Nora Mahmood: President, Humanist Society Singapore

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/12/10

Nora Mahmood is the President of Humanist Society Singapore. Mahmood talks about the organization’s experiences hosting the General Assembly for Humanists International. Mahmood discussed the challenges and successes of organizing the event, highlighting the sense of connection among global humanist communities. She emphasized the importance of promoting humanism while respecting religious sensitivities in Singapore’s multicultural context. Mahmood also expressed her vision for greater collaboration between humanist groups in Southeast Asia, Africa, and India, hoping for more online conferences to foster global connections. The conversation concluded with future plans for attending events, including a trip to Luxembourg.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we’re here with Nora from the Humanist Society Singapore. How are you doing today?

Nora Mahmood: Good. I am looking forward to this meeting.

Jacobsen: Excellent. So, I want to focus first on what happened positively. Singapore hosted the General Assembly for Humanists International, putting you in the limelight. How did it go? What were some of your key takeaways from the experience?

Mahmood: It was quite an experience. It was the first time we hosted such a large conference. We’ve had events like the Asian Humanist Conference, but that was on a smaller scale. That event was back in 2015 and lasted only a few days. But when we bid to host this event, we had our doubts. However, everyone on the committee unanimously said, “Let’s go for it.”

If other countries like Australia and New Zealand can do it, why not us? So, we took the opportunity and won the bid. Initially, it wasn’t very comforting because it was such a challenge. But we eventually came together as a team, and everyone played their part.

For the first time, people from all different countries came together. It was overwhelming, exciting, and yet nerve-wracking because we didn’t want to disappoint anyone. We wanted to ensure that everyone who came to Singapore would have an unforgettable experience.

What we learned from organizing such a big event is invaluable. It was a great experience, and we’re glad we did it. It’s a challenge, but you’ll never know what’s possible if you don’t take that first step.

Jacobsen: One of the big things I kept hearing from people in interviews was how much they appreciated Singapore’s approach to interfaith and interbelief dialogue. I couldn’t attend, though I have always wanted to visit Singapore and other parts of the world that I have yet to explore.

Last year, I was in Copenhagen with Remus Cernea, one of the keynote speakers. Unfortunately, we were doing war correspondents in Ukraine, so I worked on journalism in a war zone. I apologize for not being able to attend.

However, many people I spoke with came away from the General Assembly in Singapore with a sense that there are legitimate ways to engage in interfaith and interbelief dialogue, not just with others but also in how we do our outreach and advocacy for humanism. People were attentive to Singapore’s thoughtful distinctions, especially in deradicalization efforts.

Not only did attendees gain an appreciation for the global pluralism of the humanist community, which is common at these kinds of conferences, but they also developed an appreciation for Singapore’s unique methodologies. How you approach humanist values within a cultural context was a consistent and interesting comment from many.

Mahmood: Yes. As you mentioned, interfaith dialogue is a big thing here in Singapore. We’ve gone through racial riots, and we’ve learned from that experience. So, we have initiatives like the Racial Harmony Act and other related measures. Yes, you can be critical of religion. Still, you must be careful about what you say to ensure that you’re not mocking or putting another religion down.

Even as humanists, we promote humanism rather than criticize other religions when we advocate for our beliefs. We must be careful with our words because they are sensitive, and people can easily get offended.

Jacobsen: Yes, I agree. A Singaporean approach to managing religion sounds fascinating. How does Singapore manage these religious sensitivities?

Mahmood: Well, there’s a management of religion here, and yes, there are many articles about it. It’s an important part of our social fabric.

Jacobsen: It’s an interesting context, especially since I’m from Canada, and the United States is even more of a different demographic context. In Singapore, as far as I know, when it comes to religious demographics, everyone is a minority, which creates a much more delicate balance. There’s also more government intervention to maintain pluralism.

Mahmood: Exactly. That’s why the government plays a significant role in promoting harmony. 

Jacobsen: Now, transitioning to the Humanist Society Singapore, how do we approach advocacy outside the conference context? We focus on promoting humanism and maintaining our community, which are challenges in outreach and sustaining membership.

Our membership fluctuates, but we’re focused on something other than membership drives. It’s not about numbers but the quality of the people joining us. Coming from a Muslim background, I used to hear a lot about “the fastest-growing religion” or “the most members.” Still, after joining the Humanist Society, I moved away from that mindset. It’s not about numbers for us; it’s about the people who stand with us.

Our membership is quite small, but it’s gradually growing. We’ve noticed that when we host events, non-members often attend, which tells me something. Some say they can’t become members for personal reasons but still participate in our events. That shows us that we have support beyond just formal membership.

Jacobsen: How do you approach advocacy?

Mahmood: We hold workshops and events like the Humanist Café, a bi-monthly event. We’re more of a support group, and we discuss various issues. For example, how do you, as a parent, raise your children in a non-religious environment? When your children go to school and mix with other kids from religious backgrounds, how do they handle it? How do you, as a parent, teach your children to navigate that kind of environment?

