Sikhism in Singapore

Sikh organisations in Singapore that represent their interests include the Sikh Advisory Board and the Central Sikh Gurudwara Board. The latter provides an insightful history of how the organisation arose and the early history of Sikhism in Singapore although AllAboutSikh provides more details to this story and a list of key Sikh temples and their addresses. A list of Sikh temples with pictures and short histories can be found at Singapore Mirror

This marks the end of a survey of websites on Singapore religions. The list of religions cited here are not exhaustive. However, if new information can be found, this will be added.

Hinduism in Singapore

The Hindu Endowment Board's website offers links to Hindu temples in Singapore, the Singapore Hindu - HEB's newsletter available online, festival dates and other hindu activities. The website of the Sri Thenduyathani Temple provides similar details such as images and links to local Hindu temples, festivals and the history of Chettiars in Singapore.

There are several online papers and analysis that provide a useful overview of Hinduism and its practices in Singapore. The Murugan Bhakti website has articles on Thaipusam and on Murugan temples in Singapore. Masakazu Tanaka has an online paper on Hinduism in Singapore.

Christianity in Singapore

The Catholics in Singapore comprise a large majority. Amongst the Protestants, the Anglicans, the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Presbyterians and the Baptists have been established in Singapore for about 50 years to at least a century. Independent churches such as Faith Community Baptist, New Creation and City Harvest have also large followings. A non-denominational site with a searchable directory for churches can be found at Antioch. An NZ site, Across, also hosts a browsable listing of Churches, Ministries and Christian Schools. Institutions that offer degrees in theology and have good research resources include the Trinity Theological College, known to have one of the best academic Christian libraries in Asia. Associated with it is the Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia. Roxborough's Bibliography of Christianity in Malaysia covers detailed listing of resources by Denominations, Missionary Societies, Ethnic Studies, Regions including Singapore, Periods, Themes and Theses

Buddhism in Singapore

The Singapore Directory of BuddhaNet provides useful weblinks and/or addresses of Buddhist organisations in Singapore. Different veins of Buddhism including Mahayana and Theravada and even non-sectarian forms are listed and their categories reflected accordingly. The claims to being the largest Mahayana Buddhist temple in Singapore goes to the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. There are strains of Buddhism that traces its beliefs from Tibet (Nyingma Kathok Buddhist Centre - Singapore), others from Myanmar (Burmese Buddhist Temple), Sri Lanka (Buddha Vhara Society), Japan (Singapore Soka Association)and reflecting the syncretism of various Chinese dialect groups. The Singapore DharmaNet offers an A-to-Z directory of local organisations and pictures of a selected few. eSangha offers discussion forums for various aspects of Buddhism.

Taoism in Singapore

There is limited information about Taoism in Singapore, partly because there is no unifying organisation that links the Taoist temples together. The Taoist Mission (Singapore) offers insights to the religion with details on the development of Taoism in Singapore although this is mainly in Chinese. Taoism-Singapore is a very active discussion group that keeps track of events at various temples and the significance of these festivities. These are graphically illustrated through Tan Wee Cheng's online photographs at his website Tanki and elaborated further in the section Encounters.

Islamic Education in Singapore

The Darul-Arqam has a subsidiary, the Centre of Islamic Management Studies, set up in 1999 with the which aim to "develop and provide Islam-based training on various aspects of personal and professional development." Some unique courses offered are Islamic Banking and Shari'ah for Legal Practitioners. For religious education, there is a website reflecting all six full-time Madrasahs in Singapore. In 1999, the old Kampong Siglap Mosque was used as a centre for the memorisation of the Quran, Tahfiz Al-Quran Centre of Singapore. For critical thinking and discussions on Islam, the Centre for Islamic Studies provides such a platform. In the same vein, the Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA), was also set up by the Association of Muslim Professionals.

Muslims in Singapore

Muslim Converts Association (Darul-Arqam)provides a good introduction to Islam. In Singapore, the administration of Muslim affairs is mainly managed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS or Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura). The MUIS portal provides links to services such as Hajj Services, Halal Certification including a listing of certified halal food establishments in Singapore, and various eResources such as sermons and online publications. MUIS was established in 1968 as a result of the Administration of Muslim Law Act. An amendment of the act in 1975 saw the Mosque Building Fund (MBF) being set up. " The fecundity of the MBF can only be due to the Singapore Muslim way of doing things - the self-help way. Under the scheme, working Muslims are presently asked to donate a minimum of $2 to $5 each month to the Fund according to their salary, deducted through a government agency". In Mosque.org.sg, discover where mosques are located in Singapore and how they are managed.

