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Mumbai carnage: We must not allow harmony to be shattered by terrorDate : 8 December 2008 The Straits Times - Mumbai carnage: We must not allow harmony to be shattered by terror 08 December 2008 TERRORISM continues to rear its ugly head. Recently, lives were lost senselessly in Mumbai. Up till now, the lives that were lost and the families who grieved were people in faraway lands. Now, sadly, we have lost a Singaporean. I join the many other Singaporeans who have offered condolences and support to the family of Ms Lo Hwei Yen. The outpouring of grief by people from all walks of life points to the deep harmony we have built over the years in Singapore. We in Singapore, regardless of our racial backgrounds or religious beliefs, will never support or condone terrorist acts. But the battle is not over, and constant vigilance is necessary. There will always be those who will try to undermine our harmony, with persuasive arguments, purportedly based on religious teachings. We must resist such attempts, and expose such attempts to the authorities. We must never allow our harmony, built over so many years, to be shattered by terror. One life lost is already one too many.
Zainudin Nordin Mayor, (With thanks to SPH - StraitsTimes.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. The Straits Times - Muslim groups: It's heinous03 December 2008 Nine organisations in Singapore condemn the Mumbai attacks By Teh Joo Lin NINE leading Muslim organisations in Singapore have come forward to condemn last week's Mumbai terrorist attacks which left 188 people dead. They said in a joint statement that they were deeply saddened by the death of lawyer Lo Hwei Yen, 28, who was killed after being taken hostage there. Referring to the series of attacks on two hotels, a cafe, a Jewish centre, a train station and other locations, they said: 'Such heinous actions contravene Islam's strong prohibition against harming or killing innocent people.' They said the attack on a Jewish centre and killing of a rabbi 'violates Islamic tenets that specifically protect places of worship and their religious leaders'. The groups are the Association of Muslim Professionals, the Fellowship of Muslim Students' Association, Malay Youth Literary Association, the Muslim Converts' Association of Singapore, Perdaus (the Adult Religious Students Association), welfare body Pertapis, the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board, the Islamic Religious Scholars and Religious Teachers' Association and the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. They extended condolences to families of all victims and hoped that those responsible would be brought to justice. 'We urge fellow Singaporeans, regardless of race or religion, to remain vigilant to the threat of terrorism, actively promote efforts to combat extremist ideas from wherever they originate and, most importantly, continue to strengthen our ties at all levels of society,' they said. The statement echoed the sentiments of Islamic Religious Council of Singapore president Alami Musa, who went to Ms Lo's wake on Monday. He said: 'Singaporeans of all beliefs should band together to build further upon the strong social cohesion we've collectively nurtured and enjoyed over the years, and to guard against those who aim to sow disharmony.' Among those at the wake yesterday were President S R Nathan and his wife, and Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. They spent time with Ms Lo's husband, corporate counsel Michael Puhaindran, and their parents. Mr Nathan told The Straits Times: 'It's a tragic event for an innocent life to be lost in this way.' Thousands of condolence messages have been posted online. Foreign Minister George Yeo was among those who penned his thoughts online after attending the wake on Monday, describing how helpless those at his ministry felt about the tragedy. 'Our hearts go out to Michael and the family. All of us feel both sadness and anger,' he wrote. He added that people in Singapore should draw strength from Ms Lo's sacrifice and in grieving, renew the determination to fight terrorism and cherish racial and religious harmony. Ms Lo's funeral will be held tomorrow. joolin@sph.com.sg (With thanks to SPH - StraitsTimes.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Berita Harian - Religious Leaders Denounce Mumbai Attacks And Express Confidence Harmony Remains Unscathed 03 December 2008 Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article (With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. |
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