Countering Emergence of Radical Groups

2 Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs how is Singapore handling the different practices and ideologies in the name of Islam especially in the context of the emergence of groups such as Islam Nusantara.

The Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Prof Yaacob Ibrahim): Madam, every major religion and religious community has some degree of diversity of thought and practices. So, too, for Islam and our Muslim community in Singapore.

In 2004, MUIS launched the Singapore Muslim Identity (SMI) project to articulate the desired characteristics of Muslim religious life in Singapore's multiracial and multi-religious context. SMI recognises that the understanding and practice of Islam can and has always been diverse, so long as it remains rooted to a valid tradition. However, if the practices and ideologies of any group are found to be fundamentally errant, MUIS, through its Fatwa Committee, would issue a fatwa or a guidance to pronounce what it finds objectionable and provide guidance to the Muslim community. MUIS would engage such groups to counsel them.

MUIS has instituted policies that seek to manage diversity, particularly in the regulation of religious activities in mosques. Through Friday sermons and religious classes, the Muslim public is encouraged to be civil and respectful when dealing with intra-faith differences. Through various initiatives organised by MUIS, mosques and Muslim organisations, different segments of the community come together and work on common projects and, in so doing, build community cohesion.

What we must guard against are ideologies and practices that divide our community and which set our community against the rest of society. For instance, MUIS provides guidelines to ensure that mosques serve as safe and open spaces for all Muslims. We do not tolerate those who sow discord and create divisions between Singapore Muslims and other communities.

Indeed, there is no place for exclusivist and extremist doctrines. Prominent among the efforts to safeguard our community against radicalisation is the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG). The RRG comprises local Islamic scholars who offer advice and counselling. The RRG also recently launched a resource centre and a hotline for members of the community to seek clarifications and advice on relevant queries.

Now, more than ever, we need our community leaders and religious teachers to speak out against ideologies that create divisions within Islam and between Islam and the wider society. If they do not do so, their silence may be regarded as a tacit endorsement of such doctrines. Everyone in our community must work together to safeguard our way of life and the values that our community cherishes.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): I thank the Minister for the response. Can I just find out if we are able to do more in terms of educational publicity, reaching out to some of the groups which may not be formal? Some of them may inadvertently not realise that they are being taught some of these variants of the religion.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, we have put in place what we call the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) for our religious teachers. If my memory serves me right, over 1,600 teachers have registered. What we would like to encourage is for members of our community to refer to that list, which is available on the MUIS website, for them to find the appropriate religious teachers for their classes.

We are not against informal groups as many find it convenient to organise these based on their needs and demands on their time. The most important thing is that they select the teachers from the ARS. If they can do that, it would be good.

Thus far, the list has been well-publicised and well-utilised. We can do more to increase the publicity. We will certainly study the ways in which we can enhance the usage of the list.