This is a summary of our President Tan Tatt Si’s presentation at the International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organization (IHEYO) Asian Humanism Conference, held at National Taiwan University in Taiwan on August 6-7, 2016. The two-day conference, sponsored by IHEYO and hosted by Taiwanese humanists, also included speakers from various parts of Asia. Tatt Si was the first speaker.
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Speech in Taiwan: Religious Past, Humanism Future
21 August 2016 by
Humanists at the UnConference in NYGH
14 August 2016 by
Interfaith dialogues are a common feature in Singapore but since 2012, a different type of dialogue called the “UnConference” has been taking place annually at Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH). Instead of having a panel of religious leaders lead the dialogue, UnConference generates a dialogue from the ground-up, allowing participants to suggest their own topics and attend any discussion they fancy.
The Humanist Society (Singapore), or HumanistSG, has been sending representatives to the UnConference from 2014-2016. Although we are an NGO comprising of humanists, atheists, agnostics and other like-minded people, the Society also supports Singapore’s racial and religious harmony. This year, the UnConference was held on August 13.
“Terrorism has no religion”: discard this divisive slogan
25 July 2016 by
The Humanist Society (Singapore) sets out our position regarding the slogan “Terrorism has no religion”.
As Singapore celebrates Racial Harmony Day this month, we are mindful that the terrorist threat to Singapore is at its highest in decades. Singapore’s political leaders has emphasised that the question is not whether a terrorist attack will happen here, but when it will happen.
It is an unfortunate fact that most terrorist attacks in major cities have been perpetuated under the banner of radical Islamic ideology. A similar attack in Singapore will undoubtedly have ramifications on the relationship between persons of different races and faiths.
After each attack by the Islamic State or its adherents (also known as ISIS/ DAESH), ordinary citizens, political and religious leaders often condemn the attackers by asserting that “terrorism has no religion”. However the Humanist Society (Singapore) suggest that this is a divisive slogan which discriminates against people with no religion.
The statement ‘terrorism has no religion’ can also be read as saying that the terrorists were in fact irreligious. Such interpretation even more glaring in reactions stating that the terrorists were “not true Muslims” or “not true believers” – therefore by implication having no religion. The logical conclusion of such statements is that atheism, or the lack of religion, is the root of terrorism instead.
While the slogan was formulated to guard against racial or religious prejudice, it inevitably casts aspersions against persons who have no religion. The Society is concerned that such sentiments may lead to further contempt and discrimination against people who do not subscribe to organised religion. We suggest that a better rallying call is “United against Terrorism”.
It is simplistic to think that merely disassociating religious ideology from terrorism will guard society against terrorism. Society’s collective response to a terrorist attack involve physical responses like the newly established Rapid Deployment Troops, as well as social and psychological responses such as the further strengthening of our multi-racial, multi-religious fabric.
We therefore call upon the Singapore government to step up national defense programmes regarding psychological defense, and the Inter-Religious Organisation and other grassroots organisations to conduct inter-faith events where the aftermath of a potential terrorist attack in Singapore can be honestly and frankly addressed.
Some links for reference:
Effective Altruism Workshop (Video summaries)
24 July 2016 by
HumanistSG and Effective Altruism Singapore co-organised an Effective Altruism workshop on May 15. Here are all the videos from the workshop. For the skype with Peter Singer, here’s a seperate video and summary.
Introduction to Effective Altruism
Zheng Huifen – Giving: Limited Resources, Maximum Impact
Other videos:
World Humanist Day 2016 Video
18 July 2016 by
We organised our World Humanist Day celebrations on June 18 this year. The theme is Humanists: Be The Change. The talks are by speakers who represent organisations that make positive changes to their communities. These talks also aim to explore how we can make the most of our one life in a meaningful way for ourselves and others.
At the conference, we brought Humanitarian workers from MSF, UNHCR, Relief 2.0 & HappyPeopleHelpingPeople. The event, held at the Tampines Regional Library, attracted close to a hundred participants. In addition to the guest speakers, we also held members-only workshops on critical thinking and media writing.
The speakers featured in the video are:
1) Robin Low, Relief 2.0
2) Dr Marlene Lee, Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
3) Vivian Tan, UNHCR
4) Mohammad Nafiz Bin Kamarudin, Happy People Helping People
More information about the speakers and their presentations can be found here: https://humanist.org.sg/events/world-humanist-day-2016/
Official shortform: HumanistSG
10 July 2016 by
“Humanist Society (Singapore)” is our official name and it should be used as first reference in official documents, news articles and any other platform meant for mass communication and record keeping. We do not accept variants such as “Humanist Society of Singapore” or “Singapore Humanist Society.”