We also address challenges in life, particularly for non-religious individuals. How do we face life’s challenges without religion? One topic I’m very passionate about is end-of-life issues, which are important even for religious people. How do you handle that?

We just finished our own Humanist Café on embracing aging. Typically, when people age, they tend to become more pious. But what about those of us who are not religious? As we age, what do we look forward to? What support can we offer each other? So, we hold workshops where we discuss these kinds of topics.

As I mentioned, we don’t criticize other religions in these conversations. We focus on our issues and how we, as humanists, handle these things. I come from an Islamic background where we spent much time condemning why other people didn’t believe what we believed.

I grew up with that, but now we don’t engage in that environment. We focus on ourselves and how we can lead by example. We set aside discussions about why other religions do this or that. We don’t have to focus on that. Instead, we focus on showing our values through our actions.

Jacobsen: That makes sense. You provide a sense of community by focusing on your values and actions. Even with the fluctuation in membership, you aim to maintain a quality environment for committed members rather than focusing on having the largest numbers, like the Islamic example of “the biggest religion” or “the fastest-growing religion.” You’re more concerned with the quality of people’s orientation toward humanism rather than the quantity of members.

What areas would you like to see new activities or initiatives for the community, such as engaging in policy work or similar actions, but have yet to pursue? In a Singaporean context, where people are mindful of how they couch their language in public, how would you navigate advocating for a particular policy or cultural change if that were relevant?

Mahmood: Yes, we were invited to join a bioethics committee when they held a public discourse to get input from the humanist perspective on bioethics, bioengineering, and related topics. This is something we’re all passionate about. If you look at our chat group, we often discuss transhumanism, the question of what makes someone human, and so on.

We participated in that talk and shared our perspectives. However, our government’s policies are mostly secular, so there is little conflict for us. We follow the procedures and ensure they align with our values as humanists.

Jacobsen: That answers my question. How about areas where people want to provide funding or scholarships for young people or ways to support young individuals in growing into the movement? You mentioned navigating the space where you have a small secular community, yet in schools, many of the kids and parents are religious. They may not necessarily be devout, but religion is still a conversation in the home, and it’s a negotiation in public. How do you handle that?

Mahmood: As with other secular organizations, some provide scholarships and grants for young people to attend events like the General Assembly or engage in activities, after which they write a report or give a presentation. This happens in other humanist groups. Is that something you’ve considered?

That is something I’d like to explore in the future. But as I mentioned, we are small, especially regarding funding. We don’t receive any government funding. Humanists International helped cover some of the costs even for the General Assembly. We’re small and need more resources to sponsor someone to attend these events. But that might change in the future.

When I talk about numbers, I don’t focus on them. For example, in the last census of 2020, the number of non-religious people went up to 20%. We are now the second-largest group in Singapore, with Buddhism being the largest, followed by the Christian and Muslim groups. That increase caught much attention.

Suddenly, the TV media wanted to interview us. I’m waiting for the next census to see what happens. If the numbers continue to rise and we reach parity with the Buddhists, we’ll be in the spotlight even more. But as the numbers grow, other groups might start feeling threatened.

Jacobsen: Right; the more the non-religious numbers increase, the more attention you get, which could lead to tension with other religious groups.

Mahmood: Exactly. Groups like Buddhists, Christians, and Muslims may start to see it as a threat, especially when studies show that more young people are leaving religion and identifying as non-religious. They’ll start doing youth camps to retain their members. So, while numbers seem good, they can cause other groups to feel uneasy.

Jacobsen: That mirrors the experience of the ex-Muslim community, particularly in North America and elsewhere. They grew a lot in the late 2000s and 2010s, especially online. Initially, it was mostly men because they had more freedom of movement and income. Still, more women are coming into that space now. I’ve covered some of that as well.

In terms of HSS, how active is your online presence? Do you have discussion groups, presentations, or articles available online? Are you primarily an in-person community or expanding more into the online sphere?

Mahmood: We started as a small group doing meetups. That’s how it all began—a meetup group. We’d have sessions where a small group of friends would meet in person. Historically, we started with mostly small in-person meetups. Then came the AWARE Saga, which involved the women’s group AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research).

AWARE is a women’s group in Singapore. If you still need to do so, look up the AWARE Saga. It was a situation in which a group of conservative Christians attempted to take over AWARE, which is supposed to be a secular organization. This conservative faction hijacked the group, and that was a pivotal moment for us.

Jacobsen: Oh, I see. So, did that event trigger something within your group?

Mahmood: Yes, exactly. When we saw that happening, we realized it could happen to any secular organization. That’s when we decided we needed a collective voice to be recognized and taken seriously. You must be registered as an official organization in Singapore to have that voice. That’s how we came together.

We started mostly online, using social media and digital platforms. However, we also hold some in-person workshops.

Jacobsen: I see. I am looking at it now. During that time, the church, such as the Church of Our Saviour, was promoting conversion therapy. Statements like “homosexual practice is contrary to God’s word”—sound like hardline rhetoric we often hear from fundamentalist preachers in North America.

