Is Hinduism in Singapore thriving? [Part 6/8]

TLDR: We disempower ourselves locally by not connecting to the issues that impact global Hinduism.

We have seen an outpouring of support for Gazans from our fellow citizens, including Hindus. We are glad that Singaporeans are showing their concern for victims of conflict, and we are proud that some Singaporean Hindus publicly show their empathy and share posts to raise awareness, regardless of the victims’ religion. However, the same cannot be said of the recent pogroms against Hindus in Bangladesh or the eradication of Hindus in Afghanistan. Most local Hindus did not have the same empathy for the plight of fellow Hindus; the reaction from local Hindus has primarily been apathy. Furthermore, reciprocal support from local non-Hindus is absent.

In quiet conversations, we discovered that Hindus felt they would be perceived as communal if they highlighted such events where Hindus are murdered due to religious reasons. They felt that they cannot express their views on such topics.

In this climate, Hindus feel much more comfortable voicing their outcry locally and for issues within our shores than for broader Hindu causes. Therefore, activities and roadshows need to be undertaken by Hindu society as a whole to raise awareness of these issues or to connect the community with the plight of Hindus locally. For example, we should have a press conference for Bangladeshi Hindus to be able to discuss what their families are facing. Singapore’s majority communities have set the benchmark for such activism. If we don’t highlight our Dharma in the face of such injustice, will our Gods forgive us?

The lesson for Singaporean Hindus is to learn and emulate the self-confidence and sense of religious community that our fellow citizens of other faiths demonstrate. If we cannot support members of our own religion, the support we show for others may just seem like a facade. After all, if we are unable to demonstrate commitment and love for the religion that helped to shape us into broad-minded and empathetic humans, what is the value of the support we show to people of other faiths? What’s the guarantee that our support will be lasting or genuine? Only a lamp that is already lit can spread its light to others.

We have to make our support for all victims meaningful by first demonstrating that we are capable of standing up for our own community. Earlier in this article, we shared a link that shows Muslim scholars’ records of temples that were destroyed and mosques built in their place in India. This was intentional, as some Hindus may be skeptical about a Hindu source of information. While a healthy level of skepticism is admirable, some Hindus may be selectively critical — questioning everything even from a reliable Hindu source but accepting everything else. That must change.

This is the first step. As the second step, we hope that by developing our own self-confidence in pointing out wrongs against our Dharma, our fellow non-Hindu citizens will reciprocate the support that Hindus often show to others.

Read the next part here.