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The road to redemption: How two radicalised youths in Singapore shed violence and extremism

“Knowing that someone out there cares about me definitely plays a huge role,” says a former detainee.

The road to redemption: How two radicalised youths in Singapore shed violence and extremism

A man watching videos on a monitor with the options of meeting his friends or joining a militant group. (Illustration: CNA/Rafa Estrada)

  • Two young men who were detained under the Internal Security Act after becoming supporters of the Islamic State shared their rehabilitation journey with CNA
  • A mentor and a religious counsellor from the Religious Rehabilitation Group explained how they gain the trust of these youths and challenge their radicalised beliefs
  • Education, setting personal goals and strengthening family relationships are part of the rehabilitation

SINGAPORE: Hamzah was in secondary school when the Islamic State started appearing in the news. Curious about these men claiming to fight in the name of religion, the teen started searching online to learn more about the group.

His appetite was voracious – in less than a year, he watched more than 500 videos of extremist preachers and violent killings by militants, sometimes for up to five hours a day.

The teen intended to go to Syria and join the group. Researching the locations of military camps and the routes to get there, he planned to buy a plane ticket to Turkey using money from a school bursary.

He was detained under the Internal Security Act in 2015.

“I’m not a violent person, but I tried to watch as many beheading videos as I could so that I (could get) immune to the feeling.

“I felt like it is a duty for (Muslims) to join them and fight alongside them, and it’s a sin if you don’t regard them as a caliphate,” said Hamzah of his belief in the Islamic State at the time.

What society recognises as radicalisation is, to these youths, a “spiritual journey” and a search for what they can do for their religion, explained Ustaz Ahmad Saiful Rijal Hassan, who has volunteered as a religious counsellor with the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) since 2011.

"I think we have to acknowledge that they started with noble intention, noble cause. They have pure intention, it’s not that they just want to spread havoc or they just want to create trouble," he said.

"At the end of the day it’s about conviction, right? So they believe that doing this particular thing makes (them) a true Muslim."

CNA spoke to two previously radicalised youths – Hamzah and Daniel – and the people involved in their rehabilitation to understand what it takes to change an extremist mindset. The young men’s names have been changed to protect their identities.

10:50 Min

Two young men who were detained under the Internal Security Act after becoming supporters of the Islamic State shared their rehabilitation journey with CNA. Tan Si Hui with more.

WATCHING VIDEOS “AGAIN AND AGAIN”

Hamzah said what he was doing felt at odds with his nature, and he repeatedly watched videos of violent killings to numb himself for the acts he believed he had to commit.

“I remember just watching videos again and again, and people burning alive ... and in the warzone area, shooting people, I forced myself just to watch it so that I'm mentally prepared.

“I felt a bit disgusted because I’m not used to this kind of thing. But I just force myself."

For Daniel, an earlier chance to change the path he was on was lost when he continued to support the Islamic State despite being investigated by the Internal Security Department (ISD) and given religious counselling.

In 2017, the then 15-year-old was investigated after defacing a picture of President Halimah Yacob and calling on the Islamic State to behead her. He remained a supporter of the militant group and was eventually detained in 2020.

“Even when I was investigated the first time, I believed it was a test of my faith and loyalty to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria),” he said.

Ustaz Rijal told CNA that rehabilitation is an art, not a science where you can measure success. Every case is unique, and there is no fixed profile.

“The only common denominator that I can find is that they want to do something for the religion. They believe that this is what the religion asks them to do, and this is what they are obliged to do as a Muslim,” he explained.

His job – and that of the psychologists, mentors and case workers in the rehabilitation journey – is to bring these radicalised individuals back from the brink of violence and guide them away from extremism.

TWO DIFFERENT PATHS

The first time Mr Salim Mohamed Nasir met Hamzah in an ISD detention facility, he was struck by a sense of familiarity.

The 62-year-old educator said: “I felt like I could relate to him, like he could be my son ... just that my son (took) this path and then he (took) the other path … So to me, the choosing of pathways is very, very important.”

Mr Salim has volunteered with the RRG since its inception in 2003, in the wake of the discovery and capture of a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist cell in Singapore. 

The RRG and Inter-Agency Aftercare Group, both volunteer groups, partner ISD in the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals who have been detained or issued restriction orders.

When Hamzah became radicalised, he did not have someone to guide him in choosing the right path, said Mr Salim. Warm and affable by nature, he started mentoring Hamzah in 2015.

“These are individuals who have gone sideways because of situations where they think they are right, but actually they are not," he said.

Hamzah described his family as being “quite strict” about religion when he was growing up. Each day after primary school, he attended three hours of religious lessons at a madrasah but these stopped when he started secondary school.

Speaking to CNA, his mother recalled that he was a joyful and caring boy who looked after his three younger siblings and was well liked by his schoolmates.

But once he became exposed to extremist and violent content, his radicalisation took root deeply.

His mother only realised what was happening when he told her about his plans to join the Islamic State in Syria. Shocked and disappointed, she tried to discourage him and told him to focus on studying and getting a job, but this fell on deaf ears. 

Having grown up learning that Islam advocates peace and non-violence, Hamzah was initially sceptical of the Islamic State’s justification for violence and killings.

