Commentaries

The ICCS commentary series comprises articles discussing issues relevant to ICCS and published on RSIS’ website. The commentaries are written by a mix of academics, youths and community practitioners for a wide range of views and expertise.

Title & Author	Date	Synopsis
ICCS 2022 Post-Conference Commentary – How Online Platforms Can Be a Boon, Not Bane, for Cohesive Societies by Teresa Tan, Nash Ng	9 Nov 2022	Digital platforms are increasingly central to connecting communities in civic and social spaces. They have great potential as a force that cultivates healthy, positive, and affirming communication. Innovative multi-stakeholder cooperation is highly effective in creating and rolling out fresh digital platform features and moderation policies that may overcome misinformation and disinformation, promote digital literacy skills, and build trust via online and offline relationships.
ICCS 2022 Post Conference Commentary – The Southeast Asian Social Cohesion Radar: Enhancing Data-Driven Research by Jolene Jerard, Vishalini Suresh	7 Nov 2022	The Southeast Asian Social Cohesion Radar research study conducted by RSIS was an important milestone in building knowledge to better understand the dynamics and nature of social cohesion in the region. Future research will need to explore drivers such as economics, class, education, gender and other demographic variables to enhance data-driven research on this important subject.
ICCS 2022 Post-Conference Commentary – “Same Same but Different”… and Better for It: A More Cohesive ASEAN Built on Youth Leadership by Arizza Ann Nocum	3 Nov 2022	Cohesion across ASEAN is not removed from cohesion within specific countries, and youth are key actors in developing this. Future youth leadership programmes like ICCS’ Young Leaders Programme (YLP) should continue reaching marginalised youth from conflict areas, especially those yet to understand the value of social cohesion.
ICCS 2022 Post-Conference Commentary – Identities and Inclusiveness: Rethinking Social Cohesion by Yasmine Wong	31 Oct 2022	Identity politics has made salient the link between identities and social cohesion. Real solutions can emerge when a multi-pronged approach is taken to provide diverse communities with equal access, due recognition, and the opportunity to participate in creating a shared vision of inclusiveness and justice.
ICCS 2022 Post-Conference Commentary – Young Religious Leaders in Modern Asia: Beyond Secularism, Online and Offline by Thao Nghiem	25 Oct 2022	The younger generation in Asian societies no longer simply accept that being modern and distant from religion means a better form of governance and the way forward. It is necessary to rethink the role of religion in public life and to harness technology for more conversations and experience-sharing among different communities and faiths to celebrate diversity and forge social cohesion for the common good.
ICCS 2022 Post-Conference Commentary – Befriending the Other Through Translation in Multicultural Contexts by Suwanna Satha-Anand	13 Oct 2022	Multicultural societies need more precise translation of complex concepts and words to facilitate deeper understanding among diverse populations and strengthen social cohesion. Words and their meanings matter, and they provide important insights to welcoming the ‘other’ into our fold.
ICCS 2022 Post-Conference Commentary – Training Faith Leaders, Young and Old, for Cohesion by Krish Raval OBE	13 Oct 2022	Practical examples of multi-faith cooperation demonstrate how functional integration can build bridges across historical fault lines. Leaders matter, and effective programmes and training are needed for leadership in cultivating respect, trust, and a willingness to peacefully accept differences in diverse societies seeking greater social cohesion and resilience.
Reflections on ICCS 2022 – Achieving Connectedness and Cohesion by Ong Keng Yong	16 Sep 2022	Diversity, modernity, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, have complicated social relationships across many societies globally. Mutual trust, stronger bonds, and the harnessing of technology are needed to keep diverse communities together. Strengthening social cohesion requires deliberate effort and conviction from everyone.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Inside ICCS: Building on Success from 2019 to 2022 by Paul Hedges	5 Sep 2022	Delegates and speakers almost universally welcomed ICCS 2019. While pulling together an international event of this scale is never easy for the organisers, there were still ways that ICCS 2022 could be improved from its predecessor. Developing the youth track, coping with Covid-19, and further thinking about technology and IT platforms have all been key issues, tying continuity with change and innovation.
Towards ICCS 2022 – What Next for Interreligious Cooperation? New Possibilities in Strengthening Social Cohesion by Nazirudin Mohd Nasir	2 Sep 2022	Religion is important in bringing societies together around shared values and in promoting cooperation and community engagement. Crises provide opportunities for faith communities to improve bonds of social cohesion and to strengthen resilience for the common good.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Space, Gender, and Social Cohesion by Elizabeth Harris	31 Aug 2022	Space can be exclusive or inclusive. It can embrace difference and alternative histories – those of subaltern groups, women, men, and minority religious groups – or it can exclude these.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Youth and Women Groups in Effective and Inclusive Dialogue on Social Cohesion by Nazhath Faheema	29 Aug 2022	Effective dialogue for social cohesion relies upon involving women and youth in meaningful ways. It is necessary for the community and civil society groups to urgently develop new strategies to widen community involvement.
