Singapore’s Secularism and Its Pragmatic Approach to Religion

Author:

Musa Mohammad Alami1

Affiliation:

1. The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore

Abstract

Singapore embraces a form of secularism that provides the state with the authority to unilaterally decide on where to draw the lines between religion, politics, and state. This paper presents examples that dominate Singapore’s approach to religion and governance. Given the centrality of religion in the lives of Singaporeans, this article highlights how the state does not cast aside the social significance of religion but remains engaged with it. The model of secularism in Singapore affords the state the flexibility to easily switch between two broad types of secularism, namely a ‘soft secularism’, a religion-friendly variety, and a ‘hard secularism’, which the state employs as a tool for political control and management of society as it wrestles with existential challenges to ensure its continued survival.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Religious studies

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5. Asad, Talal (2003). Formations of the Secular—Christianity, Islam Modernity, Stanford University Press.

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