The Straits Times features the 8th ASEF Journalists' Colloquium
Published on 01 Jul 2010
Inter-faith efforts: Don't just preach to the choir
Article by Ng Tze Yong, The Straits Times (Singapore)
Published 26 April 2010 (page A2)
The Straits Times correspondent Ng Tze Yong was one of the young journalists who were invited to attend the 8th ASEF Journalists’ Colloquium and the 6th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Interfaith Dialogue (IFD) held in Madrid, Spain. As a chronicle of his reflections and observations during the IFD, Mr Ng in his article makes a case on how interfaith dialogue should be brought out from the confined spaces of conference halls to the public arena.
He observes that there is a tendency for interfaith dialogue to be restricted among those who are already engaged in dialogue. Although he emphasises that regular dialogue among different faiths to establish a common ground between them is important, dialogue should be transformed from a mere talk shop to something more action-oriented and geared towards the everyday person.
He also offered suggestions on how to put the interfaith dialogue agenda on the public radar. Social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as well as other medium such as film can help to bring the dialogue to the consciousness of everyday people of different faiths.
Read Ng Tze Yong's full article on the Straits Times website.
