I AM an American living in Indonesia and over the past 30 years,
have made dozens of trips to Singapore.
The Prime News photograph yesterday (above) of Rabbi Mordechai
Abergel, Buddhist monk the Venerable Fa Rong and Mufti Syed Isa
Mohamed Semait nearly moved me to tears ('Tributes flow as mufti
gets award').
I wish my native country as a whole could demonstrate the
religious tolerance that Singapore has been able to cultivate.
Certainly there are good, tolerant people everywhere, and the
United States has many who think like I do.
But in Singapore, it is the norm, and immediately observable
everywhere you go. On a daily basis, I see Christian, Muslim and
Hindu office workers sharing a meal at a kopitiam (coffee shop),
exchanging smiles or pleasantries on the street or otherwise kindly
extending help to one another.
In all my trips here, I have not once witnessed religion-fuelled
hostility or prejudice.
My travels have taken me to all corners of the world, yet I have
never found a country that comes even close to the religious and
spiritual maturity that Singaporeans demonstrate towards one
another.
Many letters complain about life in Singapore, but from an
outsider's perspective, what a beautifully pluralistic and enviable
society Singapore has.
In many ways, and especially in their tolerance for one another,
Singaporeans are a beacon to the world.
Jack Blaylock