A reply to a letter in Straits Times Forum

A letter in Straits Times Forum entitled 'One can always say no to hard-sell religion' (16 April 2008):

I READ with interest the complaint by Ms Wee Feng Yi in her letter on Saturday, 'Let's respect a person's private space in public', in which she expressed her concern over 'the increasingly noticeable trend by Singaporeans to proselytise in public.' Personally, I do not like to be disturbed in public by salespeople peddling their wares, so I empathise with Ms Wee to a certain extent. However, I disagree with her perspective on religious freedom, which she said includes 'the right not to be annoyed by someone who over-enthusiastically tries to promote his or her beliefs'.

Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights defines religious freedom as follows: 'Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes the freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance'.

The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore defines freedom of religion in Article 15 Clause 1: 'Every person has the right to profess and practise his religion and to propagate it'.

For followers of certain religions, having the freedom to practise one's religion includes the freedom to propagate the faith, albeit within certain limits. For example, no follower of any religion should use physical force to advance their cause or compel people to convert.

True allegiance to any religious faith must be voluntary and cannot be compelled by force. If one is compelled to be a member of any religion, then it is no longer a voluntary act of the individual and therefore the essential quality of true faith is lost.

Likewise, a democratic government like ours should not enforce laws requiring or prohibiting different kinds of religious beliefs or practices, with the exception of maintaining internal security as spelt out in the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. As long as followers of the different religions are propagating their faiths in peaceful and respectful ways, the Government should continue to maintain a level playing field where every religion can compete without restrictions for members in a marketplace of ideas and beliefs.

Unless one uses deceitful or coercive methods, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with presenting the exclusive benefits of one's religion, not unlike companies highlighting the unique benefits of their products in a free market economy of choices whereby one can accept or reject freely. While Ms Wee cannot avoid being approached by members of any religious group, she can definitely exercise her individual right to decline.