SINGAPORE – What started in 2016 as an idea to build social cohesion in multicultural and multi-religious Singapore continues to draw “new blood” from those looking to do their bit for the community.
At the sixth Interfaith Blood Donation Drive held at the Heart of God Church in Eunos on Oct 30, most donors were young people, including 16-year-old Clare Leung, the youngest donor.
Clare, a member of the non-denominational church, said: “This is my first time giving blood and volunteering at an interfaith event. It’s pretty interesting to do this with people from different religions. We’re all coming together to save lives and do something good for our community.”
The Secondary 4 student from Anderson Secondary School also met Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, who presented her with a gift pack.
The 2024 blood donation drive drew around 200 donors.
Co-organised by Heart of God Church, Khalid Mosque, Geylang United Temple and Chan Khoo Kong Huay clan association, the interfaith event aims to not only save lives but also to build social cohesion.
It was also supported by the Racial and Religious Harmony Circle, Singapore Red Cross and Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre.
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Since the blood donation drive began in 2017, it has collected 250 litres of blood from 840 donors, potentially saving more than 1,600 lives.
Organisers alternate locations between the church and mosque, encouraging youth to visit each other’s places of worship and fostering an understanding of different religions.
Mr Shanmugam said the event shows Singaporeans can “work together, donate blood together, bring our congregations together”.
The minister, who also attended a closed-door dialogue with young people at the event, noted: “It shows that, you know, we are Singapore, we are different, and we can help each other, and we can look beyond race and religion.
“It builds a very strong bond. And I think it sends a very powerful signal when you have these different religious organisations coming together.”
The minister acknowledged the efforts of two men – Mr Alex Low, 22, from Heart of God Church, and Mr Imran Abdul Haqiim, 34, from Khalid Mosque – for organising the drive.
The atmosphere at the event on Oct 30 was vibrant and lively, more like a carnival than a blood donation drive.
Outside the blood donation hall, youth enjoyed satay, finger food and ice cream, while others played arcade basketball and other games.
Despite tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine, and even in Singapore, where a self-radicalised 17-year-old was arrested in August for planning a terror attack in Tampines, senior religious leaders at the event expressed optimism that society’s cohesiveness will prevail through such efforts to promote understanding.
Senior Pastor Garrett Lee from Heart of God Church said: “When you donate blood next to someone, you realise – whether Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Christian – we all bleed red.
“We want young people to see what unites us. A cohesive society isn’t by chance; it happens when we build bridges to understand one another. That understanding grounds us to be resilient against harmful ideologies.”
The group, through its initiative Interfaith.sg, has been building bridges for the last decade, said Khalid Mosque chairman Alla’udin Mohamed.
Mr Alla’udin told The Straits Times: “I am so proud of the Singaporeans from the other races and communities (for coming together) because at this moment, as you know, in the world, Islamophobia is there.”
He said the interfaith event hopes to build understanding, appreciation and tolerance for others.
Mr Alla’udin added: “When the youth (here) play games together and take part in the dialogue, these are all ice and wall breakers. So we are breaking walls to build a community.”
Other past Interfaith.sg events include food distribution, fund-raising event Charity Briyani, sports competitions and a tutoring programme for students in lower-income families who are preparing for examinations.