E. M. ASTAFIEVA Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Today, when conflicts on ethnic and religious grounds are breaking out in many regions of the world, Singapore's experience in regulating interfaith relations is not without interest. The country has developed and successfully operates a comprehensive approach based on a solid legal framework that includes both individual provisions of the country's constitution and a number of specially adopted laws. State advisory committees on religious issues, as well as local organizations that interact at the level of various ethnic and religious communities, have become another tool for regulating interreligious relations. ETHNIC AND CONFESSIONAL DIVERSITY Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state, whose population was formed due to migration flows from China, Malaysia, India and other countries. In 1819, when the island was acquired by the British, it was inhabited by less than 200 people (mostly Malays by origin). As the population grew, the number of ethnic groups increased, the ratio of which changed at different stages of historical development. The population of Singapore is grouped by statistics into four main groups - Chinese, Malay, Indian and "other". The vast majority of Chinese immigrants were born in the three provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Malays by origin are divided into two main groups-those born in Singapore and Malaysia and immigrants from Indonesia (Javanese, Madurians, Bugi, Riau, Minangkabau, etc.). All Malays consider themselves a single group, although they are aware of differences in their origin. The term" Indians " in Singapore includes all South Asians (except Nepal), as well as their descendants. In the first quarter of the 19th century, Malays dominated numerically, but later the situation changed dramatically due to increased migration from the southern provinces of China. By 1860, Chinese people in Singapore accounted for 61% of the popula ... Читать далее