Stand united amid pandemic, faith-based group leaders urge
Common threat is Covid-19, not people or countries or their religions, they say
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Leaders of six faith-based organisations here have come together to urge Singaporeans to stand united during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Endorsing a statement by Jamiyah Singapore president Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar yesterday, the leaders from the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, Taoist Federation (Singapore), Hindu Endowments Board, Hindu Advisory Board and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore jointly noted the need to strengthen cohesion and solidarity amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The statement read: "As faith-based leaders, we are better placed to remind our followers that our common threat and enemy is the virus, not the people or countries or their religions."
It added: "Other than offering prayers to those afflicted or encouraging our followers to be vaccinated and to adhere to the laws regulating the spread of the pandemic, more can be done by us."
The statement also said the faith-based organisations would continue their services to support the underprivileged and those with disabilities.
It added: "We are also determined to maintain racial and religious peace and solidarity amongst our multiracial and multi-religious population, including our foreign workers and their families. These unifying aspirations and partnerships are such precious and essential causes that we, irrespective of our different beliefs and ideologies, are more than prepared to uphold (them)."
Dr Hasbi noted that the statement relayed the importance of Singaporeans staying united while facing the challenges posed by the pandemic.
"As leaders of faith-based organisations, it is our responsibility to encourage and safeguard racial and religious peace and solidarity amongst our multiracial and multi-religious population," he said.
Mr Raja Segar, chief executive of the Hindu Endowments Board, said that it endorsed the statement as it believed that people should remain harmonious in times of crisis.
Mr Tan Thiam Lye, chairman of the Taoist Federation, noting how the pandemic has altered society, said that "our Singaporean spirit further tightened the social fabric and cohesiveness of the community".
Mr Tan Lee Huak, president of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, said: "We are happy to join Jamiyah Singapore in endorsing this statement and would like to urge people to work together in unity against Covid-19."
