An inter-racial and religious confidence circle (IRCC) is a group composed of leaders of different races and religions from a particular constituency in Singapore. The primary purpose of IRCCs is to provide a regular platform for leaders of various racial and religious communities to interact and get to know one another better, in order to build confidence, friendship and trust among them.
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Inter-racial and religious confidence circles (IRCCs), then known as "inter-racial confidence circles", were first formed in 2002 in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, and the arrest in December 2001 of 15 Jemaah Islamiyah members in Singapore who planned to bomb diplomatic missions and attack nationals of Australia, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States based in Singapore. The then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong mooted the concept of IRCCs for constituencies and "harmony circles" (HCs) for schools, work places and other local organizations in January 2002 in order to "grow the common space and deepen inter-racial understanding".
IRCCs are intended to be informal bodies that can formulate strategies and initiatives to promote greater knowledge and understanding among different races and religions. They also assist in the formation of HCs and provide them with guidance and information on inter-racial and inter-religious confidence building. As community leaders, IRCC members may take on the role of "headmen", whom members of their respective communities can turn to for leadership when problems arise. IRCC members also keep track of grievances and complaints from the ground, thus giving them a unique understanding of local racial or religious sentiments.[1] IRCCs also function as the main sources of information from the Government on the ground.[2]
A National Steering Committee (NSC) on IRCCs provides broad guidance for IRCCs to deepen inter-racial and inter-religious rapport within the community.
There are currently 84 IRCCs in Singapore, one for each constituency. As at 30 June 2006, the total membership was 1,021, of which 58% were Chinese, 21% were Malay, 20% were Indian and 1% were of other races.[2]
Inter-racial confidence circles were renamed "inter-racial and religious confidence circles" in September 2007 to better reflect their role as constituency-level platforms for the strengthening of engagement among religious and community leaders, and to signify their active promotion of inter-religious understanding and harmony.[3] Following efforts by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to recruit religious organizations into IRCCs, in 2007 about 80% of such organizations were members of IRCCs, up from 20% in 2006. In future, religious leaders will be informed of international and national events so they can help their congregations understand situations better. Religious organizations will also be involved in continency planning so that they know how to react if an incident affecting race or religion occurs.[4]