Presentation by Mr. Albert Chua, Permanent Representative of Singapore, at Seminar on Dialogue, Understanding and Countering The Appeal of Terrorism on Wednesday, 27 June 2012

“Southeast Asia Challenges in Countering

the Appeal of Terrorism”

1       I will address 3 key challenges Southeast Asia is facing in countering the appeal of terrorism:

·        Dismantling terrorist networks and defeating the terrorists

·        Combating radical ideology

·        Increasing dangers of self-radicalisation

Overview

2       Southeast Asia has had a long experience with militant and terrorist movements. But post 9/11, our region has emerged as a major theatre for terrorist operations.

3       In Southeast Asia, terrorist groups are becoming more interlinked and international in their outlook. This is exacerbated by growing foreign influences in the region. For instance, the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is a militant Islamist group dedicated to the establishment of a Caliphate in Southeast Asia that would incorporate Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei. JI has strong links with Al-Qaeda, and has been recognized by the UN and Security Council as such. JI has been recruiting and training terrorists from other regional militant groups like the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). But what is disturbing is the emergence of a trans-regional terrorist brotherhood (including the use of suicide bombers) that has been able to unite different terrorist groups to subordinate local interests to the broader struggle. This is a formidable challenge.

First Challenge: Defeating the terrorists

4       In countering the appeal of terrorism, the first challenge is to defeat the terrorists militarily and dismantle the terrorist networks. Post-9/11, strong and sustained efforts by regional governments have disrupted the terrorist networks and groups, even though the terrorist threat remains real.

5       In Indonesia, for instance, the government has made immense efforts in counter-terrorism, arresting and killing hundreds of JI operatives and associates. But the threat remains as there are reports that the JI network in Indonesia may remain operational. As recently as March 2012, 7 terrorists were killed while resisting arrest in Bali and the outskirts of Jakarta. In Malaysia, authorities have taken action and arrested individuals with connections to Al-Qaeda and regional terrorist groups like the JI and Darul Islam.

6       As for Singapore, we are especially vulnerable to the threat of terrorism. We are an open society in a highly globalised world with high volumes of trade and travel. We are also a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. Although well-integrated, our society has a great diversity of cultures and communities. Our approach is not to assimilate different cultures, but to respect and celebrate the distinctness of each community. Our diversity has enabled us to plug into the global grid and access new technologies but it also makes us an attractive target for terrorist groups. This is because of the large numbers of foreigners and foreign companies in Singapore, and the potential to exploit our racial and religious heterogeneity.

7       In December 2001, our authorities uncovered a plot to bomb foreign Embassies and the Mass Rapid Transit System; 15 people belonging to the JI were arrested. In August 2002, we arrested another 21 JI members. Over 10 years, we have worked diligently to disrupt the JI network. Many of the leaders and foot soldiers of the Singapore network have been detained. We have also enhanced Singapore’s counter-terrorism resilience by raising our security preparedness, hardened high risk potential targets in Singapore, tightened border control, and enhanced intelligence and international cooperation. But the terrorist threat remains. The JI continues to target Singapore; in 2010 and 2011, it had plans to target installations in Singapore and Singapore interests overseas.

8       Southeast Asian countries also recognize that to be effective, counter-terrorism activities must be part of a holistic approach which integrates regional and national efforts. In this regard, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has significantly strengthened regional cooperation in counter-terrorism. The ASEAN Convention on Counter-Terrorism which was signed by all ASEAN countries in 2007, entered into force last year. This milestone Convention will enhance the region’s capacity to confront terrorism and deepen counter-terrorism cooperation among the region’s law enforcement agencies.

9       ASEAN has also collaborated with external partners and international organizations on counter-terrorism. The ASEAN Regional Forum regularly takes up the issue of counter-terrorism in high-level discussions and capacity-building workshops in areas such as bio-terrorism and cyber-terrorism. ASEAN has also identified counter-terrorism as a key area to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations through improving regional capacity and exchanging information.

Challenge Two: Countering Radical Ideology

10     Apart from the security efforts against terrorist elements, the second challenge is to counter radical ideology, which is at the roots of terrorism.

11     In Indonesia, apart from establishing the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), Islamic organisations in Indonesia are involved in countering the radical beliefs of jihadist terrorist groups. The government is cooperating with Islamic organisations on de-radicalisation programmes.

12     In Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak has initiated the Global Movement of Moderates. During his address to the General Assembly in 2010, Prime Minister Najib urged moderates from all faiths to reclaim the agenda for peace and pragmatism, and to marginalise the extremists. An inaugural Conference of the Global Movement of Moderates was held in Malaysia in January 2012 to provide the platform for people to learn from each other and foster understanding.

13     In Singapore, we have adopted a comprehensive strategy which focuses on first, rehabilitation of detainees and second, a programme to counter radical ideology.

14     Since 2002, our government has partnered local religious teachers and scholars on the rehabilitation of detainees. These Muslim religious leaders took the lead in forming the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), an NGO comprising respected religious scholars acting on a voluntary basis.  The RRG does not represent any particular organisation or school in Islam. They work in partnership with, but independently of, the government. Their independence is key to the programme’s success as they are seen as credible interlocutors by our Muslim community.

