SINGAPORE, June 23 — With the “battle for the hearts and minds” of young Malay-Muslim Singaporeans now being waged online, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim urged asatizahs (religious teachers) here to continue to strengthen their online presence and produce more “appealing” content.
To counter the online propaganda of terrorist group the Islamic State (IS), there is a need for alternative narratives online, and to make them “as popular as possible”, he added.
Speaking to reporters at Eunos MRT Station, where he was launching a Hari Raya-themed train on the East-West Line, Dr Yaacob noted that some young asatizahs are already reaching out to Malay-Muslim youth, with class sizes reaching up to 800 people.
“You can (go for the classes) with your hijab (Islamic headscarf) or without your hijab, (it) doesn’t matter. We want to reach out to them, to make them feel comfortable.
“So, I think this is a battle for the hearts and minds of young Malay-Muslim Singaporeans, especially in the online space,” he said.
Dr Yaacob, who is also Communications and Information Minister, said that countering the IS’ radical messages online remains a challenge, because “whatever we can do, they can do even better because they are trying to win”.
“We also want to win, but we need to make ourselves as appealing as possible ... It is not easy, I’ll be honest about it, but we are trying our very best.”
His comments came two days after two Singaporean auxiliary police officers were arrested and issued orders under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for terrorism-related offences.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Muhammad Khairul Mohamed, 24, was detained for wanting to take part in the sectarian conflict in Syria by taking up arms for the Free Syrian Army, while his colleague Mohamad Rizal Wahid, 36, was issued a restriction order for supporting the intention.
Last week, the MHA also announced that a 22-year-old female infant care assistant, Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, was detained under the ISA. She was actively planning to make her way to Syria with her young child, to be an IS “martyr’s widow”.
While these developments were making headlines during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Dr Yaacob noted that the Malay-Muslim community has “risen above the occasion and come out stronger”.
Because of this, they should celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Sunday on a “positive note”, he added.
They should use the festive occasion to strengthen solidarity with non-Muslims by inviting them to their homes, he said.
The Malay-Muslim community has always taken the threat of radicalisation seriously, Dr Yaacob stressed, pointing out that terrorism is a phenomenon that is constantly evolving.
Previously, Singapore had to deal with radicalised members from the Jemaah Islamiyah group, but now it has to address the issue of self-radicalised individuals.
Reiterating the need to find ways to encourage the people to alert the authorities about these individuals, given that families and friends in the recent cases did not do so, Dr Yaacob emphasised that there is no shame in coming forward to inform the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) or the Religious Rehabilitation Group about their own family members or friends whom they suspect are getting radicalised.
“It is better to nip the problem in the bud than allow it to fester,” he said. — TODAY
