SINGAPORE — From the growing phenomenon of self-radicalisation and the rise of splinter groups to Al Qaeda’s exploitation of political developments in places such as Syria, extremist terrorism remains a “real and potent” challenge despite the recent high-profile killings and capture of prominent terrorists, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned yesterday.

In his keynote address at the International Conference on Terrorist Rehabilitation and Community Resilience — which marked the 10th anniversary of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) — Mr Lee also paid tribute to the RRG’s work, citing it as one of the reasons, alongside the efforts of the Home Team, that Singapore has not suffered a terrorist attack in recent years despite being a reported target.

Tracing the growth of the RRG, which is now being held up as an international positive case study, Mr Lee described the setting up of the RRG in 2003 — to counsel and rehabilitate Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members who were detained in 2001 after a failed bomb plot — as a “brave move”.

“At the time, this was an experimental approach ... No one could foresee how it would pan out. The ulamas (Islamic scholars) took a leap of faith, and took the risk of being seen as lackeys of the Government. They were convinced this was the right thing to do, and necessary to arrest the spread of religious extremism.”

Mr Lee, who also launched a 191-page book documenting the RRG’s journey, said that, over the years, the group’s counsellors have helped terrorism-related detainees “understand how they had been misguided by the radical ideologues”.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said earlier this month that since 2002, 64 people have been detained under the Internal Security Act for terrorism-related activities. More than two-thirds have been released but in September last year, former lawyer and polytechnic law lecturer Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader became the first person to be redetained after he was thought to have been successfully rehabilitated.

Mr Lee noted that every terrorism-related detainee here who has been released from detention has undergone counselling as part of his rehabilitation.

“Most have since settled back with their families, found jobs and integrated back into society. Several are still adjusting, and continue to be counselled by the RRG. A few hardcore elements remain in detention and will be counselled when they are receptive,” he said.

Beyond the JI group, the RRG has also counselled other terrorism-related detainees such as Moro Islamic Liberation Front members and self-radicalised individuals, Mr Lee said.

It also educates the wider community on the “dangers of terrorist mis-interpretations” through public talks, its website and on its Facebook page.

On the broader front, Mr Lee noted that the world has made “much progress” in its fight against extremist terrorism. However, “while JI’s organisation has been disrupted, the underlying structures supporting terrorism in our region are still in place”, he said.

Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011 by United States operatives. In South-east Asia, many JI leaders and members have also been “neutralised”, Mr Lee said, citing the deaths of master bombmakers Noor Din Mohd Top and Azahari Husin and the arrests of operations chief Hambali and former spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir. Last November, however, a training camp was uncovered in Poso in Central Sulawesi.

Mr Lee noted that Al Qaeda still “wields considerable ideological influence in many countries, including in Africa and Asia”, and it is “adept at opportunistically exploiting local political developments to win over new sympathisers”.

Apart from the growing number of splinter groups, Mr Lee said that the Internet makes it easy for a person to immerse in narrow or extremist views online. To continue to counter the terrorist threat, Mr Lee said communal trust must be strengthened, operational capabilities built up, and close international security cooperation and collaboration sought.

Citing the internal political struggles in places such as Syria, former Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina Mustafa Ceric, who is one of the speakers at the two-day conference, noted that the Muslim world is “going through a very interesting period in history”.

Speaking to TODAY on the sidelines, Dr Ceric said he hoped that the Muslim world emerges from its internal “debate” more progressive than before. He also praised the Singapore model of religious harmony and hoped that others will learn from it.

However, he pointed out: “Personally, from my experience ... of the war and the peace agreement process and the peace recovery, I can say one thing ... there are some people who will never be convinced and will never be able to change their minds; they are addicts to violence. The challenge for us is not how much we can stop those who are already shaped but it is how to stop the new recruiting”.