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S’porean in IS video a school dropout, former secret society member

SINGAPORE — The Singaporean who appeared in an Islamic State (IS) propaganda video recently was a school dropout and former secret society member who had been jailed in the Republic for a string of drug and other criminal offences.

Megat Shahdan bin Abdul Samad 39, who recently appeared in an IS video, grew up in Singapore. Shahdan was a school dropout and secret society member with drug and criminal convictions before his radicalisation in 2014, the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 26). Photo: Internet screencap

Megat Shahdan bin Abdul Samad 39, who recently appeared in an IS video, grew up in Singapore. Shahdan was a school dropout and secret society member with drug and criminal convictions before his radicalisation in 2014, the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 26). Photo: Internet screencap

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SINGAPORE — The Singaporean who appeared in an Islamic State (IS) propaganda video recently was a school dropout and former secret society member who had been jailed in the Republic for a string of drug and other criminal offences.

However, the radicalisation of Megat Shahdan Abdul Samad (picture) started after he left Singapore to work in the Middle East in early 2014, said the Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday (Sept 26), as it revealed more details about the 39-year-old in response to media queries.

TODAY also learnt from a self-described former acquaintance of Shahdan’s named Roslan (not his real name) that, before leaving Singapore, Shahdan was an active member of a secret society group called Omega. They shared mutual friends and had met once at a club along Boat Quay in 1999 or 2000. Shahdan was “introverted”, but “fanatic” about gang activities, Roslan added.

“He was peddling drugs back then and was quite active in the secret society scene,” said Roslan.

In a statement, the MHA said that family members who visited Shahdan while he was abroad had noticed that he had become more religious, and had told at least one of his family members of his interest in performing jihad (armed struggle).

In September 2014, Shahdan made his way to Syria to join the IS. “He is believed to have contacted one of his family members while he was at the Turkish-Syrian border, saying he was on his way to Syria. He later also asked for the family member’s prayers for his safe crossing into Syria,” the MHA said.

On Sunday, the propaganda video featuring Shahdan surfaced online, and the MHA had said that its security agencies have been aware of his presence in Syria for some time now, and his activities have been monitored. 

Since entering Syria, Shahdan has been fighting for the IS on the frontlines, and even suffered an injury in combat. His combat deployments in the IS have included areas in Iraq and Syria, the ministry said on Tuesday.

While he was in either Syria or Iraq, he had given religious advice to family and friends in Singapore. The MHA noted that he had expressed hope that his family would migrate to the IS’ self-declared caliphate “as in his view, it is a sin to live in an infidel country”.

“He has also said that he would intercede for 70 of his relatives should he achieve martyrdom, and exhorted his family members to support IS. None of them is known to have responded to his overtures,” the MHA said.

According to the MHA, Shahdan grew up in Singapore, and dropped out of school at a young age. Adding that he was a secret society member, the ministry added that he “has a string of drug and criminal convictions to his name”.

Between 1997 and 2009, he was “in and out of jail”, and was put on drug supervision regimes.

“He did not hold down any stable work and took up odd jobs. He did not show any obvious signs of being religiously inclined. Nor did he show any radical tendencies,” said the MHA. After moving to the Middle East, he took up various jobs in the tourism and renovation industries, and tried unsuccessfully to start his own business.

While Shahdan had a series of criminal convictions, terrorism experts cautioned against generalising that criminals were more susceptible to radicalisation.

Assistant Professor Mohamed Ali from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) pointed out the IS’ ability to influence “anyone from any background, whether males or females, rich or poor as well as the educated and those who are less so”.

Still, RSIS associate research fellow Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin said the notion of seeking enlightenment or penance for previous sins could drive individuals to be easily influenced by IS propaganda and the group’s promise that their fighters would be rewarded in the afterlife.

While there have been reports that prisons in other countries, such as those in Indonesia, could be fertile breeding grounds for terrorist recruitment, the experts stressed that Singapore faces no such threats as it has an “excellent” prison system with secure measures in place.

Nevertheless, they suggested that efforts to counter IS propaganda could be stepped up in Singapore’s prisons through religious classes as a preventive measure.

Apart from sharing how the IS is misinterpreting Quranic verses, religious teachers conducting such classes in prisons should also inculcate moral values associated with Islam such as mercy and compassion, said Dr Ali.

Mr Fadlon Osman, 57, who has been conducting religious counselling and classes in the prisons here since 1999, said such sessions take place on a daily basis, with more than 30 religious teachers involved.

“In general we focus on the ritual aspects, like how to perform the prayers and absolution. We also teach them how to read the Quran and apply the values of Islam to guide them in their lives,” said Mr Fadlon.

On top of that, religious teachers also help convicts to understand the Quran’s verses and its interpretation, so that they do not misinterpret, said Mr Fadlon.

“It is important that we monitor their understanding,” he added.

 

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