Inter-religious Organisation, Singapore

In the next few weeks, i will attempt to cover the varied religious and communal activities in Singapore. As a start, the Inter-religious Organisation (IRO) offers an overview of key religions in Singapore. This includes Hinduism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Bahai faith. Key religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and the various Chinese religions will be explored as these reflect the four key races and languages recognised in Singapore.

Singapore - Country Study

A Country Study: Singapore is part of the Country Studies / Area Handbook Programme by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. It gives a comprehensive perspective of Singapore including its history (from pre-colonial to 1985),society & environment (including ethnic groups, religions, education, health & welfare), the economy, government and politics, and national security. Data is valid only until 1989. There is a useful bibliography and an appendix of tables.

Buddie, the Singapore Dog. 

a2o.com

a2o.com , translated to Access to Archives Online Singapore is the integrated digital search interface for the National Archives' various units'digital presence. These subset dataplatforms include PICAS - the picture database, MISAS - the moving image and sound archives, STARS - the speech-text archival retrieval system, CARDS - cartographic and architectural records database, PRISM - private record information system, Posters - a posters database, GRID - government record information database and CORD - its collection of oral records

Malaycivilization.com

Malaycivilization.com is the fruit of ATMA (Alam dan Tamadun Melayu), the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization, a part of UKM. As a general member - which is offered free-of-charge - users can view the digitised resources of photojournalist and restoration architect, N. A. Halim; PADAT, the Malay World Database - a collection of 30,000 to 40,000 articles in publications about the Malay world; Khamus Peribahasa Melayu or a Dictionary of Malay Proverbs built into a searcheable database; Pantun Baba or Peranakan Poetry, again a searcheable database; Karya Jawi or Jawi Literary Works; Serials which are fully digitised articles; the SARI Journal , the publication of ATMA available online; Suara Atma; another serial; Malay Dictionary of Affixes; Tenas Effendy's Collection, a collection of previously orally transmitted Malay sayings and proverbs; and Malay Dictionaries by non-Malays. Quite a number of the publications including the Peranakan poetry are publications published in Singapore.

The Literature, Culture and Society of Singapore

The Literature, Culture and Society of Singapore is part of the Post-Colonial Web of the University Scholar's Programme. A comprehensive landscape of post-colonial Singapore is outlined including its geography, demography, economics, history, politics, religion, science & technology, the visual arts, literature, and aspects about gender.

Singapore on AllRefer.com

The entry on Singapore at AllRefer.com is extensive. It captures Singapore's earliest history , its colonial founding and beginnings, its establishment as a free port, then as Crown Colony, developments during World War I and World War II, and post-war, concluding with independence and post-independence. AllRefer.com's goal is to offer authoritative educational resources on an open platform.

Singapore on Wikipedia

Wikipedia has several entries on Singapore. Singapore history is of course covered but so are interesting places such as the zoo and Changi Airport. Certain schools such as Raffles Institution and Chinese High, and certain religious institutions like Sakya Muni Temple, are somehow included. The encyclopedia entries are after all written and edited by its own users. So do add entries to Wikipedia about our humble red dot so others can get to know us better.

A History of Malaya

A History of Malaya is the creative outcome of Sabri Zain, a journalist, communications manager and amateur historian all rolled into one. The site covers early Malayan history, and its colonisation, with promise of more history articles related to later developments from the Federated Malay States, to Japanese Occupation and Independence. In the segment on early history, Sabri captures the essence of early Malays, and influences from Buddhist empires, Chinese traders, and the coming of Islam to the region. He paints a picture of Parameswara and the Melaka Kingdom. In the segment on colonisation, Sabri describes the Johore Empire, the Dutch East Indies and the Straits Settlement. Each article is colourfully illustrated and has fascinating sub-articles for a deeper insight to Malayan history. Sabri has another beautiful site linked to photographs of past Malaya, entitled Classic Malaya. His site is also linked to the Sejarah Melayu discussion group.

A Sense of History

A Sense of History is an online bibliography on Singapore's history, based on a 1998 print version collated by staff of the National University Library. The online version is updated by Tim Yap Fuan and has a comprehensive listing of resources. Particularly extensive is its segment on books, chapter-in-books and journal articles on Singapore's history.

Tan Wee Cheng's Singapore

Tan Wee Cheng's Singapore gives visual insights to Tan's perspectives on cultural festivals, natural landscapes and common activities in Singapore.

Singapore Infomap

The Singapore Infomap , gives great insights to Singapore particularly the segment on history, national symbols, and her people. Check out the multimedia section for more interactive material on Singapore's history. This website is a portal created by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.

Knowledgenet

Knowledgenet is an integrated portal on Singapore's history. It includes a mini-encyclopeadic resources, the Singapore Chronicles , resources for researchers, for teachers and students. The site is brought to you by the National Archives, the Singapore Heritage Society and by publishers Landmark Books.