With the Christian holy days of Good Friday and Easter Sunday looming this weekend amid unprecedented circumstances, the Mufti of The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, penned a letter of greeting today (April 8) to Bishop Terry Kee, President of the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS).

He wrote:

“On the very special occasion of the Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we would like to send our warmest greetings and best wishes to the Christian community in Singapore.

“This is certainly a contemplative time for our communities. We are grateful that our respective traditions empower us with meaning, values and lessons that will make us stronger and more resilient in face of adversity. For the Christian community, the significance of Easter Sunday cannot be overstated. Pain and suffering gave birth to God’s forgiveness and salvation through the ultimate sacrificial act of Jesus.

“In Islam, we value Jesus’s special place and role, especially through his miraculous healing works. Jesus preached and wished peace to his disciples, (Luke 24:36; John 20:19), and we too are taught to always wish peace unto others (Qur’an 4:86). We are indeed inspired by our commonalities, not only in the ways we understand the world and its religious history, but also in our shared struggle to make this world a better place. The current COVID-19 outbreak underscores the importance of renewing our hope and digging deep within our faith and traditions for optimism amidst a bleak and gloomy global situation.

“We truly empathise with the challenges that the Christian community faces, in not being able to celebrate these momentous events in the most ideal way. We too face the same prospect for Ramadan and Hari Raya. Please also accept our heartfelt sympathies for members of your community who have been affected by this pandemic. We hope that you will continue to persevere and be able to celebrate meaningfully with your loved ones.

“This crisis will bind us even stronger in our commitment and resolve to support one another as we face an uncertain world and future. I am confident that with greater unity and deeper friendship, we will emerge stronger as one united Singapore.

Yours sincerely, 

Nazirudin Mohd Nasir
Mufti
The Islamic Religious Council Of Singapore (Muis)