Places of worship in Singapore

Singapore is a multicultural society with all the world's major religions co-existing peacefully side by side. This article aims to provide an overview of the places of worship in Singapore that tourists are most likely to want to visit.

Understand
What is now Singapore was historically under the control of numerous kingdoms of the Malay Archipelago, with some of the most notable ones being Srivijaya (based in Palembang in modern-day Indonesia), Majapahit (based in Java in modern-day Indonesia) and the Malacca Sultanate (based in modern-day Malaysia). The modern history of Singapore is generally said to have begun in 1819, when Sir Stamford Raffles of the British East India Company exploited a succession dispute in the royal family of the Johor Sultanate (which Singapore was under the jurisdiction of at the time) to establish a British trading post on the island, at the mouth of the Singapore River. Due to Singapore's strategic location on the main shipping routes between West Asia and East Asia, and Raffles' masterstroke to declare it a free port, Singapore's grew into one of the world's busiest trading hubs under British colonial rule, attracting numerous immigrants from far and wide looking to make their fortunes. Many of these immigrants brought their religions with them, establishing numerous places to worship to cater to their respective communities.

Today, Singapore remains a religiously diverse place with no religious group forming a majority; Buddhism, Taoism (which in the Singaporean context also encompasses traditional Chinese folk religion), Christianity, Islam and Hinduism all exist in significant numbers, with Buddhists forming a plurality among Singapore's religious groups. Sikhism and Judaism exist in much smaller numbers, though they too have roots in Singapore dating back to colonial times, with members of these communities having made significant contributions to the country's development. Besides the aforementioned religions, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha'i Faith have also been given official recognition by the Singapore government, and while there are no places of worship dedicated to those religions, their religious governing bodies have offices in Singapore where people of those faiths can gather to perform their respective religious rituals.

Islam
Almost all Muslims in Singapore follow Sunni Islam, but there is one Shia mosque, and Shia Muslims may practise their religion freely.

Sikhism
Many Sikhs were brought to Singapore by the British during the colonial era to serve as soldiers and policemen. Today, despite their small number, Sikhs play a prominent role in Singapore's social fabric, and have held numerous important government roles.

Judaism
During the colonial period, many Baghdadi Jews moved to Singapore as traders to escape persecution by the Ottoman governor of Baghdad. While most of the community moved to Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States or Australia following independence, a handful chose to remain in Singapore, and have made important contributions to Singaporean society; Singapore's first legal aid fund was set up by the Baghdadi Jewish lawyer Harry Elias. Today, the Singaporean Jewish community remains small, with a community of about 180 people, and they are far outnumbered by expatriate Jews from Western countries. Virtually all Singaporean Jews follow Orthodox Judaism, though there is also a Reform synagogue whose congregation is almost entirely made up of expatriates.

Others
While the Zoroastrians, Baha'is and Jains do not have their own places of worship in Singapore, they have been given official recognition by the Singapore government, and each of them has a local governing body and community centre where communal prayers can be conducted.