Showing posts with label Religious pluralism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Religious pluralism. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 01, 2022

Legal Changes to Promote Religious Harmony Come into Effect in Singapore

A press release from the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs points out that 2019 amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and 2021 amendments to the Criminal Law go into effect today. According to the press release:

Key administrative leadership positions in religious groups are to be held only by Singapore Citizens (SC) or Permanent Residents (PR), and the majority of the governing body has to be SCs....

Religious groups must declare single monetary donations of S$10,000 or more from foreign sources...

Religious groups must declare any affiliations to foreign persons or organisations which are in a position of control or power over the local religious group....

 ... [W]e will introduce the CRI [Community Remedial Initiative], to be offered by the Minister for Home Affairs, as an opportunity for a person to take remedial actions to soothe communal tensions and repair disrupted ties.

(a)   Examples of such remedial actions include a public or private apology to the aggrieved parties, or participation in inter-religious events. This will provide an opportunity for the person to make amends to the affected community, and better understand the sensitivities of Singapore’s multi-religious society....

... [A]mendments will update the RO [Restraining Order] regime to enable us to swiftly and effectively respond to offensive online content that might cause widespread harm to religious harmony. The updated RO regime will also allow us to safeguard against foreign influences on our local religious groups that may undermine our religious harmony....

Friday, May 17, 2019

VA Will Remove Unauthorized Religious Additions To Medical Center Display

As previously reported, earlier this month a suit was filed in New Hampshire federal district court against a VA Medical Center challenging a lobby "Missing Man" display that includes a Bible that was carried by a prisoner of war in World War II.  Yesterday, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader, a patient at the VA Center added items representing different religious traditions to the display--  books from the Jewish, Muslim, Mormon and Wiccan faiths, and a blank tablet to represent non-faith traditions. The VA is not happy about the additions. A spokesman said:
We will not tolerate interference with and/or alteration of approved displays — such as this Northeast POW/MIA Network-sponsored POW/MIA table — and as a result these items will be removed.

Friday, December 18, 2015

White House Convenes Forum on America's Religious Pluralism

As reported by Religion News Service, yesterday the White House convened a forum titled Celebrating and Protecting America’s Tradition of Religious Pluralism. Invited participants included secularists.  The program began with remarks by Melissa Rogers, head of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, who emphasized that "there are no second-class faiths" in the United States. A video of the entire forum is available on YouTube.  The Department of Justice has posted the full text of remarks at the forum by Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division.