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K Shanmugam warns of a Muslim community that grows apart from the rest

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8 years ago

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https://youtu.be/Tbv18co-OEg
Singaporeans can expect new policies to tackle acts that deprecate other races or religions, preach intolerance, or sow religious friction. The government states that there are worrying trends of sentiments preached by some Muslim groups in Singapore, which if become widespread, can cause a Muslim community that grows apart from the mainstream.
Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam warned of this trend yesterday (19 Jan) in his opening speech at a two-day symposium organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
The Minister said, among sections of our younger Muslim population, sentiments against wishing Christians ‘Merry Christmas’ or wishing Hindus ‘Happy Deepavali’ have been picked up.
“Some Muslim groups preach that it is wrong for Muslims to recite the National Pledge, or sing the National Anthem, or serve National Service, as doing so would contradict the Muslim faith,” Mr Shanmugam said.
“Or that the democratically elected Government that we have in Singapore is incompatible with Islam, and that we should be a caliphate.”
“These are worrying trends and if these sentiments become widespread, a Muslim community that grows apart from the mainstream is not good for Singapore and will have serious long-term implications,” he stated.
Mr Shanmugam mentioned the bloody history of religions causing untold suffering to millions, while trying to explain, how the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group could be traced to charismatic preachers exploiting issues of interest to Muslims to achieve political power.
In the neighboring countries, Islam in particular has been used over the last few decades as a tool in political power play and to cultivate an us-versus-them mentality, he said.
Pointing to Malaysia, Mr Shanmugam said that it has become more Islamic and politics led the change.
A survey last year showed 60 per cent of Malays identified themselves as Muslims first, rather than as Malaysians or Malays, and more than 70 per cent of Malays support hudud laws that punish theft by chopping off the criminal’s hands, and adultery by stoning.
Against the backdrop of such changes, some Malaysians have begun to support extremist terrorist ideology. A recent Pew Research Centre study showed 10 percent of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“Consider the nature of the threat posed, if even a small fraction of these become radicalised,” said Mr Shanmugam.
In Indonesia, Islamic boarding schools and madrasahs are suspected to have links with terror networks and serve as conduits for money to the Middle East, he added.
Also, the country’s lack of preventive detention laws has led to hundreds of terrorists linked to Jemaah Islamiah being released back into society, including those previously involved in plots against Singapore.
Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar face the possibility of inter-religious strife too, he said, pointing that the socioeconomic conditions of their respective Muslim populations have added to the potency of the terrorism threat.
Mr Shanmugam said that the Government is watching the development closely and will take steps to address the issue, and he commended Muslim population’s stance in the country so far.
“You are a successful model to the modern world for your moderate, respectful worldview and practices. The community must continue to preserve and protect its way of life, despite challenges within and without,” he said.
“There is a fine line between gaining a better understanding of religion and celebrating the country’s diversity by identifying as Singaporeans first; Chinese, Malay or Indian second, versus believing that our religion requires us to be separate,” said Mr Shanmugam.
He quoted the words of the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, who had spoken about the Singaporean Chinese, Singaporean Malay and Singaporean Indian as opposed to the Chinese Singaporean, Malay Singaporean and Indian Singaporean.
 
On the safety of the country, Mr Shanmugam said, “Singapore is fairly secure. We have tight laws, tight gun control, and with intelligence work, we try to prevent attacks from happening. But attackers are likely to gather and plan just outside Singapore and attack us, like the attack on Paris was probably planned in Molenbeek, Belgium, where security was less tight.”
“So, in addition to hard security measures, we have to do one more thing which is very urgent. We have to move to change mindsets. Our people must realise that everyone is responsible for our collective security.”
“Over the next few months, my Ministry will announce some of the measures covering both the hard and soft aspects of Singapore’s security, including the response by the community,” he said.
It leaves much to be seen what the Ministry of Home Affairs will push out as Singapore has already one of the toughest law in the developed world. Its Internal Security Act allows the government to arrest anyone it deems a threat to national security without trial for an unlimited period of time. For the past few years, the government has kept individuals whom it suspect of being religious extremists under detention without trial with many still kept in detention till date.
The full speech of Mr Shanmugam could be read here.
 

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Civil Society

RSF Director General meets Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, proposes measures to combat disinformation

Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on 16 October 2024 to discuss measures for strengthening Taiwan’s democracy against disinformation. Bruttin highlighted the importance of media reform, citing Taiwan’s improved press freedom ranking and RSF’s global initiatives.

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1 day ago

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17 October 2024

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Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in Taipei on 16 October 2024.

The meeting focused on strategies to bolster Taiwan’s democratic resilience against disinformation. Bruttin was accompanied by key figures from RSF and Taiwan’s leadership, including Secretary-General of the National Security Council Joseph Wu and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs François Wu.

The delegation also included notable figures from RSF’s Taipei Bureau, such as Director Cédric Alviani, Advocacy Manager Aleksandra Bielakowska, and Development and Projects Manager Shataakshi Verma.

