Singaporean Pastor Preaches Unwelcome Message

www.ozy.com [OZY]( [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright Big, bold ideas. Future changemakers. Thrilling recommendations. This is the Sunday read you’ll find nowhere else. Dec 11, 2022 Sunday Singapore is a politically passive place where an openly gay reverend is making waves. – by Sonia Sarkar in Singapore Outspoken In June, when Singapore refused to renew the work pass of Bangladeshi migrant worker Zakir Hossain following his social media [post]( about the living conditions endured by fellow workers, [Reverend Miak Siew]( of the Free Community Church (FCC) took to Facebook to make a radical proposition. He suggested that, rather than punishing those with differing views, Singapore might “listen to criticism and grow.” That was something of an unwelcome suggestion in [politically docile]( Singapore, an island nation of 5.64 million people. A [report]( last year from Civicus, a global alliance of civil-society organizations, demoted the country’s human rights ranking from “obstructed” to “repressed.” According to Human Rights Watch, the Singaporean government invoked a controversial statute known as the “fake news” law more than[50]( times in just the first half of 2020, primarily to sanction content that was critical of the government or its policies. Authorities have also repeatedly[targeted]( independent media outlets. Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower [said]( it did not renew migrant worker Hossain’s work pass because he made “misleading, false or deliberately provocative” public posts. The plight of migrant workers is just one of many politically charged topics on which Miak Siew has been outspoken. He has made himself heard on Facebook, within his congregation, and at Hong Lim Park — the only designated place for public protest in Singapore — to [decry]( the mounting restrictions on free speech, including the arrest of a blogger charged with[criticizing]( the nation’s late founder, and to condemn the state’s use of the death penalty on predominantly ethnic minorities. “If the church doesn’t speak for the voiceless, who else will?” said Siew. ‘First Realize Everyone’s Equal’ The FCC is housed in an inconspicuous industrial building in west-central Singapore, and holds services in a conference room outfitted with several large LED screens and projectors. In operation since 2003, FCC was founded by gay and lesbian Singaporean Christians after they experienced discrimination at other churches. Siew, who studied Divinity at the Pacific School of Religion in California, has been part of the FCC since its inception. As reverend, he considers himself responsible for speaking publicly about what he views as unjust and repressive actions by the state. In April, when the government [hanged]( an intellectually disabled man, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, for trafficking 1.5 ounces of heroin, Siew delivered a [speech]( at Hong Lim Park in which he asked, “What kind of society will we become when we are more compassionate, more merciful, more human?” For those who attend services at the FCC, the word “free” in the church’s name has a second meaning: It is an acronym for First Realize Everyone’s Equal. And for many congregants, that is precisely the church’s appeal. SL is a 44-year-old public servant and FCC congregant who asked to be identified by only her initials, as she isn’t “confident” that the government will be lenient with employees who publicly acknowledge their homosexuality. She said that Siew’s church had helped her in profound ways. The FCC, she said, “allows us to heal the wounds that we received from rejections by others.” She also noted that Siew’s strength is his commitment to “fight for the rights of the last, the lost and the least.” But many in Singapore disagree. Critics, who have attacked both the reverend and the broader congregation, have said the FCC is not a true church, as it promotes an agenda beyond Jesus Christ. Siew, by contrast, hopes that the FCC is in some way an answer to what he sees as a declining sense of purpose at some religious institutions. “The churches, in many places, have lost their relevance when it stopped speaking up and it became a place of privilege and power,” he told OZY. Noting that too often, churches view baptism as their “key performance indicator,” he said this fosters a view in which baptism is the finish line. Instead, he sees baptism as the beginning of a journey, and hopes that congregants become agents of change and a blessing to others. Joseph Lim, a ministry staff member at a nearby Methodist congregation, has called the FCC a “[cult](.” Lim did not respond to OZY’s request for additional comment. Meanwhile, a spate of executions in Singapore has drawn international [scrutiny]( as well as rare local [protests](. Siew has noted that a majority of those who have been executed were poor and dark-skinned. NEW FROM OZY MEDIA PRODUCTIONS Uniting and celebrating women in sneaker culture and creating a space for everyone who loves dope kicks and fly 'fits. Check out Sneaker Fiends, hosted by The Notorious KIA -- new episodes drop every Thursday. Would you like to hear the stories of brave women who have turned hardship into crusades of love? Join the former Mayor of San Juan, C. Yulin Cruz, as she brings you these compelling stories in OZY Studio's new podcast Sheroics! ‘Responsible and Balanced’ When people walk into church, said Siew, they are carrying their whole life with them: their struggles for work, survival and acceptance. He said the aim of the FCC is to make people feel safe. As that happens, congregants are able to become more involved in larger causes and what he described as “helping to shape the world into a more loving and justice-oriented society.” This year, at a public event, when he said that the predominant cause of suicide and self-harm among LGBTQ people is the discrimination they face, [a psychiatrist]( called this claim “unnecessary and immensely unhelpful,” adding that it was tantamount to casting blame. Siew’s outspoken ways have not gone unnoticed by the government. After Singapore announced the [repeal]( of Section 377A (a law that banned gay sex), effectively making it legal to be homosexual, Siew wrote on Facebook that the announcement had made it easier for “us” to speak about LGBTQ topics “live on air.” Intervening immediately, Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information [said]( it was of the “utmost importance” that mainstream media continue to be “responsible and balanced” in handling LGBTQ topics. Soon after that statement, Siew’s interview on a state radio station was cancelled. Siew called this a part of the “systemic erasure and silencing of our voices” so that “people don’t hear the stories” that will help them understand. COMMUNITY CORNER What kinds of issues are appropriate or inappropriate for a reverend to speak about? 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