Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told reporters today that some supporters of Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara had issued threats against Singapore, linking the 9/11 attacks to the city-state (May 23).
Somad and his six traveling companions were denied entry into Singapore on May 16 and sent back on a ferry after arriving from Batam at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
Since then, Somad's supporters in Indonesia have protested against Singapore's decision to ban Somad from entering the nation. Additionally, his fans have posted spam messages on the social media accounts of Singapore's political officeholders.
One statement implied that Singapore will be attacked "like 9/11 in New York in 2001."
Shanmugam mentioned a post on one of Meta's social media platforms that sought an apology from Singapore's government.
It demanded an apology within 48 hours, failing which it threatened to remove the Singaporean ambassador from Indonesia.
The comment further threatened to "bring Islamic Defender Troops, Prosperous Justice Troops, and Ulama Defender Troops to destroy your nation like September 11, 2001 in New York" and to deport Singaporeans from Indonesia.
Shanmugam said that Meta has subsequently deleted the comment and deactivated the user for breaking community guidelines.
He also highlighted additional remarks, some of which advocated for the "bombing" and "destruction" of Singapore.
Shanmugam also stated that two event management organizations had their websites vandalized, a fact previously highlighted by the Ministry of Communications and Information.
Shanmugam stated in response to media inquiries that the threats should not be discounted "totally."
"Parallels have been drawn with 9/11, parallels are being drawn with Singaporeans being led by non-Islamic leaders, and that Singapore should be attacked, Singaporean interest should be attacked," he added.
The ISA-detained 17-year-old had viewed Somad's lectures.
Shanmugam also said that some of the Singaporeans probed by the Internal Security Department (ISD) for radicalisation had viewed Somad's videos and followed his sermons.
One of them was a 17-year-old teenager who was held in January 2020 under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
The child felt that if he fought for ISIS as a suicide bomber, he would die as a martyr and earn awards in paradise.
Shanmugam stated, "As you can see, Somad's teachings have real-world effects."
The minister described the public teachings of Somad as "extreme," "divisive," and "absolutely unacceptable in Singapore."
According to Shanmugam, Somad has asserted that suicide bombings are permissible, that non-Muslims are infidels, that Muslims should not accept non-Muslims as leaders, and that Muslims should collaborate to oppress and "slit the throats" of non-Muslims.
"We view racial and religious peace as important to our society, and the majority of Singaporeans agree," Shanmugam continued.
Somad is utilizing his denial of admission to Singapore for "maximum" exposure.
Shanmugam stated that Somad's denial of admission into Singapore had garnered him attention.
"He is now, in my estimation, indulging in even more publicity stunts," he continued.
Somad stated in a May 18 YouTube video that he will not give up trying to enter Singapore.
In the same video, he claimed that Singapore was "Malay country" since it was part of the Temasek Malay Kingdom, making it "comparable" to his own Riau.
According to Somad, claimed Shanmugam, Singapore's sovereignty is "irrelevant" and it is "not a different country."
Shanmugam stated that Somad's remarks had "agitated" his Indonesian fans.
"His followers have called for cyberattacks on Singapore, on Government websites and social media accounts, a boycott of Singaporean products, and for Indonesians to cease visiting Singapore," he continued. "This is all because we used our right to deny someone entry into Singapore."
The zero-tolerance policy of Singapore regarding controversial beliefs "applies equally to everybody"
Shanmugam acknowledged the "very appropriate" reaction by the Indonesian government that it is Singapore's responsibility to choose who can enter the nation.
He also thanked the "many Indonesians" who had supported Singapore's actions.
Shanmugam reaffirmed that Singapore adopts a "zero-tolerance stance and even-handed approach towards any sort of hate speech and divisive ideology" that is not intended "against any particular individual, any particular faith, or any particular nationality."
"Our viewpoint is applicable to everyone," he continued.
He described how, in 2017, Singapore barred two foreign Christian preachers from ministering in Singapore due to their disrespectful remarks about other religions.
In 2018, Lou Engle, an American Christian evangelist, was prohibited from speaking in Singapore for making disparaging remarks towards Islam.
"We will not let individuals like Somad to amass local support or participate in actions that undermine our security and community peace," he stressed.
Shanmugam found it "very intriguing" that Singapore was not the only country where Somad had been denied entrance.
He said that Somad was denied admission into Hong Kong, Timor-Leste, and a number of European nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland.
"I wonder if Somad's followers also posed a threat to China, given that he was denied admission into Hong Kong and several European nations. Or is Singapore the only nation that receives particular notice, and they are only willing to threaten Singapore? ", Shanmugam continued.
Comments