SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF KHADIJAH MOSQUE ANNEXE ON WEDNESDAY,
1 JANUARY 2003 AT 11.30 AM AT GEYLANG ROAD

First, let me congratulate you on the completion of the Annexe Buildings and the conservation works.

I am told that volunteers played a big part in the project, raising $9 million in funds over five years. The women volunteer group of the Mosque, in particular, deserves special mention. We should encourage this spirit of community in all aspects of Singapore life, as it will make our society more robust and cohesive. It is also significant that several donors to the project were non-Muslims. This
bodes well for religious harmony in Singapore.

For Singaporeans who are not familiar with Khadijah Mosque, this "gotong-royong" spirit is only one of the Mosque's highly acclaimed qualities. Another prized possession, which connoisseurs have spoken to me about, is the Mosque's "nasi beryani". Apparently, the Mosque sells thousands of packets of its "nasi beryani" every year. All the ingredients are donated. And the cooking is done by a team of lady volunteers under the close supervision of the Chairman of the Mosque himself, Ustaz Haji Ali! I look forward to finishing my speech quickly, and sampling some of his culinary skills.

Mutual accommodation

The International Herald Tribune recently reported that Muslims in Russia were suffering a backlash from the Chechen rebels’ siege of the Moscow theatre. They call it "Islamophobia". As "Islamophobia" sweeps through the country, Muslims are being equated with terrorists.

This is an example of how Muslims have become victims of terrorism committed in the name of Islam. Innocent Muslims are being tarred by the actions of such terrorists. In many non-Muslim countries, they have more difficulty getting employment, and are treated as security risks.

We in Singapore are fortunate that race and religious relations have not been harmed by September 11 or the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) arrests. This is because of our years of painstaking effort to build understanding, confidence and trust between the communities. It is the result of careful Government measures to balance, in a fair and practical way, national integration and private space. But most of all, we have succeeded because Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, Christians,
Hindus and Singaporeans of other religions are firmly committed to our multi-racial, multi-religious
society.

In this regard, I am heartened by the role played by our Muslim leaders. After the JI arrests, they came out strongly to support the Government's actions. Representatives of 122 local Malay/Muslim groups signed a joint statement to condemn terrorism and explain Islam's position on the matter. The statement noted that "devoted Muslims are expected to be loyal citizens of the country of their birth and residence", and that "the love of the homeland is a part of the (Islamic) faith". The organisations "unequivocally support(ed) all efforts to maintain security in Singapore". This was a significant statement. It reassured non-Muslims of our Muslims' commitment to a multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore.

Our Malays/Muslims have stepped forward on other occasions to support national integration. In 1989, when we introduced the HDB quota system to avoid racial enclaves, Muslim leaders and organisations came out in support. They argued that although maintaining a community's culture and religion was important, it was just as important to live with other communities and to understand them.

In turn, the Government has always recognised the importance for Muslims to be able to practise their faith. In the early 70s, when Muslims were resettled in HDB flats, the Government made sure that there would be mosques in their housing estates. Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew called the MUIS Council to the Istana, and suggested a Mosque Building Fund to help achieve this.

The Administration of Muslim Law Act was quickly amended to allow such a Fund to be set up. Since then, 19 new generation mosques have been built. There are now 68 mosques in Singapore.

I take great satisfaction in seeing mosques, churches, and Chinese and Hindu temples in the same neighbourhood. Khadijah Mosque, for instance, is situated in a part of Singapore - Geylang - where there is probably the greatest concentration of mosques, temples, churches, Chinese clan associations etc. This shows that Singaporeans are able to accommodate others of different faith. It is this mutual accommodation of interests that has won us the social harmony we enjoy today.

Strengthening inter-community understanding

But we should not take this harmony for granted. If Al Qaeda or JI ever succeeds in blowing up even one target in Singapore, this might spark racial tensions, and perhaps even unrest. During my recent visit to Indonesia, I was told that after the bomb blasts, the Hindus in Bali came close to venting their anger on Muslims there.

We must therefore continually strengthen the foundations of our racial and religious harmony. We must build up understanding, confidence and trust between the different communities now, when things are quiet and peaceful. Then if a bomb blast does occur in Singapore, there is less likelihood of it causing misunderstanding and tension between the communities. This is the reason why I proposed the Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) earlier this year.

Our mosques and other religious institutions too, should help promote such understanding between the communities. I note, for instance, that several mosques collaborate to hold an annual open house. The Khadijah Mosque networks with other religious groups in the neighbourhood, including Chinese institutions like the Nanyang Leow Shi Association and the Thong Kheng Charitable Institution. The Mosque has also invited representatives from the different religious communities to participate in today's opening ceremony. I commend these outreach efforts. In our
multi-religious society, our places of worship must promote integration, not segregation.

Speaking out against extremism

There has been a global revival of all religions in the last two decades. We are also seeing this in Singapore. The search for spiritual fulfilment is understandable, but increasing piety should not lead to any community withdrawing from the social mainstream. This is true for our Muslims as it is for our other communities.

Another worry we have is that in every religion, there are people whose psychology predisposes them to extremism, and will easily cross the line between right and wrong if they are exposed to manipulative teachers. Many of the JI members were searching only for religious knowledge, but they came into contact with the wrong teachers and were misled.

This is why the Muslim community in Singapore must be on guard against those who preach extremism and hatred. You must prevent your young and susceptible from falling prey to deviant teachings. King Abdullah of Jordan, in an article in the Washington Post, said that "we must do even more to make sure the real voice of Islam is heard", and that "Muslims must speak out boldly in defence of a dynamic, moderate Islam".

The Government can take physical action to contain the threat of terrorism. But if moderate Islam does not win the ideological conflict against the militant Islam preached by the terrorists, there will always be the possibility of another generation of JI. Muslim leaders must take the lead to persuade their community of the wrongs of the Al Qaeda ideology, and its misinterpretation of Islamic teaching.

I am glad that mosque leaders, religious teachers and community leaders, with the support of MUIS and other Malay/Muslim organisations, have taken up this challenge.

Conclusion

Let me leave you with two hopes for the New Year. First, I hope that the Muslim community will continue to focus on improving the education and skills of its members. This will provide the economic uplift to create the community of excellence that you aspire to achieve.

Second, I hope Singaporeans will remember that they must balance the practice of their religion, with their obligations as citizens. This experiment we call Singapore involves many races and religions. If all of us push the boundaries for our religion without compromise, our social fabric will weaken.

We have done well so far. Singapore is a model multi-racial, multi-religious society. Our Muslims have contributed significantly to this. Let us, together, continue to build a successful society of peace, prosperity and progress.

I wish you a Happy New Year.