Educate citizens to be vigilant against radical ideology
30 January 2010
Berita Harian - Kan Seng: Educate Citizens to be Vigilant against Radical Ideology
30 January 2010
Translation
It is impossible to insulate Singapore from the influences of external radical ideology purveyed via the Internet. Hence, the next best thing to do to prevent the entry of this ideology is to educate our people so that they can identify terror ideology and be on their guard against radical ideas, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng.
DPM Wong said this in an e-mail interview with Berita Harian recently on the threat of radical ideology that remain widespread following the botched attempt by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up a US airliner last Christmas. In the e-mail interview, DPM Wong expressed the hope to see more individuals and groups such as schools as well as religious, grassroots and business organizations coming forward to work with the Government in arresting the spread of radical ideology in Singapore.
"The community working with the relevant agencies will have to persist with efforts to ‘inoculate’ our people, especially the young, against radical influences. The public plays a critical role in safeguarding our security by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious acts, persons, or items to the police," said DPM Wong.
DPM Wong said Singapore is fortunate that over the past few years, the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and several other grassroots organizations have taken the initiative to engage the community in mosques and public forums to educate them on the misuse and misinterpretation of Islam by terrorists. Among the measures they have taken included giving media interview and contributing articles to local newspapers.
"RRG has also teamed up with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and other Malay/Muslim organizations to reach out to the public to refute terrorist ideas.
"Their efforts are commendable, as they reached out to those who are vulnerable, particularly our youths, through seminars, dialogues, the media and even on the internet to counter the influence of terrorist ideology," said DPM Wong.
He, however, stressed that all these efforts are very much work-in-progress and that we should not discount that some Singaporeans may still be vulnerable to terrorist influence.
"Terrorists run a sophisticated and convincing radicalization campaign and have proven to be adept at leveraging on online media," said DPM Wong.
Terror suspect Umar Farouk, 23, was found to have used Facebook as well as several online forums to express his radical views.
His father, who had been worried about his son’s increasingly extreme religious views prior to the botched attempt to blow up the US airliner, had reported his concerns to the US authorities.
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Berita Harian - All Citizens Play A Role In Safeguarding Singapore’s Security
30 January 2010
Translation
(Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s botched attempt to blow up a US airliner last Christmas shocked the world and serve as a grim reminder that the threat of terrorism still persists. Hisham Hashim and Shamsul Jangarodin interview Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on the impact of the incident and the threat of radical ideology in Singapore.)
(Q): In light of the Umar Farouk episode, many asatizah and parents have shared their comments and thoughts with us, some of which include their readiness to come forward to expose their children's inclination towards radical thinking. They also mentioned that the move by Umar Farouk's father to report him to the authorities was a good lesson for us. What is DPM's comments on this?
(A): The Umar Farouk case has once again brought home the point that all of us have a shared responsibility to protect our lives/property and our society from the destruction that terrorists would like to inflict upon us.
The truth is, no security and enforcement agencies anywhere in the world, ours included, can predict or know every security incident in advance. Neither can they be everywhere every minute of the day.
Ultimately, we need all Singaporeans to be vigilant to spot the "red flags" or warning signs, which may indicate that someone in your family or social circle may have fallen under radical influences, and/or to spot activities which appear suspicious. All it takes is a tip-off, or a lead that our security agencies can follow up on.
In this regard, I am aware that some people may have reservations volunteering information on those close to them. Singaporeans can rest assured that any feedback provided will be treated with the utmost confidence to protect the privacy of those involved. There have in fact been several cases of radicalisation which we have dealt with out of public sight, through counselling and monitoring, instead of preventive detention, because they posed a lesser threat at the point when they were uncovered or reported to us. So it is far better to raise the alert early, than when it’s too late when a terrorist incident has already taken place.
(Q): What are the views of the Government in terms of terrorism threat now?
(A): The threat of terrorism persists. At the global level, Al-Qaeda continues to provide the ideological inspiration for other terrorist groups and radicalised individuals. Al-Qaeda affiliates have also been proliferating in the Middle East (particularly Yemen) and Africa (particularly Somalia).
Notably, Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who succeeded in smuggling an improvised explosive device through airport security and attempted to detonate it on a US airliner, was said to have been trained, equipped and directed by the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which has since threatened further attacks.
Closer to home, the bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta on 17 July last year serve as a grim reminder that regional terrorists remain determined and capable of carrying out attacks.