15     One of those JI operatives we arrested admitted that he and others had been programmed and manipulated to have a “tunnel vision” of the concept of jihad. Another detainee told our security authorities that he hoped an ustaz or religious teacher can help him “purge” his wrong ideas about Islam and teach him “true Islam”. Through the RRG, local Singaporean ustaz or religious teachers counsel detainees to understand their religion correctly. In addition, RRG also provides family counselling and aftercare support. Our partnership with our Muslim community has been successful; released detainees have not become radical again.

16     To ensure that our Muslim community is inoculated against radical ideology, we have worked with community and religious leaders to implement a broader programme to debunk extremist ideology. As a secular Government that respects the freedom of worship of its citizens, Singapore does not tell our Muslim religious leaders what they should preach. Our emphasis is on enabling our own Muslim community to build its own capacity to “self-police” and inoculate itself against radical ideas.

17     Our Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) has developed a scheme, which has recognised about 1,200 religious teachers. It helps to guide the Muslim community on which religious teachers they can engage to teach in homes, mosques and madrasahs. More importantly, it gives Muslims in Singapore a reference point to ensure that they learn Islam from credible religious teachers.

18     The RRG and our Muslim religious leaders have also developed an ideological counter to extremism. Working with MUIS, members of the RRG reach out to educate Singaporean Muslims on the dangers of extremism. In 2013, to commemorate its 10^th anniversary, RRG will host an international conference on Terrorist Rehabilitation and Community Resilience in Singapore. The aim is to create an international platform to discuss new issues relating to terrorist rehabilitation and strengthen the global Muslim community’s resilience against the influence of terrorist ideology.

19     Because Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious society, we also promote social integration and involvement of all parts of our community. We do not allow groups to push their specific interests and agenda so strongly as to disrupt our harmony. Our policy is “unity in diversity”, encouraging different groups to thrive, whilst promoting mutual understanding. We take a comprehensive approach to strengthening community bonds, with the Community Engagement Programme being one key effort. This programme covers five sectors: arts, media and academics; education; employers and unions; grassroots; religious, ethnic and welfare organizations. Its objective is to promote better understanding between the different races. Our programmes have been successful with initiatives such as church, mosque and temple groups visiting different places of worship.

20     Singapore also has an Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) in which 10 major religions in Singapore actively participate. The 10 religious representatives of the IRO regularly conduct inter-faith prayers and blessings at public ceremonies. It is a highly visible sign of the excellent relations and dialogue between our different religious communities.

Challenge Three: Rising Trend of Self-radicalisation

21     Our efforts to combat terrorism in Southeast Asia are compounded by the third challenge of the rising trend of self-radicalisation.

22     The internet has revolutionalised the way terrorist groups spread their ideology. Small groups or even individuals in remote corners can produce broadcast material that is instantly available to people all around the world. Today, there are about 6,000 radical Islamist sites on the internet spreading extremist ideas. This is how the late Anwar al-Awlaki (whom a Saudi newspaper described as the “bin Laden of the internet”) has been able to influence so many.  He may have been eliminated, but his teachings and sermons continue to live on in cyberspace to radicalise others.

23     It is difficult to detect and trace self-radicalised individuals. There is no record and vulnerable individuals may even be outstanding members in the community. Internet penetration in Southeast Asia is high. This growing phenomenon of self-radicalisation, potentially leading to, among others, lone-wolf attacks is something not only Southeast Asia but the rest of the world is grappling with.

24     In Singapore, we have uncovered several cases of self-radicalised individuals. Fortunately, we were to detain them before they could carry out their plots. The confluence between the growing number of English-language terrorist websites and our increasingly internet savvy population is of concern. One self-radicalized individual we detained in 2010 came from the best schools in Singapore. He had practised at a top law firm and later became a lecturer. But after being exposed to extremist material online, he tried to travel overseas to receive militant training before joining the Taliban in Afghanistan.

25     The Singapore government, working with our Muslim community leaders, has taken active steps to address this new challenge. We have encouraged family members to seek help from police or community leaders so that they can investigate suspicious individuals. We do our best to rehabilitate self-radicalised individuals and help them re-integrate into society.

26     Muslim organisations in Singapore have also embarked on counter-ideology efforts by organising forums and public dialogue sessions targeted at youths and young professionals. Such initiatives help to prevent Singaporean Muslims who come across terrorist rhetoric from unwittingly falling prey to terrorist ideology.

27     Our Muslim religious leaders have launched websites to debunk terrorist teachings and provide a platform for youth to ask questions about Islam. For instance, the RRG’s website www.rrg.sg ↗ (opens in new tab) has essays on what is the real meaning of jihad, explaining what has caused the radicalisation of Muslims and why some Singaporeans have become terrorists.

28     In conclusion, the struggle against terrorism must be fought with ideas, as well as weapons. We must fight to win hearts and minds.