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SINGAPORE: It has been a difficult weekend for the Muslim community here.
News that one of its brightest is the new face of terrorism has sent shock waves through the community. Twenty-eight-year-old Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader — Singapore’s first DIY terrorist — studied at a top secondary school, a well-respected junior college and a local university — before becoming a lawyer and later a lecturer.
His resume is worlds apart from the blue-collar profile of the Jemaah Islamiyah members detained in 2001 for plotting terrorist attacks on targets here, including the Yishun MRT station.
Fuelled by extensive media coverage of the arrest and reactions from community, religious and political leaders, it was not long before the collective shock turned to soul-searching and questioning. Sadly, there are some who wonder if this latest threat has been exaggerated.
Abdul Basheer was self-radicalised. Many in the community are still grappling with the new phenomenon of “self” in this episode. Abdul Basheer was not part of a larger terrorist group or cell. He acted in isolation.
He logged onto the Internet — some analysts suggest in search of pure Islam — but instead found terrorist and radical ideas, which he embraced. But acting alone, is he really a threat?
The fact is Abdul Basheer and other self-radicalised individuals are an even more dangerous phenomenon. In the absence of links and group behaviour — such self-made terrorists are even harder to detect. But they are nonetheless dangerous. Take for example, London bomber Sidique Khan.
For Singapore, even one Abdul Basheer is one too many. Zero-tolerance is our only option.
But Abdul Basheer was heading to Afghanistan — far from Singapore — to fight alongside the Taliban. Why should we in Singapore be overly worried?
Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng had strong words for those who feel this way. “How can we say that it is somehow okay if a Singaporean kills or plans to kill others in terrorist acts abroad, so long as those who die are not Singaporeans?
“If an individual can go overseas and conduct violence and terrorist activities, he can one day also come back and do the same to Singapore and work against Singaporeans.”
Echoing this view, community leader Imran Mohamed, who heads the Association of Muslim Professionals, said: “Fundamentally, what is worrying is that a radical view has been adopted ... If, for example, Abdul Basheer feels strongly about fighting against the United States, then he could bring his fight to local shores where there are several US interests. From a security angle, he is a threat.”
Assoc Prof Farid Alatas, who heads the Malay Studies Department at the National University of Singapore said: “Geography is not important. What is critical is ideology … If a person has no qualms about taking the lives of others, whether in Pakistan, Afghanistan or elsewhere, then he is capable of taking the lives of Singaporeans.”
Equally worrying is that some in the community sympathise with Abdul Basheer — saying that he was driven over the edge by “injustices” such as the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And waging “militant jihad” in a land where Muslims are under attack — was his only option to redress the situation.
This argument does not convince Ba’alwie Mosque’s head imam Habib Hassan. He said: “No matter what your grievances are, they cannot justify the taking of innocent lives.”
In truth, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have much more to do with politics than religion. Injustice is no reason to resort to terrorist actions. Perhaps, it would be useful for Muslim groups here to invite non-religious international relations scholars to shed an impartial perspective on such conflicts.
So, is the Internet to blame for this latest development?
In Today’s coverage of the threat of self-radicalisation over the past two weeks, the newspaper reported that there are about 6,000 websites — and counting — espousing radical ideologies.
Some are hardline websites, which engage in heavy philosophical and religious discussions. Others combine religious songs and war images to drum up support for “militant jihad”. - TODAY/ra
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