To promote religious harmony, a new agreement has been signed between S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and six religious institutions in Singapore recently.
According to the agreement, there will be new post-graduate courses on religious diversity, as well as opportunities for inter-faith teaching exchanges. The six religious institutes include Buddhist College of Singapore, Hindu Centre, MUIS Acade St Francis Xavier Major Seminary, Taoist College and Trinity Theological College.
The main purpose of this endeavour is to promote greater understanding of different religions in Singapore. Other collaborations could involve organising seminars and combining research in enhancing social bonds.
RSIS and Trinity Theological College will jointly develop two courses for an RSIS Asian Studies programme.
Speaking about the religious diversity of Singapore, Mohammad Alami Musa, RSIS' head of studies in inter-religious relations in the Plural Societies Programme, said," While divisiveness can be seen in other parts of the world, Singapore has worked very hard to bring its people together through the exchange of experiences and knowledge.
The memorandum of understanding, according to Mr Alami, is an effort to contribute to that progress and also further enhance ties.
He added that Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam's recent observation regarding how recent regional events could disrupt Singapore's racial harmony were timely and pertinent, as inter-religious peace in Singapore could not be taken for granted.