In the sprit of sharing during the month of Ramadhan, the Harmony Centre organised an Iftar (Breaking of Fast) for its stakeholders and friends of other faiths on 22 Sep 07. This was a gathering of religious, community and youth leaders who are already engaged in interfaith work and had participated in a number of activities organised by the Harmony Centre.
The Iftar is an opportunity for guests of different faiths to experience and understand the essence of Ramadhan while renewing relationships and friendships. 4 A brief presentation titled "Spirit of Ramadhan: A Month of Blessings and Compassion" was conducted prior to the breaking of fast.
HARMONY CENTRE
The Harmony Centre @ An-Nahdhah Mosque was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, on Saturday, October 7, 2006.
It symbolises one of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore’s (Muis) efforts to engender a greater understanding of Islam and Muslims amongst the multi-racial population of Singapore.
In essence, the Harmony Centre presents the universal message of Islam and the Islamic way of life. It demonstrates how Muslims interact with other communities and contribute to human civilisation. The Centre also enlivens interfaith understanding and embodies the spirit of how Muslims promote harmonious living with people of all creeds. The 2-storey Centre is mainly divided into 4 sections:
Images of Islam (Diversity & Contemporary issues in Islam)
Civilisational Islam (Innovations, Inventions & Importance of Knowledge)
Essence of Islam (Faith, Practices & Rituals)
Islamic Lifestyle (Exhibits & Artefacts).
OBJECTIVES
The Centre can broadly be categorised to promote 3 main aims, namely:
To promote a greater understanding of the true teachings of Islam;
To promote inter-faith dialogue and engagement at all levels: leadership, community, grassroots, youths and students; through seminars, workshops, experiential learning journeys, visits etc.
To strengthen the social bonding amongst the different faith communities so as to build a more cohesive and resilient society, which will be able to respond more rationally and maturely in the face of potential crisis.
PROGRAMMES
The programmes at Harmony Centre are clustered into three main thrusts.
Training
Learning
Engagement
The Training cluster has the focus of building capacity in interfaith work while the Learning cluster aims to provide the initial platform for understanding practices of different faiths. The objective of deepening understanding and relationships amongst other faiths is encapsulated under the Engagement cluster.
Chatting over a meal
Guests entering auditorium for talk on the Spirit of Ramadhan