The talks were held in the context of Taiwan’s rising prominence in global press freedom, with the nation moving from 35th to 27th place in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

Bruttin praised Taiwan’s advancement but emphasised the importance of continued reforms to ensure that Taiwan’s media remains resilient in the face of increasing disinformation campaigns, particularly given the island’s tense geopolitical situation with the People’s Republic of China.

“Taiwan, as a regional leader in press freedom and the only democracy in the Chinese-speaking world, has everything to gain from aligning its media regulations with international standards,” Bruttin stated. He argued that reforms are crucial not only for combating disinformation but also for restoring public trust in the Taiwanese media, which he noted is alarmingly low.

According to recent studies, only three out of ten Taiwanese citizens trust the media, a figure that ranks among the lowest in democratic nations. Bruttin attributed this in part to Taiwan’s polarised and sensationalist media landscape.

During the meeting, Bruttin outlined several key RSF initiatives that Taiwan could adopt to enhance its media environment.

Among these was the Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI), the world’s first ISO-certified media quality standard, designed to promote reliable and transparent journalism.

He also discussed the Paris Charter on Artificial Intelligence and Journalism, which aims to ensure ethical standards in the use of AI within the media.

Additionally, Bruttin introduced RSF’s Propaganda Monitor, a project that tracks and counters propaganda and disinformation worldwide, including efforts by state actors.

Bruttin stressed that implementing these initiatives could help Taiwan build a more transparent and trusted media sector, crucial for democratic stability. He also addressed the role of international platforms, which often dominate local media landscapes, posing a long-term threat to the viability of independent journalism.

Bruttin’s visit coincided with two significant events for RSF in Taiwan.

Firstly, the organisation held its inaugural Asia-Pacific Correspondents Seminar, which gathered regional representatives from RSF for internal discussions on the state of press freedom across Asia.

Secondly, RSF celebrated the seventh anniversary of its Taipei Bureau, which was opened in 2017 to strengthen RSF’s presence in the region. The anniversary reception saw over 200 prominent figures from the media and academic spheres attend, highlighting the increasing significance of RSF’s work in Asia.

Taiwan’s media landscape has long been under pressure due to aggressive efforts by the People’s Republic of China to assert sovereignty over the island. China’s state-sponsored disinformation campaigns are frequently aimed at destabilising Taiwan’s democratic institutions.

These efforts have exacerbated divisions within Taiwan’s media sector, which is already fragmented and prone to sensationalist reporting. Bruttin’s recommendations reflect a broader push to enhance Taiwan’s ability to resist such external interference through robust media governance and public trust-building measures.

Bruttin’s discussions with President Lai follow a similar visit by RSF’s previous Director General, Christophe Deloire, in 2017, when he met with then-President Tsai Ing-wen. RSF has consistently praised Taiwan for its commitment to press freedom but continues to advocate for further regulatory improvements.

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Civil Society

Meta and X served targeted POFMA order after activist’s non-compliance

Meta and X received targeted correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act on 11 Oct after activist Kokila Annamalai failed to comply with a correction order. The Ministry of Home Affairs stated her misleading posts claimed the government executes arbitrarily without due legal process and will refer her to the POFMA Office for investigation.

Published

6 days ago

on

11 October 2024

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SINGAPORE: Two social media platforms have been served with targeted correction directions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) on Friday (11 October), after activist Kokila Annamalai failed to comply with a correction order issued to her last week.

Ms Annamalai received the order on 5 October for misleading posts made on Facebook and X.

In a statement, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the posts falsely claimed that “the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily and without regard for due legal process, and that the State does not bear the legal burden of proving a drug trafficking charge against the accused person.”

MHA noted that an article on the government fact-checking website Factually elaborated on why Ms Annamalai’s assertions were false.

The order mandated that she post a correction notice on the two posts; however, she has not complied.

In light of this non-compliance, the Minister for Home Affairs has directed the POFMA Office to issue a targeted correction direction to Meta Platforms and X.

This order requires the platforms to notify users who have seen the posts that they contain false statements and to provide a link to the Factually article explaining the inaccuracies.

MHA also announced that it would refer Ms Annamalai to the POFMA Office for investigations regarding her failure to comply with the correction direction issued on 5 October.

Earlier, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), an organisation advocating for the abolition of the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific region, was also served with a correction order by the Singapore government under POFMA.

This order, initiated by Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, was in response to alleged false claims made by ADPAN in social media posts on 3 October 2024.

The posts, which were circulated on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, related to Singapore’s legal processes for death row prisoners and the treatment of activists opposing the death penalty.

They were released just before the scheduled execution of Mohammad Azwan Bohari, a drug trafficking convict sentenced to death for possessing over 26.5 grammes of pure heroin.

While ADPAN has since complied with the correction order by adding a notice to the original posts across its social media accounts, the group has expressed its intention to engage further with the order.

ADPAN reiterated its commitment to its statements and opinions, which it asserts are protected by international human rights law and standards, and expressed solidarity with human rights defenders and groups on the ground.

The organisation also reserved the right to issue additional statements on the matter.

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