Towards ICCS 2022 – The Role of Theology among Christian Indonesians during COVID-19 Pandemic – A Perspective from Indonesia by Albertus Bagus Laksana, S. J.	16 Aug 2022	Natural disasters tend to give rise to a stronger sense of solidarity and togetherness. People would come together in the face of a real, sudden and undeserved suffering of others, partly because natural disasters do not last long. But in a pandemic, things are more uncertain over a prolonged period of time, and theology can play an imperative role in bringing people together to overcome the crisis.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Gandhi, Peace, and Cohesion by Veena R. Howard	11 Aug 2022	In his writings, Mohandas K. Gandhi discussed the principle of Sarvodaya, in which he explained that sustained peace and cohesion can only be built by nonviolent means. Three key aspects at the foundation of Sarvodaya are: human dignity; religious freedom and interreligious harmony; and respect for dissenting opinions, dialogue, and negotiations.
Towards ICCS 2022 – The Media: Force of Cohesion or Division by Han Fook Kwang	14 Jul 2022	Public trust in media is declining worldwide. Yet, there has never been a more critical need for trusted media amidst the proliferation of fake news and disinformation. What can be done to regain trust so that media can play its role in strengthening social cohesion instead of promoting further division?
Towards ICCS 2022 – The Taoist Way Towards Togetherness by Master Chung Kwang Tong (Wei Yi)	6 Jul 2022	Taoists in Singapore have adapted their practice and outreach to stay relevant to the younger population. This is also to contribute to the resilience of the multi-racial society where social harmony and cohesion are key components for the nation’s progress and success.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Bridging Troubled Waters: Forging Cohesion in Divided Societies by Chaiwat Satha-Anand	22 Jun 2022	In an era of social tension and conflict, building bridges to foster cohesion has become critical. As the classic song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” reminds us, we should not ignore the troubled waters under the bridges that we are building.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Humanity’s Dark Side: Coping With a Failing World Order by John Alderdice	10 Jun 2022	Various crises have exposed fault-lines in the existing global order. It has spotlighted the existing differences in ideologies across the world. It is necessary to engage complexity and conflict differently by paying attention to what the circumstances and contexts illuminate about humanity’s dark side.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Social Cohesion: Adapting Secularism and Multiculturalism by Mohammad Alami Musa	30 May 2022	Secularism and multi-culturalism in modern societies are not the simple answer to mitigate the divisiveness of a plurality of beliefs and practices. Singapore’s experience shows that nuancing and contextualising secularism and multi-culturalism in a constructive way works better in achieving a cohesive society.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Buddhist Diplomacy: Potential for Regional Cohesion by Jack Meng-Tat Chia	10 May 2022	In recent years, a number of Asian countries have increasingly turned to Buddhism as a balm to relieve tense relations and foster cultural understanding. Buddhist diplomacy has the potential to encourage regional cohesion and interfaith harmony in the region.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Coexisting with Diversity and Differences by Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi	21 Apr 2022	Throughout history, humanity has been punctuated by conflicts based on race, religion and faith, the cause of countless wars between and within nations. It is important to understand the value of social cohesion and to cultivate it through a culture of peaceful coexistence, to avoid confrontations and maintain international peace and security.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Repairing the World: Faith Against Online Hate by Yudit Greenberg	22 Mar 2022	In a world of instant communication and social media, the ease with which hate, and bias spread compels us to rethink our approach in education and community learning. It is important for the state, educators, and religious actors to actively involve themselves in anticipating the different means in which this hatred is expressed, educating people, and developing preventive measures to protect faith communities in every country.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Online Misinformation and Cohesive Societies by Yaacob Ibrahim	15 Feb 2022	The Internet has enabled misinformation to spread wildly, divide people easily, and incite violence and chaos quickly. Regulatory approaches and effective actions by individuals and civil society are needed to curb misinformation and contain the harm to social cohesion.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Worldviews Education: Strengthening Social Inclusion by Anna Halafoff	29 Dec 2021	Growing clashes within cultures, and the ongoing threat of terrorism, have drawn attention to the importance of educating youth about different worldviews – religious, spiritual and non-religious – as a strategy to prevent violent extremism and to create socially inclusive and peaceful societies.
Towards ICCS 2022 – HADR in Multilateral Asia: Whither Faith-Based Actors? by Tan See Seng	27 Dec 2021	With big powers seemingly throwing off restraint and privileging power over principle against their strategic rivalries, and interactions between and among the great religions of the world deteriorating significantly, the need for multilateralism around HADR has never been greater.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Religious Communities and Climate Change: Four Ways to Coherence by Venerable Chang Ji	29 Nov 2021	Recent reports show that humanity is facing an impending environmental crisis of our own making, and resources within religious communities may point to ways we can respond.
