Monday, famous Indonesian Muslim cleric Abdul Somad was denied entry at a Singapore port when he and his family traveled from neighboring Batam Island for a holiday.
Somad stated that Singaporean authorities did not disclose a justification for his denial of admission.
"Neither they nor immigration officers were able to explain. The Singaporean ambassador in Jakarta may be able to offer an explanation," Somad stated in an interview published on the "Hai Guys Official" YouTube channel.
The speaker then proceeded in English: "You must explain to our communities why your country and government rejected us."
“Why? Is it due to terrorism, ISIS, or drug-related allegations?" He continued speaking in Indonesian.
After pressing the fingerprint scanner and getting his passport stamped, Somad said that he passed immigration procedures.
After Somad stated that he was not alone, he and everyone else in his group, including his wife and kid, a friend, and members of his family, were asked to return.
According to him, they were detained for hours in a cramped room before being transported to Batam on the last ferry of the day.
During the interview, footage from the "detention room" captured by a smartphone camera was shown.
Separately, Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo stated that Somad had not been deported by the neighbor.
The envoy informed the Indonesian news website Kumparan on Tuesday that Somad was not permitted to enter Singapore, adding that he had contacted with Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
Suryopratomo stated, "According to the ICA, [Somad] did not satisfy the requirements to enter Singapore."
He said that the ICA provided no more reasoning for its conclusion.
Somad stated in the YouTube video that this was not the first time a foreign country had denied him entry.
Upon his arrival at the airport in Timor-Leste in 2018, the Muslim preacher was denied permission to stay due to a "terrorism allegation," he said.
Somad has millions of followers in Indonesia, yet his words have sparked conflicts by insulting other religions. People on the largely Hindu island of Bali have prevented him from giving sermons.
In one video, he was seen claiming that the Christian cross contains a infidel genie.
He also declared domino and chess games haram, or forbidden to Islamic teachings.
He entered politics during the height of the presidential race and later backed by then-candidate Prabowo Subianto, who was ultimately defeated by Joko Widodo in 2019.
Somad said that the rejection in Timor-Leste and Singapore was due to Jakarta's political intervention.
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