The following speech was delivered by NMP Anthea Ong on 7 Oct 2019 in Parliament, in support of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony (Amendment) Bill. The speech marks the first time the Humanist Society (Singapore) was mentioned in Parliament, in recognition of our many years of interfaith efforts.
[Read more…]Speech: Protecting Vulnerable Groups against Religious Intolerance, Overreach of Minister’s Powers and Inclusion of Non-Religious Persons
9 October 2019 by
Reply to Mothership : Religious Refugees
7 October 2019 by
(This open letter was published on 29th September 2019, on HSS Facebook page)
Thanking mothership.sg for its article on Closeted Ex-Muslims
The Humanist Society Singapore (HSS) would like to thank mothership.sg. for bringing up the plight of the invisible class of religious refugees in Singapore, in its 22nd September 2019 online article <Despite rising numbers of atheistic Singaporeans, this ex-Muslim remains closeted >.
[Read more…]Event summary: Asian Humanism Conference 2019
19 July 2019 by
Introduction
After a gap of four years, the annual Asian Humanism Conference returned to Singapore in 2019. Whereas previous conferences focused on humanism, on the public day of this year’s conference, 6 July 2019, the exploration of relations between communities with different belief systems took a central role.
[Read more…]Panellist: Nazhath Faheema
18 June 2019 by
The Asian Humanism Conference (AHC) is an annual meeting of humanists across Asia, aimed to strengthen networks across people and humanist organisations in the pan-Asian region, as well as offer training and capacity building.
As part of AHC 2019, Nazhath Faheema, Founder of hash.peace and General Manager of Inter-Religious Organisation, was a part of a panel discussion on inter-faith dialogue. Read the event summary here.
Speaker Profile
Nazhath Faheema is the founder of hash.peace as well as General Manager of the Inter-Religious Organisation. She is also an advocate of racial and religious diversity, undertaking initiatives that promote the cultivation of a peacekeeping culture at homes and workplaces.
Topic of panel: Inter-Belief & Inter-Activity
The inter-belief panel will explore the intersection of humanism, inter-belief, as well as secularism and discuss the relevance of such work in the modern Asian society.
Other speaker profiles
- Tan Tatt Si, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore)
- Siti Noor Mastura, award winning social activist
- Nazhath Faheema, founder of hash.peace
- Woon Chet Choon, principal consultant at ODC
- Jamilah Lim, media professional who engages in advocacy and events management
- Sze Jianyue, former journalist from TODAY
Asian Humanism Conference 2019 Programme
13 June 2019 by
| Friday, 5 July 2019 CLOSED-DOOR | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Programme | Venue |
| 13:00 | Registration | RELC International Hotel Room 603 |
| 13:30 | Welcome and Orientation | |
| 14:00 | Closed-door presentations by delegates and organisation representatives of the Asian Working Group | |
| 15:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 15:30 | Asian Working Group Internal Meeting | RELC International Hotel Room 603 |
| 16:30 | Closing Remarks | |
| 17:00 | End of Programme & Dinner | |
| Saturday, 6 July 2019 OPEN TO PUBLIC | ||
| Time | Programme | Venue |
| 09:00 | Welcome Remarks Tan Tatt Si | RELC International Hotel Rooms 603 & 604 |
| 09:45 | Opening Address: Starting From the Lowest Common Denominator Anthea Indira Ong | |
| 10:15 | Coffee Break | |
| 10:45 | Empowering All Women in a Secular Society Siti Noor Mastura | RELC International Hotel Rooms 603 & 604 |
| 11:15 | Panel Presentation & Discussion: Inter-Belief & Inter-Activity | |
| 12:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 | Workshop 1: Handling Offence Woon Chet Choon | RELC International Hotel Rooms 603 & 604 |
| 14:30 | Workshop 2: Fake News, Media, and Communications Jamilah Lim & Xue Jianyue | |
| 15:30 | Coffee Break | |
| 16:00 | Excursion Briefing | RELC International Hotel Rooms 603 & 604 |
| 16:30 | Excursion Museum Visit: Faith and Belief | Asian Civilisations Museum |
| 18:30 | End of Programme | |
| Sunday, 7 July 2019 BY INVITATION, FREE AND EASY | ||
| Time | Programme | Venue |
| 10:00 | Brunch Meeting | |
| 12:00 | R&R | |
| 14:00 | End of Programme | |
Speakers: Jamilah Lim & Sze Jianyue
13 June 2019 by
The Asian Humanism Conference (AHC) is an annual meeting of humanists across Asia, aimed to strengthen networks across people and humanist organisations in the pan-Asian region, as well as offer training and capacity building.
As part of of AHC 2019, on Saturday, 6 July 2019, Humanist Society (Singapore) had the honour of hosting Jamilah Lim and Sze Jianyue as speakers. Read the event summary here.
Speaker Profiles
Jamilah is a media professional with over 8 years of experience in communications, PR, editorial and digital marketing, who engages in activism and advocacy work incorporating research content creation content curation and events management with a feminist as well as a humanist organisation.
Jianyue holds degrees in communications and international relations and is a former published journalist. He has provided media coverage related to public transport, technology and the environment and volunteers as a facilitator at Explorations into Faith (EiF) and at the Humanist Society (Singapore).
Workshop: Fake News, Media, and Communications
This workshop will teach individuals and organisations how to deal with fake news and misinformation, as well as handle sensitive topics in a tactful manner. It will also discuss what are some of the digital skills needed by organisations to get their message across to the right audience effectively.
