[Unlicensed to Kill]
1. A book by Ustaz Mohd Haniff Hassan countering the justification of Imam Samudra for the Bali bombing was launched this morning at the National Library. It was appropriately entitled 'Unlicensed to Kill'. Citing authoritative sources and by clear argument, Ustaz Haniff has made an important contribution to the struggle for the soul of Islam. The book is intended to be read by both Muslims and non-Muslims. For non-Muslims, Ustaz Haniff explained simply why Islam is a religion of peace and jihad the struggle for what is right and just.

2. The session on inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue was organised by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs which is headed by Simon Tay. I was invited by Simon to deliver a keynote address. Earlier, my old MP colleague, Mohd Maidin Packer, had spoken to me about Ustaz Haniff's book. I told him that I was honoured to be associated with the launch of the book.



3. I spoke about my recent trip to India and how, in different ways, Hindus, Parsees, Catholics, Sikhs and others help the poor of all religions. If we start from theology, we are very different. But if we start from the human being and centre our actions on the individual, then we immediately find a large common area. It is the area of our common humanity. While human beings are unequal in almost all aspects, we are spiritually equal. Because we share this common belief, murder is murder whether it is the killing of a wealthy man or the killing of a pauper.

4. Members of the IRO gave full support to the seminar and the launch of the book. Our IRO is a treasure. Embracing ten religions in all, the IRO helps to promote inter-faith dialogue and understanding. Leaders of different religions in Singapore routinely reach out to one another helping us solve problems as they arise. We have a good thing going here which is gradually being noticed by others.

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