Towards ICCS 2022 – COVID-19’s Testing of Religious Roles by Katherine Marshall	14 Oct 2021	Societies across the world are tested by the COVID-19 pandemic in countless ways. Deep cracks in social cohesion have become visible in many countries, and many fall along religious lines. Post-COVID-19 policy needs to address robustly what inclusion means both for government policy and for each society.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Digital Destinies: Geopolitics, Division and Cohesion by Amalina Anuar	4 Oct 2021	Thanks in part to geopolitics, the digital economy is leading towards less, not greater, integration, connectivity and connection. Defusing tensions by redesigning technology to work for cohesion will be pivotal to reversing this trend.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Inter-Religious Dialogue: Catholic Social Teachings and Cohesion by Barry Desker	2 Sep 2021	The Catholic Church has been at the leading edge of interreligious dialogue since the 1960s. Combined with its focus on social teachings, it is important to reflect on what this – the largest Christian denomination – has contributed to cohesion and welfare both in Singapore and globally.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Cohesion as a Choice: Regardless of Faith and Identity by Jolene Jerard	23 Aug 2021	Social cohesion is a work in progress. Societies can choose to achieve greater levels of social cohesion by forging greater inclusivity. Two things can break this: Exclusivist ideas and the imposition of perceived group superiority.
Towards ICCS 2022 – Cohesive Societies, Shared Humanity: Looking Back, Moving Forward by Norman Vasu	1 Jul 2021	The inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) hosted by Singapore in June 2019 brought together a diversity of faiths and perspectives on religion’s role in contributing to social harmony and cohesion. With ICCS 2022 on the horizon, how can this conference maintain its relevance and strengthen trust across a very diverse global community? This essay kicks off a special series in RSIS Commentary to explore the theme.
After the ICCS – Building Social Cohesion: Committing to a Participatory Approach by Stephanie Neubronner	24 July 2019	While discussing ways to build social cohesion is important, how do we move beyond such conversations and motivate everyday individuals to take action?
International Conference on Cohesive Societies – Appreciating Diversity: What Has The ICCS Achieved? by Ong Keng Yong	28 June 2019	‘Many Communities, One Shared Future’ was the theme of the recently concluded International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS). A key takeaway is that diversity is not a hindrance to social cohesion; it is how people manage the difference. It is also important that everyone plays a part and not wait for the government or institutions to do something.
International Conference on Cohesive Societies – Tolerance and its Enemies: Three Observations by Shashi Jayakumar	26 June 2019	Why is it that it feels like we are living in an increasingly tribalist age – one where it seems different peoples, separated by colour, religious creed, or political ideology, can no longer live together harmoniously? What can be done about it and where does Singapore stand?
The International Conference on Cohesive Societies – How to Build Cohesive Societies by Paul Hedges	24 June 2019	The International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) in Singapore brought together academics, thought leaders, policy makers, youth leaders, and practitioners and pointed towards ways we can build cohesive societies.
Forging Cohesive Societies – Living With Religious Diversity by Adrian Tan, Abigail Leong	14 June 2019	There are growing instances of religions being exploited for political ends, resulting in conflict and violence worldwide. As a country where people of different religious beliefs share the same living space, what more can be done to encourage inter-faith dialogue in Singapore?
Forging Cohesive Societies – Harmonious Co-Existence: What Can Governments Do? by Conceicao Jeanne Louise	17 May 2019	The past few months have witnessed more tragedy and violence as extremists continued to target places of worship around the world. Several governments have taken constructive steps to strengthen societal bonds and social cohesion. But in a world of growing diversity and tension, what more can governments do to bridge the divisions within societies?
Sri Lankan Attacks and Inter-Communal Relations by Paul Hedges, Jude Lal Fernando	13 May 2019	The recent Sri Lankan attacks risk stigmatising the Muslim community in Sri Lanka while reshaping the fragile inter-communal relations in new ways.
Forging Cohesive Societies – Singapore’s Multiracialism: A Matter of Identity by Han Fook Kwang	24 April 2019	Singapore’s commitment to multiracialism and inter-faith harmony is not just about keeping the peace but about its identity as a nation. It has achieved much over the last 50 years but serious challenges remain. The speed in which fake news and hate speech are spread online can easily create enmity among the races and religious groups. Much depends on whether Singaporeans are merely tolerant of each other or have developed deep trust and understanding.
Plural Traditions in Plural Societies: Inclusivity in Inter-Religious Dialogue by Paul Hedges, Nursheila Muez	2 January 2019	In December, Singapore hosted ASEAN’s inaugural interfaith exchange programme. It was a platform for sharing best practices among the region’s neighbours, especially inter-religious dialogue. While an important tool for cultivating inter-religious harmony, there is a need to ensure that the practice of dialogue itself is inclusive.