Other speaker profiles
- Tan Tatt Si, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore)
- Anthea Indira Ong, Nominated Member of Parliament
- Siti Noor Mastura, award winning social activist
- Nazhath Faheema, founder of hash.peace
- Woon Chet Choon, principal consultant, former president of the Screenwriters Association of Singapore
Speaker: Tan Tatt Si
13 June 2019 by
The Asian Humanism Conference (AHC) is an annual meeting of young humanists across Asia, aimed to strengthen networks across people and humanist organisations in the pan-Asian region, as well as offer training and capacity building.
On Saturday, 6 July 2019, Tan Tatt Si, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore), gave the welcome address for AHC 2019. Read the event summary here.
Speaker Profile
Tatt Si worked the corporate tech sales sector from 1988 to 2014 before moving to run his full time digital marketing business. He served as Humanist Society (Singapore) treasurer from 2014 – 2016 and heads the Society as President today.
Welcoming Address: From self-centred to selfless
This opening address will set the inclusive tone for the rest of the conference. Humanism can sometimes be seen as an ‘everyone for himself’ platform. However it should be seen as a way to create a better future for human kind using rationality, passion and compassion to influence people into thinking of others.
Other speaker profiles
- Anthea Indira Ong, Nominated Member of Parliament
- Siti Noor Mastura, award winning social activist
- Nazhath Faheema, founder of hash.peace
- Woon Chet Choon, principal consultant, former president of the Screenwriters Association of Singapore
- Jamilah Lim, media professional who engages in advocacy and events management
- Sze Jianyue, former journalist from TODAY
See also
- Event summary: Asian Humanism Conference 2019
- Full text of Tan Tatt Si’s Welcoming Remarks
Speaker: Siti Noor Mastura
13 June 2019 by
The Asian Humanism Conference (AHC) is an annual meeting of humanists across Asia, aimed to strengthen networks across people and humanist organisations in the pan-Asian region, as well as offer training and capacity building.
As part of of AHC 2019, on Saturday, 6 June 2019, Humanist Society (Singapore) had the honour of featuring one of Siti Noor Mastura’s works, Four Daughters. Read the event summary here.
Speaker Profile
Noor Mastura is a multiple award winning social activist who advocates for gender equality, youth empowerment and civic responsibility through her training programs, speaking engagements and community partnerships.
Topic of talk: Empowering All Women in a Secular Society
The woman’s movement has split in multiple directions with various stakeholders. Is 50% of the world’s population unable to tell their stories, or are just choosing not to? If the point of the feminist movement is equality and justice for all women, then why are religious and non-religious women pitted against one another? We look to empower everyday women through the lens of humanity.
Other speaker profiles
- Tan Tatt Si, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore)
- Anthea Indira Ong, Nominated Member of Parliament
- Nazhath Faheema, founder of hash.peace
- Woon Chet Choon, principal consultant, former president of the Screenwriters Association of Singapore
- Jamilah Lim, media professional who engages in advocacy and events management
- Sze Jianyue, former journalist from TODAY
See also
- Event summary: Asian Humanism Conference 2019
- Full text of the Four Daughters, a piece penned by Siti Noor Mastura
Speaker: Woon Chet Choon
13 June 2019 by
The Asian Humanism Conference (AHC) is an annual meeting of humanists across Asia, aimed to strengthen networks across people and humanist organisations in the pan-Asian region, as well as offer training and capacity building.
As part of of AHC 2019, on Saturday, 6 June 2019, Humanist Society (Singapore) had the honour of hosting Woon Chet Choon as a speaker. Read the event summary here.
Speaker Profiles
Chet Choon is a principal consultant specialising in Leadership, strategy, creativity and entrepreneurship. The former president of the Screenwriters Association of Singapore conceived a Media 21 initiative to refine local stories into visual treatments for effective marketing to a global market.
Workshop: Taking Offence
It is difficult to handle criticism personally, but what if the criticism were directed at something that one holds dearly? This is often the dilemma faced by people with strong belief systems, as criticisms or discussions become seen as ridicule of attack on one’s values.
This talk will give examples of Conflict Resolution, in a friendly and non-confrontational way, to illustrate how ‘offence’ should be taken into context.
Other speaker profiles
- Tan Tatt Si, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore)
- Anthea Indira Ong, Nominated Member of Parliament
- Siti Noor Mastura, award winning social activist
- Nazhath Faheema, founder of hash.peace
- Jamilah Lim, media professional who engages in advocacy and events management
- Sze Jianyue, former journalist from TODAY
Speaker: Anthea Indira Ong
12 June 2019 by
The Asian Humanism Conference (AHC) is an annual meeting of humanists across Asia, aimed to strengthen networks across people and humanist organisations in the pan-Asian region, as well as offer training and capacity building.
As part of of AHC 2019, on Saturday, 6 July 2019, Humanist Society (Singapore) had the honour of hosting Anthea Indira Ong as a speaker. Read the event summary here. Her full speech is available here.
Speaker Profile
A former banker, regional Managing Director and Founder/CEO, Anthea left the corporate sector to pursue full time service with several volunteer groups in advisory roles. A published author, she was appointed as a Nominated Member of Parliament in 2018.
Topic of talk: Starting from the Lowest Common Denominator
People of different belief systems follow different rules to different degrees. Should these be the hard rules to demand from other people when we congregate together? There is no better time to work on underlying issues than peace time. Is the Lowest Common Denominator enough to take society to a deeper level, or is something so basic that no compromises can be made?
Other speaker profiles
- Tan Tatt Si, President of the Humanist Society (Singapore)
- Siti Noor Mastura, award winning social activist
- Nazhath Faheema, founder of hash.peace
- Woon Chet Choon, principal consultant, former president of the Screenwriters Association of Singapore
- Jamilah Lim, media professional who engages in advocacy and events management
- Sze Jianyue, former journalist from TODAY
See also
- Event summary: Asian Humanism Conference 2019
- Full text of Anthea Indira Ong’s Opening Address
