We refer to the Straits Times article, “New committee starts work to strengthen Indian community’s identity, youth and vulnerable groups” (Apr 25, 2026) where it was reported that one of the early areas of work for a new committee to strengthen the Singapore Indian community includes partnering religious organisations to support inmates and their families, as part of broader efforts to uplift vulnerable groups.
We acknowledge and appreciate efforts by the government to bring the Indian community closer together and move forward.
However, we are concerned that religion is being prioritized as the means to help reduce reoffending among Indian inmates.
While religion can play an important role in motivating people who are already religious, not everyone in the country is religious. As of the 2020 census, one in five Singaporeans are non-religious. There is a diverse range of beliefs in Singapore, including within the Indian community. And the non-religious are present everywhere.
There is also a diversity of interpretations within each religious community.
Inmate rehabilitation should prioritize evidence-based, secular methods that can be generically applied to people from any background. This will help avoid any indirect proselytization and any perceived coercion, a prudent approach to maintain religious and racial harmony in secular Singapore. At the same time, religious inmates who specifically request and agree to religious rehabilitation should be given the freedom to receive them.
We urge the government to adjust this approach in inmate rehabilitation. The Humanist Society remains open to dialogue on better, evidence-based and secular solutions.
