Indonesian preacher who was denied entry to Singapore on Monday (May 16) stated that he will continue to try to visit the nation, identifying it as a Malay country comparable to his own Riau.
In a video uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday, Abdul Somad Batubara claimed that the people of Riau consider Singapore to be part of their territory since Singapore was once a part of the Temasek Malay kingdom.
"To say I'm weary of visiting Singapore is like to saying I'm bored of visiting Minangkabau. This is due to the fact that Singapore is a Malay nation. My grandma has siblings, offspring, and grandkids who reside in Singapore," he stated.
Somad stated that the purpose of his recent trip to Singapore was to introduce his wife and children to their ancestors.
On Monday, Somad and six of his traveling companions arrived at the Tanah Merah Vessel Terminal and were placed on a ferry to Batam.
He has been known to preach "extreme and segregationist" teachings, which are "inappropriate in Singapore's multi-racial and multi-religious community", according to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
MHA said, "For instance, Somad has preached that suicide bombs are acceptable in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict and are considered 'martyrdom' operations."
"He has also denigrated members of other religion communities, including Christians, by portraying the cross as the home of a 'infidel jinn (spirit/demon)'."
On Friday, protesters gathered outside the embassy of Singapore in Jakarta and the general consulate of Singapore in Medan to demonstrate against Singapore's decision to deny Somad entrance.
The Jakarta demonstrators, who are members of the Islamic Sharia Ideology Defenders (Perisai), asked that the Singaporean embassy clarify the event and publicly apologize.
Additionally, the group demanded that the Singaporean ambassador to Indonesia be asked to leave the country.
Protesters gathered at a mosque in Medan and marched towards the Singapore consulate-general, asking that Singapore be held accountable for Somad's "deportation."
Some held placards and banners reading "boycott Singapore products" and "expel Singapore ambassador."
Reportedly, a spokesperson of the organisation stated that Singapore's decision had offended Muslims and compromised Indonesia's sovereignty.
In response to CNA's questions, a senior official from the Indonesian National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) stated on Wednesday that Singapore made the decision because it is evident that exclusive, intolerant teachings, attitudes, and viewpoints are the fundamental elements of extremism.
"I consider this as a significant lesson for Indonesia to ban extremist ideas, understandings, and ideologies that might lead to terror and bloodshed," said Brigadier General Ahmad Nurwahid, BNPT's director of terror prevention.
He continued, "The government, including the BNPT, respects all foreign policies. There is no attempt to intervene in the rejection of preacher Abdul Somad and his group's presence."
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