For second reference and beyond, we can be referred as a “the Society”, “organisation”, “group”, “non-governmental organisation” or “NGO”.
We have used an acronym, “HSS”, as our shortened form in the past. However, “HSS” is a commonly used acronym locally and around the world. Thus, it is not suitable in the long run. From today onwards, we will use a shortened form called “HumanistSG” for second references and beyond. This shortened form also happens to be our Twitter name: https://twitter.com/HumanistSG
“HSS” can be used in private, informal references to our organisation. “Humanist Society SG” shall be kept on our Twitter for brevity sake and will not be used as an official name or official shortened form.
Official first reference:
- Humanist Society (Singapore)
Official second references:
- HumanistSG
- “group”
- “Society”
- “organisation”
- “non-governmental organisation” / “NGO”
Zaobao: Rational discussion and Blind Intolerance
1 July 2016 by
Our President, Tan Tatt Si, has written a commentary on Lianhe Zaobao titled “Rational discussion and Blind Intolerance”. Tatt Si was responding to articles on how to go beyond inclusivity and tolerance, and how there must be rational debate on potentially social divisive issues. Read the article in Chinese and the English translation below: [Read more…]
Non-religious representative in Kindness SG video
28 June 2016 by
The Singapore Kindness Movement was formed in 1997 and aims to encourage Singaporeans to make a positive commitment to gracious living through simple acts of kindness in their daily activities. Recently, the Movement has set up a platform called The Pride which delivers uplifting stories and fresh insights into current issues.
On June 22, SKM released a video called “Have you ever talked openly about religion in Singapore?” (above) discussing the underlying tensions between different religious groups in Singapore. Representatives from multiple religions were invited to give their opinions. The Movement has also included a non-religious Singaporean, Ashley Toh, and her perspectives in the video. [Read more…]
Dawkins: Critics of religion should avoid violence and insult
20 June 2016 by
BBC Sunday Morning Live catches up with reowned biologist and outspoken atheist author Richard Dawkins. The 75-year-old suffered a stroke earlier this year and was forced to cancel trips to some atheist conferences and gatherings. His speaking abilities has been affected and he now speaks with a cloaky voice. In this interview, Dawkins talks briefly about his views on religion, his criticism of faith schools and his recovery from the stroke. In this particular segment, 3.35 to 4.30, Dawkins said that criticism of religion should be done on intellectual grounds, using arguments and evidence, rather than violence and insult. We transcribe this particular segment here: [Read more…]
Humanist Society (Singapore) Internship
13 June 2016 by
We are looking for a student intern to deepen our connection with our volunteer base and to formulate our social media programme calendar. This intern will report to the Vice-President of the Humanist Society (Singapore). The internship will last 4 to 6 weeks during June / July 2016. The dates and duration are negotiable for the right candidate. Applications close on June 23, 2016.
Job scope
The intern will help engage the Society’s existing volunteer list to garner their area of interest in volunteering. This will require emailing and/or calling the interested persons to get more information from them. The intern will match interested volunteers to various aspects of the Society’s work, including our events, social media, web development, and public policy/ outreach committees.
Separately, the intern will also do research into a suitable year-long social media posting programme for the Society. This involves looking at significant dates of interest to the humanistic/ atheistic / scientific communities, so that we can do regular posts on significant events. The intern can also search for great articles and videos released in the past.
Qualities needed:
- Articulate on email and over the phone
- Proficient with Microsoft Word
- Genuine interest in and curiosity about humanism and its values
You don’t have to be an existing member of the Humanist Society (Singapore), or even consider yourself a humanist. All we ask is that you (mostly!) agree with our basic values, stated here: https://humanist.org.sg/humanism/about-humanism/
Due to the confines of the role, we’re only accepting applications from students currently in Singapore.
What you’ll receive
- A weekly stipend of $80
- Mentoring by the Vice-President and other veteran volunteers who are at various stages of their life and career
- The opportunity to be our first ever intern!
How to apply:
- Write to info@humanist.org.sg, with the subject “HSS Internship”
- Provide your details (name, contact number, school name and programme etc)
- Provide a short statement stating why you think you’ll be a good fit for the role.
