St Joseph's Church stabbing a major test of our response as individuals, community

How we react is a reflection of the values we want to uphold in the society we are striving to build.

- Eugene K.B. Tan

How did we, individually and collectively, respond to the horrific news on Nov 9 of the knife attack on the Reverend Christopher Lee while he was celebrating mass at St Joseph's Church (Bukit Timah)?

I won't be surprised if many of us initially thought of the stabbing as an act of violent extremism inspired by a misguided understanding of religion. It didn't help that the online sphere was abuzz with salacious chatter, endless speculation, and riveting rumors of what happened and why.

What were our initial reactions and did we jump to hasty conclusions? Which sources did we consult to obtain more information? Did we forward social media messages to our contacts and family without first confirming the veracity of the information in those messages?

The challenge in such situations is to maintain resilience, social cohesion and harmony in a crisis - despite the social media wilderness.

On an individual level, the challenge is to resist the urge to react with fear, suspicion or a hardening of our views.

At a societal level, the response must go beyond immediate condemnation and security measures.

COMMUNICATION IN A CRISIS Two recent examples are instructive. In Southport, England, in July, three girls below the age of 10 were stabbed to death and eight others were injured while participating in a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

In the wake of the incident, disinformation spread on social media.

As the British Broadcasting Corporation noted, "several posts from a mixture of sources including self-styled news accounts - began sharing false claims. This misinformation soon merged together".

In particular, one factually incorrect and subsequently deleted post on LinkedIn was used on other platforms to justify the protests which led to disorder.