A Consultative Committee was then formed to prepare a draft

constitution. Amongst the luminaries who helped draft the

constitution was Mr Ahmad bin Mohamed Ibrahim who later became

the Attorney-General of Singapore.

At the invitation of Mr MacDonald, a third meeting was held on

February 12, 1949 at the Commissioner’s official residence at Bukit

Serene, Johor Bahru. At this meeting the Constitution was formally

adopted and a resolution was passed to call the organisation the Inter

Religious Organisation of Singapore and Johor Bahru.

On March 18, 1949 the IRO held its first public meeting in the

Victoria Memorial Hall. In the words of Reverend Dr H.B Amstutz

the first President of the IRO, it was hoped that “this public meeting

would be a witness to the citizens of this city and country and that,

without surrendering any of their religions convictions or obligations,

to share them, leaders of the various faiths could meet amicably;

also that since we hold many things in common these surely can form a

mutual basis for cooperation...”

The audience at the first public meeting of the IRO was a sight to

behold. A multi religious capacity crowd of more than 2,000 people

filled the Victoria Memorial Hall to hear speakers from the Muslim,

Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Christian religions. In his opening

remarks, Mr MacDonald described “this meeting is in some ways the

most remarkable held in Singapore. Perhaps it is also the most hopeful”.

Dr H.B Amstutz expressed the belief that “we through this organisation,

are no longer strangers and enemies but pilgrims on a common road

seeking common goals.”

In 1961 the Organisation was renamed the Inter Religious

Organisation of Singapore. Zoroastrian members were admitted in

1961 whilst Taoist and Baha’i members were admitted in 1996.

Thus today the IRO has members from nine different religions

namely: Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian,

Muslim, Sikh and Baha’i.

In the last 50 odd years the IRO has worked to serve the Singapore

community at large.

The late Dr Mehervan Singh, who was the Honorary Secretary of

the IRO for 20 years, has recorded that “IRO played an ... important

role during the civic disturbances that arose in August 1964. The IRO

Council went about to help in the promotion of restraint. A statement

was prepared on 2 nd August 1964, which was broadcast over radio and

TV. The IRO’s meeting was shown on TV. Early in September 1964

IRO members visited persons injured in the disturbances to console them”.

In 1982 the National Kidney Foundation sought the assistance of

the IRO “to convince the people that no religion was against the donation

of organs from the body to help people who suffer”. In addition,

representatives of the IRO have made representations to

Parliamentary Select Committees on issues that religious teachings

throw light on. From time to time the IRO is also called upon by

government ministries to conduct briefings for visiting foreign

dignitaries and delegations on the state of inter-religious harmony

in Singapore.

Numerous conferences, forums and seminars including a few specially

targetted at youth have been organised by the IRO to stimulate inter faith

dialogue and understanding. The late Professor GG Thomson, a founder

member of the IRO, is recorded to have said that in the IRO

“we seek and need the tolerance of the informed not the tolerance of

the indifferent”.

President Benjamin Sheares whilst opening a seminar jointly

organised by the IRO in October 1972 said an active tolerance of religious

diversity “seeks what is common”. In 1998 whilst officiating at the

commemoration of World Religion Day organised by the IRO, the

Minister for Community Development Mr Abdullah Tarmugi said,

“tolerance and respect among the various religions need to be consciously

nurtured and enhanced.”

It is these vital objectives that the conferences, forums and seminars

organised by the IRO hope to fulfil.

In addition, although constrained by its modest financial resources,

the IRO has published two books and several papers on religious

harmony and spiritual values.

One humble but significant practice the IRO has adopted for the

past 50 odd years is the custom where members of the IRO attend

new year and other major religious festivals of their colleagues from

the other religious communities.

The IRO has also consciously promoted inter faith prayer services.

On the initiative of the IRO the annual Remembrance Day Services

of the Crown Colony of Singapore was changed in 1952 to a multi

religious service in place of the Anglican Service which had been the

practice in the past. At present the IRO arranges for religious leaders

of the Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian,

Muslim, Sikh and Baha’i religions to perform blessings at the

Commissioning Parades for officers of the Singapore Armed Forces

and the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Kranji War

Memorial. In the past inter religious prayer services have been

organised by the IRO for the completion of bridges, opening

ceremonies of hotels, oil refineries and terminals, construction work

sites including the commencement of tunnelling works for the MRT

and victims of accidents like the unfortunate accident on the Greek

oil tanker Spyros at Jurong Shipyard in 1978, the tragic SilkAir crash

in 1998 and the SQ 006 crash in 2000.

In 1964 the IRO was invited to the Istana to conduct interfaith

prayers for the then Yang DiPertuan Negara and later Singapore’s first

President Mr. Yusof bin Ishak. A photograph of the IRO Council offering

inter faith prayers at the Istana was published in the Straits Times in

June 1964. In 1998 when the whole nation was mourning the tragic

SilkAir crash the inter-faith prayers conducted by the IRO was carried

live on national television.

To strengthen bonds between the religious communities in Singapore,

the IRO has since 1996 annually organised National Day observances.

Peoples of different religions from all walks of life are brought together

to celebrate National Day with the usual festivities and to hear the

recitation of inter faith prayers for peace and goodwill amongst the

various religious communities. In addition from time to time the

IRO also organises charity dinners for the less privileged in our society.

To usher in the new millennium the IRO in conjunction with the Singapore

Buddhist Lodge organised a charity dinner on 1 January 2000

for 5000 senior citizens.

In addition to its activities in Singapore, IRO is an active

participant in the programs of the Asian Conference on Religion and

Peace [ACRP] as well as the World Conference on Religion and Peace

[WCRP]. IRO delegations were present in conferences held in Kyoto

[Japan], Leuven [Belgium], Princeton [USA], Nairobi [Kenya],

Melbourne [Australia], New Delhi [India] and Seoul [South Korea].

The IRO played a pivotal role in the formation of the ACRP and in

fact hosted the first Asian Conference on Religion and Peace at the

RELC Orange Grove Road from 25th to 30th November 1976.

In 1999, the IRO celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting a

first-ever month long exhibition on the nine major religions of

Singapore at the Singapore History Museum. The exhibition had 9

booths displaying the history, sacred scriptures, artefacts, architecture

and art of the 9 constitutent religions of the IRO. In addition there

was a booth displaying the history of the IRO. The exhibition received

the support of the National Heritage Board and the Ministry of

Education. Further, to mark the Golden Anniversary of the IRO,

Singapore Post issued commemorative postage stamps in three

denominations. These beautiful stamps are ambassadors of goodwill

that travel the globe and carry with them our ideals of inter-religious

harmony and understanding.