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No place for divisive religious teachings here, warns DPM Teo

SINGAPORE — Beyond the terrorist threat, Singapore must keep a close watch on “exclusivist” and divisive teachings or statements, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said at the 13th Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) retreat on Tuesday (March 14).

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. TODAY file photo

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — Beyond the terrorist threat, Singapore must keep a close watch on “exclusivist” and divisive teachings or statements, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said at the 13th Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) retreat on Tuesday (March 14).

“We have seen this in other countries. Attacks claimed to be in the name of Islam have led to a rise in Islamophobia, with anti-immigration rhetoric and negative reactions among other communities. More importantly, no person should spread ill-will against other religions or non-believers,” he told RRG members at the Shangri-la’s Rasa Sentosa hotel.

Mr Teo, who is Coordinating Minister for National Security, said that the Government takes a strong stand on such teachings or statements and would investigate each case carefully and take action if necessary. 

Singaporeans must focus on what they have in common instead of allowing people to divide them, as it has taken many years to build a cohesive society, he stressed.

Mr Teo’s comments come as the police are investigating the remarks made by an imam, who had allegedly insulted Christians and Jews during his sermons on Jan 6 and Feb 24. 

The Mufti of Singapore, Dr Fatris Bakaram, and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) had come under attack by those who disagreed with their positions on the case involving the imam. 

Separately, the National University of Singapore has suspended Dr Khairudin Aljunied, an associate professor at the university’s Department of Malay Studies, who had criticised the person who uploaded the video online. 

Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim both stated earlier that there was no room for divisive religious preaching in Singapore, or language and actions that would foster ill-will among communities. They also suggested that future whistleblowers should alert the authorities first instead of posting any potentially inflammatory material online.

On Tuesday, Mr Teo also spoke about the work of the RRG. Its counsellors could help individuals at risk and detainees to support their rehabilitation, he said. 

He noted that the profile of these at-risk individuals has changed: They are now younger and have no prior terror links. They were self-radicalised by extremist propaganda, and are confused about how they should respond to global events.

At the community level, the RRG can promote inter-faith understanding, by showing how Islam is an inclusive religion that is consistent with the nation’s values. This is important as exclusivist religious teachings from the Internet or from preachers have tried to make inroads here, Mr Teo said.

Highlighting the need for inter-faith dialogue and moderate Islam, the retreat’s keynote speaker, Dr Abdulrahman Alhadlaq from Saudi Arabia, said that the minds of young people who have been radicalised through the Internet may be “easier” to change than older, hardcore extremists. 

Dr Abdulrahman, who is director-general of the Ideological Security Directorate of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior, explained that this is because the young may not have a lot of knowledge about Islam or the longer experiences of older extremists. 

One of the aims of the RRG is, therefore, to work with global Islamic scholars to amplify the voice of moderate Islam. 

RRG co-chair Ustaz Ali Haji Mohamed said that the group needs more “upstream efforts” given the accelerating technological change. 

“Our work has become more challenging as we never know (if) the next individual to be self-radicalised could be someone dear to us — our relative, our next-door neighbour or even our own children,” he said, calling for parents to bond with their children and for religious teachers to advocate strong parent-child relationships.

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