Inter-racial and religious confidence circle
Encyclopedia
An inter-racial and religious confidence circle (IRCC) is a group composed of leaders of different races and religions from a particular constituency in Singapore
. The primary purpose of IRCCs is to provide a regular platform for leaders of various racial and religious communities to interact and get to know one another better, in order to build confidence, friendship and trust among them.
in the United States, and the arrest in December 2001 of 15 Jemaah Islamiyah
members in Singapore who planned to bomb diplomatic missions and attack nationals of Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States based in Singapore
. The then-Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong
mooted the concept of IRCCs for constituencies and "harmony circles" (HCs) for schools, work places and other local organizations in January 2002 in order to "grow the common space and deepen inter-racial understanding".
A National Steering Committee (NSC) on IRCCs provides broad guidance for IRCCs to deepen inter-racial and inter-religious rapport within the community.
There are currently 84 IRCCs in Singapore, one for each constituency. As at 30 June 2006, the total membership was 1,021, of which 58% were Chinese
, 21% were Malay
, 20% were Indian and 1% were of other races.
Inter-racial confidence circles were renamed "inter-racial and religious confidence circles" in September 2007 to better reflect their role as constituency-level platforms for the
strengthening of engagement among religious and community leaders, and to signify their active promotion of inter-religious understanding and harmony. Following efforts by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to recruit religious organizations into IRCCs, in 2007 about 80% of such organizations were members of IRCCs, up from 20% in 2006. In future, religious leaders will be informed of international and national events so they can help their congregations understand situations better. Religious organizations will also be involved in continency planning so that they know how to react if an incident affecting race or religion occurs.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The primary purpose of IRCCs is to provide a regular platform for leaders of various racial and religious communities to interact and get to know one another better, in order to build confidence, friendship and trust among them.
History
Inter-racial and religious confidence circles (IRCCs), then known as "inter-racial confidence circles", were first formed in 2002 in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
in the United States, and the arrest in December 2001 of 15 Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
members in Singapore who planned to bomb diplomatic missions and attack nationals of Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States based in Singapore
Singapore embassies attack plot
The Singapore embassies attack plot was a plan in 2001 by Jemaah Islamiyah to bomb the diplomatic missions and attack personnel of the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Israel based in Singapore. There were also several other targets. The plot was uncovered in December 2001 and as...
. The then-Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong
Goh Chok Tong is the Senior Minister of Singapore and the chairman of the central bank of Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He also served as the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 28 November 1990 to 12 August 2004, succeeding Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime...
mooted the concept of IRCCs for constituencies and "harmony circles" (HCs) for schools, work places and other local organizations in January 2002 in order to "grow the common space and deepen inter-racial understanding".
Purpose
IRCCs are intended to be informal bodies that can formulate strategies and initiatives to promote greater knowledge and understanding among different races and religions. They also assist in the formation of HCs and provide them with guidance and information on inter-racial and inter-religious confidence building. As community leaders, IRCC members may take on the role of "headmen", whom members of their respective communities can turn to for leadership when problems arise. IRCC members also keep track of grievances and complaints from the ground, thus giving them a unique understanding of local racial or religious sentiments. IRCCs also function as the main sources of information from the Government on the ground.A National Steering Committee (NSC) on IRCCs provides broad guidance for IRCCs to deepen inter-racial and inter-religious rapport within the community.
There are currently 84 IRCCs in Singapore, one for each constituency. As at 30 June 2006, the total membership was 1,021, of which 58% were Chinese
Chinese in Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
, 21% were Malay
Malays in Singapore
Malays in Singapore are defined by the Singaporean government using the broader and antiquated "Malay race" concept, rather than modern-day Malay ethnic group. Although Malays have inhabited the area that is now Singapore since the 17th century, most of the Malays in Singapore today are immigrants...
, 20% were Indian and 1% were of other races.
Inter-racial confidence circles were renamed "inter-racial and religious confidence circles" in September 2007 to better reflect their role as constituency-level platforms for the
strengthening of engagement among religious and community leaders, and to signify their active promotion of inter-religious understanding and harmony. Following efforts by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to recruit religious organizations into IRCCs, in 2007 about 80% of such organizations were members of IRCCs, up from 20% in 2006. In future, religious leaders will be informed of international and national events so they can help their congregations understand situations better. Religious organizations will also be involved in continency planning so that they know how to react if an incident affecting race or religion occurs.
January 2007
- On 13 January 2007, speaking at a forum for chairmen and members of IRCCs, Dr. Vivian BalakrishnanVivian BalakrishnanVivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, challenged IRCCs to recruit more ethnic and religious leaders and build informal ties with cultural groups so that the confidence circles would be more representative of the ethnic and religious composition of their constituencies. This would help the nation to be better prepared in the event of a terrorist attackTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. He also suggested that IRCCs broaden their reach by working with grassroots organizations, sharing their networks and organizing events for residents. This way, they could reach out to a significant proportion of residents who might not be part of any ethnic- or religious-based organization. To prepare for a crisis, IRCCs should also devise "community mobilization plans", which would include steps to quell false, dangerous rumours that could spark communal incidents.