The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced late Tuesday night that an Indonesian preacher who arrived in Singapore on May 16 was denied entry and deported to Batam the same day.
Six individuals who traveled with Abdul Somad Batubara were denied entry to Singapore. Everyone who had arrived at the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal was placed aboard a ferry headed back to Batam.
The ministry stated in a statement that Somad's "extremist and segregationist" views are "unacceptable in Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious society."
"Somad has preached, for instance, that suicide bombings are permissible in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict and are deemed "martyrdom" operations.
"He has also demeaned members of other religious communities, such as Christians, by portraying the cross as the dwelling place of an 'infidel jinn (spirit/demon)'," according to MHA.
MHA noted that Somad has also openly referred to non-Muslims as "kafirs," or infidels.
According to the government, each case is evaluated on its own merits.
"Although Somad sought to enter Singapore under the guise of a social visit, the Singapore Government takes a strong stance against anybody who advocates violence and/or espouses extreme and segregationist teachings," stated MHA.
The week prior, authorities in Singapore prohibited the release of a Hindi-language film for similar reasons, stating that The Kashmir Files "has the potential to incite hostility between different communities and disrupt social cohesion and religious harmony in our multiracial and multi-religious society."
The film was denied classification on account of its "In a joint statement, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) condemned "provocative and one-sided portrayals of Muslims and depictions of Hindus being persecuted in the on-going conflict in Kashmir" (MHA).
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