But lectures by radicalised preachers changed his mind, and he felt an emotional pull towards the militants. Hearing about other Muslims being killed or tortured also “played with my emotions”, Hamzah said.

THE REHABILITATION JOURNEY: DETENTION

Hamzah was detained in 2015 while making plans to travel to Syria. He said that he went into rehabilitation with an “open mind”, but Mr Salim recalled the anger the teen felt. 

“He was saying ‘why am I here?’ … He was very adamant about not wanting to forgive. So I worked on that forgiveness,” the mentor said.

In detention, they met weekly for up to two hours at a time. Mr Salim estimated that it took about four sessions for him to start getting through to the young man.

Mr Salim is clear that to his mentees, he is neither a friend nor a figurehead of the authorities. “I would want them to see me as someone whom, if they’re in trouble, they can go to – just to get clarification, just to get advice,” he said.

To break the ice, he usually comes in as a tutor at first, offering to help with homework. With time, the relationship grows to cover social and emotional learning, critical thinking, goal-setting and family relationships.

This is not all smooth sailing.

“There are times where both give up and show disrespect and I think, you show disrespect here, we stop here ... then I just walk out, sometimes. But I know I’m just doing it as a strategy,” he said. 

After a short timeout, they regroup.

The mentoring programme is informed by feedback from other rehabilitation stakeholders, such as psychologists and religious counsellors. After case conferences with them, Mr Salim creates his own recipe for the mentoring sessions.

This usually involves helping them to process feelings of anger and remorse, and to use their detention as a time to work on themselves.

In Hamzah’s case, this meant getting the young man to “wake up”, apply himself to his studies and develop personal goals. Mr Salim was initially taken aback by his resistance.

“You’re here already, you cannot control your environment, I was telling him. So what else can you control? You can only control yourself,” he said.

Hamzah said: “He (Mr Salim) has helped me during my troubled time, especially inside (detention). He helped me in terms of my personal life skills.

"And also at that point in time, I was taking my O-Levels … It was probably my first time taking education seriously, because previously I just neglected (it).

“He’s like a father figure because he also has got children around my age.”

RRG mentor Salim Mohamed Nasir (left) and religious counsellor Ustaz Ahmad Saiful Rijal Hassan. (Photos: RRG)

WORKING TOWARDS RELEASE

Detention orders under the ISA are reviewed by an advisory board at intervals of not more than 12 months. Those assessed to no longer pose an imminent threat to Singapore’s security will be released, ISD said.

When assessing whether a detainee is suitable for release, progress in rehabilitation is a factor. The assessments of rehabilitation stakeholders like psychologists, ISD case officers, detention centre wardens and RRG’s religious counsellors are taken into consideration.

Ustaz Rijal told CNA that when giving his assessment, he considers three factors: The detainee’s attitude towards the counselling sessions, understanding of religious concepts and their plans for the future.

Religious counselling takes place at least once a month in detention. In Ustaz Rijal’s experience, honest and open communication is needed to build rapport. Age also matters in finding the right fit, said the 37-year-old.

He starts by asking detainees for the video or quote they saw that made them want to follow a radical leader. He will look it up himself, and then talk about what he disagrees with and what the detainee thinks is right about it. This includes questions about jihad and Syariah law.

This gives them common ground for discussion and is also the basis for him to ask the detainee to reciprocate and look at his material. He also gives them readings that they take back to their detention cells.

Evidence in the form of religious texts is crucial to this process. Ustaz Rijal will ask detainees for proof of their radicalised beliefs. When a detainee cannot show any evidence from the Quran, this indicates he or she is a “blind follower” rather than an ideologue, he said.

Some detainees challenge him more than others. Initially, they are hard to convince. “But after you provide them with overwhelming evidence then they can’t escape,” he said.

Hamzah echoed this: “If they are able to provide (me) with evidence, then it will be ignorant of me just to ignore.”

“We have to stretch their minds,” said Ustaz Rijal. “We have to make them realise on their own. I mean, we cannot tell them ‘you are wrong’.

“When we expose them to alternative reading, when we expose to them about different interpretations, then they will understand … They have tunnel vision, they are in an echo chamber, and they are falling deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole because they read only one particular source.”

After their release from detention, they are issued a restriction order. ISD said previously that those under restriction orders must not change their residence or employment, nor travel overseas without approval.

They also cannot access the internet or social media, issue public statements, address public meetings, print, distribute or contribute to any publication, nor be a member of any group without approval.

When authorities are deciding if restriction orders should be allowed to lapse, the individuals go through the same stringent assessment as before.

"Those assessed to have made significant progress in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society such that they no longer pose a security threat, will have their restriction order lapsed," said ISD.

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RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS

Jihad and Syariah law are two common religious concepts that are covered when counselling radicalised youths, said Ustaz Rijal.

“They believe that jihad is taking up arms because that’s what happened during the time of the advent of Islam,” he said. “We need to understand that certain things happen at (a) certain time for a reason or for a cause. So you can’t just take it out of context.”

“We have to go back to the very principle understanding of jihad, which is the struggle. Struggle against what? Struggle against oppression. So oppression comes in the form of vices,” he added.