Mahmood: Yes, this fundamentalism played a role in our formation as a society. When we first tried registering as an organization, our registration was put on hold because the authorities needed to figure out how to categorize us. They were curious about this group of irreligious people, which was new to them.

Eventually, after some intervention and many discussions, we were approved. But we started small. We still need to get our own office or building. We joke that we’re the “homeless humanists” of Singapore.

Jacobsen: That’s funny—the ‘HHSS, Homeless Humanists of Singapore.’ So, what’s your vision now?

Mahmood: My vision has always been to have a humanist center, a physical space for us. But right now, we focus on being active on social media, maintaining a website, and using platforms like Telegram for group chats. We realized social media is essential, so we’ve made ourselves present online to raise awareness. We’ve also started organizing more workshops, seminars, and Humanist Café meetups to create visibility.

Our Humanist Café is held on the first Friday of every month. It’s open to anyone curious about humanism, and we invite people to come and talk with us.

We also have an online session every third Friday of the month, from 7 PM to midnight, where people can reach out to us if they can’t attend our in-person events. We’re working on a series of community workshops starting in December to introduce the public to humanism and explain what we’re all about.

Jacobsen: If I could make it happen, as a journalist, I would reach out to The Straits Times and ask, “May I submit an interview with the humanists?” It would be interesting to get the word out more rather than having it pop up by accident when, say, the Pope visits, and people on the periphery ask, “What do the humanists think?” Then it’s published somewhere else, like in a South Korean publication.

Mahmood: That would be great! AC Grayling came to Singapore, and Dr. Lawrence Krauss did, too. When Dr. Krauss came to give a talk at NUS (National University of Singapore), he first asked, “Is there a humanist society in Singapore?”

Jacobsen: Really? Did he ask that?

Mahmood: I’m not sure if it was Dr. Krauss or AC Grayling, but one of them asked, “Is there a humanist society in Singapore?” That’s how we were called in. If not for that, no one would have asked. But we got some attention since these famous people came to Singapore for a conference and inquired about us.

Jacobsen: Wow, that’s incredible! So, you got pulled in when someone famous asked about the humanist society. It’s funny how we always bump into each other in similar situations. My first General Assembly was in Iceland. Did you or other Singaporeans at the General Assembly—or even at the one in Singapore—get a common sense of comfort, like, “I’m not the only one”? And did you feel like the people there seemed a bit more grounded? I don’t mean to insult anyone who isn’t a humanist, but there seems to be a certain comfort when you meet other humanists.

Mahmood: Yes. When we have humanist gatherings, there’s an undeniable connection. Even someone who’s not a humanist but attends the meeting can sense the shared values and ideologies. It makes it easier for us to connect. There’s a natural warmth or familiarity, even though you might meet for the first time.

Someone might say, “You all seem to know each other so well,” and I tell them, “No, this is the first time we’re meeting, but the connection is there.” It’s because of those shared values that we have an immediate bond. It’s been eye-opening for us.

Jacobsen: I will pull an AC Grayling and Lawrence Krauss on you. Is there a skeptic society? Are there Unitarian Universalists or an Ethical Culture group in Singapore? I ask because I need to figure it out.

Mahmood: Yes, there is a skeptics group in Singapore. They do join us once in a while. There’s also a Singapore Philosophy group; some members are in both groups. We do interact, and they invite us over for events. We have a good relationship with them.

Jacobsen: Very cool. I’ve heard of skeptics’ work in other regions.

Mahmood: They recently talked about transhumanism, and most of us joined in. It’s a collaborative effort.

Jacobsen: What do you hope people take away, not from the General Assembly, which we’ve already covered, but from the fact that you can find humanist groups almost anywhere in the world? Here I am, a stray Canadian in a small town, talking to the president of the Singapore group in her morning, in the middle of the week.

Mahmood: I hope there’s more connectivity and collaboration. My vision for HSS (Humanist Society Singapore) is to be a beacon for the humanist movement in Southeast Asia. We work closely with the Malaysian, Indonesian, and Philippine groups. Despite the geographical distances, we use Zoom and online platforms to stay connected.

I would love to see more online conferences where we exchange ideas even in different time zones. We can still come together and discuss topics dear to our hearts. For example, I want to work with African humanist and Indian national groups.

Jacobsen: So, you hope to work with the African and Indian humanist communities?

Mahmood: Yes, Singapore and India are both secular countries, but we approach secularism differently. It would be fascinating to explore those differences. Can Singapore and India host an online conference together? It’s in the pipeline, but we’re waiting on India to finalize some plans. Of course, it can be tricky with Zoom, but I’m optimistic.

Jacobsen: Any final thoughts?

Mahmood: Thank you for this opportunity to talk to you. I appreciate your write-up on us and look forward to meeting you in person. Visit Singapore—or Luxembourg, even! We’re planning to go to Luxembourg next year. My team has decided to go as a group, so I’ll start saving up! We’ll meet in Luxembourg.

Jacobsen: That sounds exciting! Thank you so much; I appreciate it.

Mahmood: Thank you! Bye!

Jacobsen: Bye, have a great day!

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