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SINGAPORE: The recent arrests under the Internal Security Act (ISA) do not mean current efforts to engage the Malay-Muslim community have failed.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Masagos Zulkifli, believes there are enough programmes to ensure youths understand the mainstream ideas that are totally against violence. However, he said, the community must always be wary of their sources of Islamic education, especially if it comes from the Internet.
He said: "I do not believe it is a failure in the system or a failure in the efforts of the mosque. It just says that we have to continue the efforts, the problem is not over. In fact, I believe it will be with us for a long way to come because it is not just isolated in Singapore, it is a phenomenon globally."
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday said two more men were recently detained under the ISA. One was spreading radical ideas and the other had tried to make bombs, it said.
Muhammad Zamri Abdullah and Maksham Mohd Shah, both 26, have been detained since last 5 December 2007.
MHA said Muhammad Zamri Abdullah was self-radicalised through radical propaganda in publications, videos and the Internet.
He even went overseas to join a 'mujahidin network' to wage armed missions overseas and he wanted to 'die a martyr'.
MHA added that since 2003, Zamri had spread his radical ideas to his associates, including Maksham and Mohammad Taufik Andjah Asmara, both 26.
Maksham subsequently developed radical ideas and constructed improvised explosive devices for use in armed jihad. He also tried making bombs with sparklers.
After watching videos of terrorist training, Zamri and Maksham also went on overseas camping trips to prepare themselves to wage armed jihad and die as martyrs.
As for Taufik, investigations showed that he eventually started to distance himself from the two. So Taufik has not been detained but was issued with a Restriction Order in December 2007. - CNA/ir
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