“If you’re having issues with waking up in the morning to go to school, I mean, that’s your personal struggle. So that also is a form of jihad … Jihad is actually making something from worse to become good, and from good to become better. So you keep improving your lives.”

Daniel told CNA how his thinking on jihad changed through rehabilitation: “I understood that jihad is not about violence or fighting. 

“It is about struggling to do good, which can be self-improvement, or doing good for others. I realised that although such a jihad sounds simple, it is not easy to be a better person or make a positive difference.”

Ustaz Rijal said the Islamic State has been “marketing” the false idea that “if you don’t establish Syariah as the rule of the land then ... you betray your own religion, you’re not a true Muslim”.

But he said Syariah is a way of life rather than imposing laws on others, which means how you “conduct yourself as a Muslim”, such as following religious dietary restrictions.

Not all are open to religious counselling. Of the 57 Singapore JI members who have been captured by authorities, five remain in detention. 

These include four individuals who “remain deeply entrenched in their violent radical beliefs despite extensive efforts by ISD and other rehabilitation stakeholders, including their religious counsellors and psychologists”, said ISD. 

“ISD will continue to explore ways to reach out to them,” the agency added.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY

A common thread that runs through both Ustaz Rijal and Mr Salim’s work is the importance of family.

Strengthening family relationships is critical because family is the “immediate sphere of influence” around the radicalised person, said Mr Salim. If detainees are having family issues, Ustaz Rijal will offer religious advice, such as on the importance in Islam of treasuring one’s parents.

Detainees are granted weekly family visits. Throughout Hamzah’s time in detention, his family did not miss a single one.

“After detention, I realised that I'm also a bit selfish because I should also show more appreciation towards them and be thankful for (them) always being there for me,” he said. 

“Now, family is everything to me, and I will always be there for them and they will always also be there for me."

Daniel described his relationship with his parents as “cordial” before his detention, when they visited him regularly and motivated him. 

“I see them as my heroes. I have great respect for them and look up to them,” he said.

Case workers from the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group are assigned to detainees’ families to assist with their social and financial needs.

This matters because when detainees know that their families are being cared for, they can concentrate on their rehabilitation, said Mdm Zaleha Ahmad, a case worker who is the centre director of the Marriage Hub at AMP Singapore, a non-profit organisation serving the Muslim community.

The support can include subsidies for childcare, school fees and enrichment classes, as well as transport to schools and madrasahs, she said.

She has also seen how family members step up to fill the needs of the family, especially when children are involved.

Many of the men detained in the Singapore JI crackdown were the sole breadwinners of their families, and could be “paternalistic” and “very traditional”, she said.

Some of their wives had never worked before. But after their husbands were detained, many of these women took up training and found jobs to continue providing for their children, said Mdm Zaleha.

“A SILVER LINING”

Daniel, now in his early 20s, was released on a restriction order in January last year. He lives with his family and is continuing his studies, with aspirations to work in the financial sector.

He looks back on his support for the Islamic State with a sense of foolishness.

“Now, even as I speak of it, I feel foolish to have been duped into being blinded on the use of such words by ISIS,” he said.

After about two years in detention, Hamzah was released on a restriction order in 2017. He continued to meet Mr Salim on a monthly or quarterly basis, and would also check in through text messages.

Different challenges arose during the restriction order, said Mr Salim. Having been in detention for two years, Hamzah was “like a fish out of water” and needed to learn again how to work with others, like his schoolmates.

For a while, Hamzah was often late for school. When Mr Salim intervened, that changed. 

“Once he (says) he (promises), he will keep his promise. That’s the part I like about him,” said the older man.

Hamzah became the first person in his family to graduate with a polytechnic diploma.

Mr Salim told his mentee: “Look, you can get it, that means your younger siblings will look to you, you know? Because you are a fine example of a person who can change, and then you get whatever results that you want.”

In 2021, Hamzah’s restriction order was allowed to lapse – his family members cried on hearing the news.

His mother is proud that he has become more mature. She said: “He is very respectful and told me that he would take care of me. He gives me money monthly for my expenses. I know he loves his siblings.

“Hamzah had told me that he wants to find a better paying job in the future so that he can provide better for our family.”

Hamzah now works in marketing. He also still owes his mentor a coffee from his first paycheck, Mr Salim recalls with a laugh.

Looking back on the years spent in detention, Hamzah said this felt like “a waste” and that he has regrets. 

“But come to think about it, actually there’s also a silver lining. I met amazing people during my journey. And also I picked up where I left off, especially in terms of my education,” he said.

“Although I might (have) wasted my years, but at the same time I did gain something out of it, and met amazing people through the journey. And (I) treasure the kinship I have with my friends and relatives.

“I don’t want to go back to my old ways.” 

Despite a fear of being recognised and the social stigma he could face, he agreed to be interviewed as he hopes other youths who read his story will not go down the same path he almost did.

“They do not want their family to go through this kind of hardship, and I’m sure they themselves don’t want to go through all the hardship,” he added.

Read this story in Bahasa Indonesia here.

Source: CNA/dv(mi)

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