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No shame in seeking help for loved ones suspected of being radicalised: Yaacob

SINGAPORE — While the authorities are looking into ways to reach out to young Muslims, families should not feel a “sense of shame” if they need to seek help for loved ones suspected of being radicalised, said Dr Yaacob Ibrahim on Wednesday (June 14).

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim performs Eiduladha prayers at En-Naeem Mosque on Sept 12, 2016. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim performs Eiduladha prayers at En-Naeem Mosque on Sept 12, 2016. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — While the authorities are looking into ways to reach out to young Muslims, families should not feel a “sense of shame” if they need to seek help for loved ones suspected of being radicalised, said Dr Yaacob Ibrahim on Wednesday (June 14).

Referring to the detention of Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, an infant care assistant who wanted to be an Islamic State (IS) “martyr’s widow”, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs said she was “facing some problems”.

Izzah, 22, is the first woman in Singapore to be detained under the Internal Security Act for radicalism.

“She needed help, basically, and the father (should have have known better) if he had turned to the resources available in the community, the RRG,” said Dr Yaacob. He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a breaking-of-fast event organised by the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and Khadijah Mosque.

Recognising that young Muslims go through a phase where they are “questioning” and “trying to understand better”, Dr Yaacob said that with the emergence of “young groups” led by young asatizahs (religious teachers), the latter can play an effective role in reaching out to troubled youths.

Having these young religious teachers connect with their peers or help the relevant agencies to “help your loved ones” can “save him or her, save families, save the communities, save the nation, more importantly, you save the religion,” added Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for Communication and Information.

When asked whether the presence of unaccredited Islamic religious teachers poses a threat to Singapore, he revealed that close to 90 per cent of asatizahs have been accredited under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme, and the rest “need some time” to be retrained. He added that the goal is to have all of them accredited in the next three years.

Dr Yaacob also urged the Muslim community to refer to a list of accredited asatizahs on the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) website. The list showed that 1,968 of them had been accredited as of May 23.

RRG co-chairman Ustaz Ali Haji Mohamed said Izzah’s case “clearly shows that anyone, regardless of gender, age and profession, can be indoctrinated with radical ideas”.

Speaking to an audience of about 120 religious and community leaders, Ustaz Ali, who is also chairman of the Khadijah Mosque, stressed the importance of ensuring that one’s family members are “not easily swayed” into believing that the IS is doing something good for Islam.

It is every individual’s duty to provide advice and guidance to his or her children and to report them to the authorities should they choose to take the path towards violence, he added.

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