22 Oct 2023: An Interfaith Observance for Peace, Safety, Harmony and Solidarity
22 October 2023
An Interfaith Observance for Peace, Safety, Harmony and Solidarity
I joined the interfaith gathering organised by the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore, where leaders and members of different religious communities came together to pray for a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Hamas conflict that has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza needing urgent attention.
We took a moment to remember that in times of conflict, innocent civilians die, families are torn apart, children live in fear, and communities are left in despair. We offered prayers to end the suffering the people of Israel and Gaza faced because of this war and for their safety, security, and the possibility of peaceful coexistence.
Communities globally and within Singapore are affected by the loss of innocent lives in this war, and there has been an outpouring of support for Israelis affected by the terrorist attack by Hamas and the Palestinians affected by Israel's retaliatory response to this attack.
We recognized that this is an issue that individuals may have strong feelings about and deeply care for. However, it remains imperative that we consistently avoid expressing opinions in a manner that could provoke anger or hatred.
We also reiterated our commitment to respectful dialogue, which is essential for fostering understanding among various communities and their sentiments. I have been working on this in private and will continue to do so from an interfaith perspective.
At this event, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam dialogued with religious leaders, members, and friends of the IRO. The Senior Minister of State accompanied him to the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.
The President of the IRO, Mr Noor Marican, initiated the prayer with the following:
𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥.
𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭.
In this social media post about the event, President Tharman said:
Anyone with a conscience must also be repulsed by the killings by Hamas militants in Southern Israel. Brutally targeting civilians in their homes including the young, women and the elderly. Killing some 1400 and taking 210 people hostage.
Yes, there is a history to all this.
Everyone can understand the trauma felt by Israelis following the Hamas assault - the deadliest since Israel’s founding as a nation – and the memories it brings of repeated pogroms against the Jews through history. And understand Israel’s relentless quest for security.
And no one can ignore the trauma and desperation of the Palestinians living under a 16-year Israeli siege of Gaza. In dehumanizing conditions, with limited clean water (even before the current blockade) and deprived of rights. Nor can one ignore the illegal encroachment by armed Israeli settlers in the West Bank, continuing the dispossession of Palestinians from their homes.
But one thing is clear. Nothing in their complex history, or the grief experienced by either, can justify the indiscriminate taking of civilian lives on either side. It offends basic human morality, and flouts international law.
I am relieved that the initial humanitarian assistance has begun to reach Gaza. However, it's evident that more aid is required, and there's a pressing need to escalate and expedite these efforts. Insha Allah | Baruch Hashem, for the sake of God's mercy, I hope we can collectively work towards addressing this.
I appeal to our broken hearts to seek closeness with God the Almighty and focus on saving lives now.
Holding the Ropes: Interfaith Dialogue & Reflections Surrounding the Israel-Gaza War is a blog series that follows the events, dialogues and reflections experienced by Nazhath Faheema in the aftermath of the 2023 Israel-Gaza war. Triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s military response, there continues to be widespread destruction and civilian displacement in Gaza. Additionally, Israeli hostages remain in captivity.
Against this backdrop, Nazhath Faheema, through her reflections, provides insights into the dynamics of the war, its impact on interfaith relations, and the inherent challenges and opportunities in fostering understanding and empathy between Jewish and Muslim communities.
