On Wednesday, Minister of Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam stated that the Republic has a clear zero-tolerance stance against those who want to travel abroad to fight for any cause, but it would not barricade itself.
There are legitimate organizations and means to promote diverse causes that people believe in, "but armed violence is different and unacceptable," he stated.
"What we cannot do is support terrorism, armed conflict, or make plans to kill people."
Individuals who wish to engage in armed violence abroad will be arrested, he added, similar to the 38-year-old Ministry of Education teacher Mohamed Khairul Riduan Mohamed Sarip, whom the Internal Security Department (ISD) announced on Wednesday had been arrested and detained in October 2022 under the Internal Security Act.
Khairul was motivated by radical online videos, especially the sermons of foreign preachers who persuaded him to participate in violent jihad. According to ISD, he intended to go to Gaza in order to join Hamas and its military branch and engage in violent conflict with the Israel Defense Forces.
Speaking to the media at the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters in Novena, Mr. Shanmugam stated that Singapore will take action against such individuals while they are still in the planning phase, unlike other nations that may only do so after their citizens have already been involved or have committed attacks.
He stated that Singapore collaborates extensively with community partners and organizations to disseminate the anti-terrorism message.
According to him, this is one of the reasons that fewer Singaporeans than in many other nations are participating in this. "But significantly fewer doesn't mean zero."
Mr. Shanmugam said that Singapore cannot be turned into a fortress in response to a report indicating that the loosening of Covid-19-related mobility restrictions might lead to an increase in terrorist activity in the region.
People want to be able to go about their daily lives feeling safe, but not as if they are in a jail with severe constraints. He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and other Home Team agencies face the challenging challenge of balancing the ease of travel in and out of Singapore with the maintenance of safety and security.
"You cannot become a cantonment and barricade because someone from Singapore wants to do bad things overseas or because you fear that someone from outside would do horrible things in Singapore," he stated. "We are a city of international commerce; you must be open for business."
According to a recent report by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), self-radicalized individuals continue to pose the greatest terrorist threat to Singapore. However, as travel restrictions relax, there is evidence that terrorist organizations are renewing outreach to Muslims in Singapore and the region.
"(There is) a great deal of evaluation of information, evaluation of travelers, and a great deal of intelligence work to determine who is entering Singapore, what we must do to identify those who may be potentially troublesome, and also who in Singapore may potentially engage in such activities," he explained.
Mr. Shanmugam further clarified that the authorities did not imprison Khairul because he supported Palestine, but rather because he intended to commit armed violence.
He stated that Singaporeans may and do take positions on a variety of global causes, including Palestine, and contribute moral, financial, and other support to promote them.
"There are legitimate organizations with whom Singaporeans may partner to promote various causes worldwide, including the cause of aiding Palestinians," he added.
Fathurrahman Dawoed, an Islamic educator, stated that it is possible for anybody, even instructors, to become self-radicalized, which is why people must continuously educate themselves and their children about the risks of internet radicalisation.
The executive director of Andalus Corporation, which operates a network of Islamic education centers, stated that individuals must verify the veracity of the source of information and not take everything they see on the Internet at face value without consulting an expert.
He said that children must also be trained to be more critical information consumers, such as by teaching them to comprehend context and evaluate alternative views.
"Each of us must be watchful and assist in combating this mentality," he added, adding that religious instructors play an essential role in providing the community with accurate information.
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