(Malaysia)
A Youth Religious Service (YRS) has been recently established to provide an opportunity for youths of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds to engage in inter-religious activities under the guidance of academics with special interests in comparative religion. The YRS is sponsored by the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principle (CARP) in Petaling Jaya, with the approval of the Malaysian Ministry of Social Welfare and National Unity. The service has successfully organized a tour of the Buddhist Wihara in Brickfields, the Tianhou Temple at Robson Heights off Kiang Road and the National Mosque at Jalan Kuching, Kuala Lumpur; these tours were organized for a group of youths from Malaysia, France, and the U.S.A. Academics were on hand to brief the tour participants regarding background in-formation on Islam, Hinduism, and Chinese religion at the Islamic Centre (Pusat Islam) near the National Mosque.
The participants expressed appreciation for this exposure to diverse religious traditions through the one-day study tour. At the time of writing, the service was planning to hold a three-day camp in April at the historic town of Malacca. Activities there were likewise scheduled to include talks on various religions and belief systems.