptures, symbols, morals and ethical teachings, do and don’ts, festivals as well as the rites and rituals.
The dialogue was attended by 40 participants who went home with a better understanding of the 4 religions that were presented on that day. The various representatives answered questions and doubts during the dialogue session held after the presentation. Questions that were asked included those regarding the misconception of certain religions. The participants felt that the dialogue helped in their daily life and they garnered better understanding of the different religions. This reflected the positive feedback that was received from them regarding the dialogue.
Inter-Faith Dialogue: Mahabharata, Sanskrit Epic of Ancient India
Synopsis
This dialogue will introduce us to the Mahabharata and its characters. Our guest speaker will also discuss how this epic story aims at making people realize the importance of the relation between the individual and the society. This can in turn be brought into the modern context to showcase how both the individual and the society are inter-dependent on each other in the daily lives.
The Mahabharata is one of the two great Sanskrit epics of ancient India. The Mahabharata contains virtually all the lore and legend of the Classical Hindu traditions. It tells a story of a great war from a long history of struggle and diplomatic maneuvering, which involved virtually every tribal king and every powerful city-state in Central and Northern India at the time. The Mahabharata dwells on the aspect of the important goals of a human being in his mortal life. Above all , the Mahabharata is an exposition of dharma (codes of conduct), including the proper conduct of a king, of a warrior, of an individual living in times of calamity and of a person seeking to attain freedom from rebirth.
Speaker’s Profile
Panditji Sunil Kumar is the resident priest of the Amriteswari Society, Singapore. Initially, he was employed as a Priest in the Sri Sivan Temple, Geylang East. Currently, Panditji also serves as Head Priest in annual Gita Jayanti celebrations.
Panditji who is very well versed in the Hindu religious traditions has officiated at many IRO events, as Hindu representativeand has lived here in Singapore for almost 20 years.
For further information on this programme, kindly contact Ms Heryanti Jamal here.
