This webinar brings together experts on religion from Singapore, Indonesia, and India to discuss the pandemic’s implications for religion in Asia.
Panelists Jaclyn Neo, Dicky Sofjan, and Faizan Mustafa each begin with personal reflections about how their personal lives have changed during the crisis. They then expand their reflections to consider religious communities in their respective nations, providing context for the response to the pandemic in Singapore, Indonesia, and India. They describe negative aspects, such as the scapegoating of minority religious groups, as well as the overly broad restrictions on religion. Panelists also share several positive indicators for religion, such as religious groups that responded to the virus even before the state stepped in. The panel concludes with discussion on balancing rights with responsibilities in the crisis and how to address growing nationalism during and after the challenges to religion presented by COVID-19. In three representative countries of the vast diversity of Asia, the remarks from this episode continue to broaden the scope of the important implications of COVID-19 on religion throughout the world.
Speakers
Chair