Although the investigations into the bombings have led the Indonesian authorities to kill Noordin Mohd Top and disrupt much of his network, they have also warned that new terrorist cells have been recruiting members and planning attacks since Noordin’s death. Regional terrorist elements have plotted attacks against Singapore in the past and may seek to do so again.
We are also disturbed by indications that Noordin was in the process of establishing an Al-Qaeda ‘franchise’ in the region and that his followers were in communication with unnamed figures in Saudi Arabia, believed to be sympathisers or members of Al-Qaeda, to solicit funds for their activities, including the 17 Jul bombings.
(Funding for the Jul 17 bombings was allegedly brought into Indonesia by a Saudi national, Ali Muhammad bin Abdullah alias Al Khalil Ali (Ali). Ali was reportedly detained by Indonesian police in Aug 2009 on suspicion of smuggling money from abroad to fund the bombings. Ali was alleged to have been given 100,000 riyals (S$37,000) by a Saudi businessman. Indonesian police also detained Mohamad Jibril, who runs an extremist publishing house, whom Indonesian authorities reportedly confirmed, had collaborated with Ali in funding the bombings. Jibril, who is believed to have established links with foreign extremists while studying in Pakistan, is suspected to have used his international linkages to seek funds to finance the bombings.)
Past collaborations between Al-Qaeda and the Jemaah Islamiyah led to major attacks, like those in Bali in 2002. Of particular concern is that Al-Qaeda, which is known for revisiting past plans, had previously plotted to conduct terrorist operations in Singapore.
So we are definitely not out of the woods yet, nor should we relax our guard against the terrorism threat. It is something that will be with us for a long time to come.
(Q): Arising from this incident, what are the steps taken by the government to safeguard Singapore’s security?
The recent incident serves as a reminder that aviation continues to be an attractive target to terrorists who constantly seek new means to circumvent existing security measures. The plot also underscores the terrorists’ ability to learn, imitate, adapt, improvise and revisit their targets. The Home Team and other security agencies will continue to pursue strong counter-terrorism efforts as well as to constantly review and improve on them. This includes our checkpoints and border controls as well as our databases on persons of security interest.
(A): Extremist threats continue to evolve in the cyber world. Umar Farouk was known to be actively engaging in online forums and websites expressing his extremist views. What still can be done to counter cyber terrorism?
The influence and spread of Al-Qaeda’s global jihad ideology cannot be underestimated. Across the world, we are increasingly seeing a rising terrorist threat posed by individuals who become inspired by Al-Qaeda’s global jihad ideology, freely purveyed via the Internet. In some cases, they became sufficiently motivated to join terrorist groups and, like Umar Farouk, plot to carry out terrorist attacks.
Singaporeans have wide access to the Internet as well as other info-communications means. As it is not possible to cut Singapore off from external influences, the next best thing is to educate our people so that they can identify terrorist ideology and be on their guard against radical ideas. The RRG and MUIS have launched websites which debunk terrorist teachings and provide a platform for youth to ask questions on Islam. Several other local Muslim groups and individual Islamic scholars have also set up websites and blogs to counter extremism. The community working with the relevant agencies will have to persist with efforts to "inoculate" our people, especially the young, against radical influences.
(S): What more can be done by the community working together with the authorities, in countering terrorism threat? (A): We are fortunate that over the past few years, the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and several other grassroots organizations have stepped forward to the plate, by engaging the community in mosques and public forums to educate them on the misuse and misinterpretation of Islam by terrorists. They have given media interviews and contributed articles to local newspapers. They have also launched its website (www.rrg.sg) to reach out to the young Internet-savvy generation.
The RRG has also worked with MUIS and other Malay Muslim organisations to reach out to the public to refute terrorist ideas. Some of these organisations have gone on to initiate their own counter-ideology programmes. Their efforts are commendable as they reached out to those who are vulnerable – particularly our youth – through seminars and dialogues, the media, and even on the Internet, to counter the influence of terrorist ideology.
These efforts are very much work-in-progress. We should not discount that some Singaporeans may still be vulnerable to terrorist influence. The terrorists run a sophisticated and convincing radicalization campaign, and have proven to be adept at leveraging on online media.
I hope to see even more individuals and groups such as religious and grassroots organizations, schools and businesses, come forward to volunteer to work with the Government, RRG, etc. The public plays a critical role in safeguarding our security by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious acts, persons, or items to the Police.
Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article
