Today is Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and his resurrection three days later, on Easter Sunday. I wish all Christians a blessed Easter weekend.
St Andrew’s Cathedral is the oldest Anglican house of worship in Singapore. Interestingly, the church stands on land donated by an early Arab settler, Syed Omar bin Ali Aljunied, a wealthy merchant and philanthropist (based on an account by his great-great-great granddaughter Dr Sharifah Mariam Aljunied). A good friend of Stamford Raffles, he agreed to Raffles’ request to donate the land to build a place of worship. As you may have guessed, Aljunied Road was named after Syed Omar. :)
This anecdote reflects our multicultural heritage. We are a nation of different races and religions, with a shared history of helping one another. As a uniquely Singaporean footnote, I'm attending the opening of a new mosque this afternoon! – LHL
(MCI Photo by Chwee)
