Part 1 - The Salafi Project In Malaysia, South East Asia

This is from Today Online in Singapore here.   This is a speech delivered by Singapore's Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam at Johns Hopkins University's  School of Advanced Intn'l Studies.  

I hope our local "security experts", Cabinet Ministers, MPs, Civil Servants will read this carefully.  Singapore has top notch talent  that knows how to handle  these situations.

But let me first give you my own conclusion to this posting.  

I have been saying a thousand times that the jihadi extremists can be easily defeated through intellectual discussion and intelligent dialogue. 

Whenever you apply intellect, logic, demand proofs and sound explanations, then the jihadis lose the argument.  They just cannot show any evidence for what they say.

They know this better than everyone else.

This is why the jihadis will absolutely NOT AGREE  to allow free speech, free discussion and free criticism of their religions. 

That is also why in Malaysia they support  the 3,5,6 Laws (specific for Muslims) and now they are attempting the RUU355 amendment. 

The desired effect is the same : No Muslim should be allowed to freely discuss or criticise the religious authorities. 

If you say anything they do not agree with, they can charge you and fine you and/or lock you up in jail. Just for saying things they do not agree with.  

All this acts in favour of the jihadis and the extremists.  The Salafis and other extremists  are now poised to influence all levels of the government and society in Malaysia. The 3,5,6 or the RUU355 allows the jihadis to hijack the whole country. Better watch out. 

They need the 'dont you dare question me' factor. The people must be kept stupid. Look at the banner on the right hand side of this page.  Questioning shall not be allowed.  

The simplest and most powerful weapon to completely neutralise the jihadis and extremists is free and unfettered discussion and criticism of their religious beliefs  without any threat of prosecution by the State and/or persecution by the religious mobs.

This is exactly what Minister Shanmugam is hinting at, but he is not specifying (possibly because it is very sensitive) :

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam  :  But if we do not deal with the underlying philosophy and the underlying causes, in the end, as long as you do not deal with that, as long as you do not deal with people’s views which lead them to be radicalised in the first place, all you will be doing is cutting out their heads and new heads will come up,” he said.

Fighting them through force, arresting them, sending them to jail etc will not work. It has to be an intellectual battle. There is no other way.

Ok folks, here is K Shanmugam Minister of Home Affairs,  Singapore :

History repeating itself in South-east Asia, and US must act now: Shanmugam

 

 

April 28, 2017

SINGAPORE - dealing with (IS) in South-east Asia is something US has to do now

said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam

Speaking at a seminar in Washington DC

security challenge stemmed from fighters who went to Afghanistan

returned home with techniques, ideologies to fight against govt

SALAFIS TARGET SOUTH EAST ASIA

now exactly same scenario repeatS in South-east Asia with IS 

about 1,000 fighters from the region in Syria and Iraq

Today in Syria and Iraq  history repeating itself

People go there, learn, train latest techniques, go back to South-east Asia

• an area of the world where things are happening 
• people are not paying enough attention
• By the time it demands attention, it will be too late
• best to deal with the problem before it gets to that stage

(My comments : This is where we in Malaysia are also sleeping and snoring.)

• IS openly targeted South-east Asia 
• particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Philippines 
• prime locations to establish caliphates

HOW THE RADICALISATION CREEPS IN

 

• availability of online material
• money from Middle East to fund kindergartens, schools
• preachers from school of thought contrary to moderates
• have led to rising “political Islam”.

(My comments :  'school of thought contrary to moderates' means 'Salafi / Wahhabism'.  Nothing else.  Salafism / Wahhabism are now more dangerous threats to this region than communism.)

 

makes the ground more fertile for radicalisation, said Shanmugam
sizeable population in Indonesia, Malaysia already favours Syariah 

socio-economic, political environment shifts people become more extremist

or creates climate where people prepared to "take further action”

Indonesia :  no laws to detain individuals who are serious security threats

Worse is radicalisation takes place inside Indon prisons

some attacks planned by prison inmates

SALAFI PREACHERS LIKE ZAKIR NAIK, MUFTI MENKE SPREAD RADICAL MESSAGE

foreign preachers who are wanted or banned can travel freely  in SEA

He cited Zakir Naik, who urged Muslims not to vote for non-Muslims 

and Mufti Menk, who said Muslims should not wish Christians Merry X'mas

(My comments :  Both Zakir Naik and Mufti Menke are Salafists / Wahhabis. Both are banned from entering Singapore.   This is also why Singapore will continue to be peaceful and prosper. Zakir Naik has TWO arrest warrants against him in India. But both Zakir Naik and Mufti Menke are welcomed by the gomen in Malaysia - for political purposes.  Malaysia will pay the price.) 

TREATING THE SYMPTOMS BUT NOT THE CAUSE

All these boiling beneath the surface have significant consequences down the road

• a lot of countries focus on downstream actions
• taking out terrorist leaders
• dismantle terror  organisations
• deal with their finances

MUST DEAL WITH THE UNDERLYING  PHILOSOPHY 

But if we do not deal with the underlying philosophy and the underlying causes, in the end, as long as you do not deal with that, as long as you do not deal with people’s views which lead them to be radicalised in the first place, all you will be doing is cutting out their heads and new heads will come up,” he said.

 

need concerted intn'l strategy to deal with underlying causes and reasons 

why people get into these; how populations are becoming more radicalised

Islamophobia backlash

 

Shanmugam cautioned that Islamophobia is to be avoided

“ Islamophobia will make your populations anti-Muslim, anti-Islam

that just feeds the terrorists. It’s a big risk. We need to guard against Islamophobia

vast majority of Muslim populations in most places are moderate and peaceful

My comments : There is a simple and painless solution that the international community (especially the UN) can sponsor and move forward that can help ALL the Islamic countries. 

A few years ago, Pakistan sponsored / underwrote a sort of  UN Resolution that never took off. Meaning the Pakistanis were being hypocrites.

This was a "sort of"  resolution to ask all UN members (especially the Muslim countries) to abolish ALL Blasphemy Laws.  

This would most certainly include the 3,5,6 Laws in Malaysia as well as the proposed RUU355.

"Sort of resolution" because it did not become a resolution. It became something like a position-paper or something. No legal effect anywhere. 

Pakistan only pretended to sponsor such a resolution but they were not serious.

Because Pakistan itself is a country that not only has these Blasphemy Laws but actively uses their Blasphemy Laws to prosecute and persecute its people, especially the Ahmadias, the Christians, Hindus plus other Muslims too.  Pakistan is not ready to abolish their Blasphemy Laws.  

Neither are Saudi Arabia, Egypt and all the other Islamic countries.    I dont think our local politicians are also ready to abolish the 3,5,6 Laws.

Once the modern day Muslims are freed from these Blasphemy Laws  and they are allowed to discuss religion openly, freely, intelligently and intellectually - without any fear of prosecution or persecution - then on that day the jihadis and the religious extremists are finished.  

Only then will the Muslims be able to progress, prosper and live peacefully among the other people of the world.  

The numerous types of  Blasphemy Laws in ALL Islamic countries around the world  plays into the hands of the jihadis. These laws only work in favour of the jihadis and the extremists.  

The unsuspecting or  plainly  ignorant governments are just creating the repressive religious ecosystems  that  incubates and  nurtures jihadism and extremism.  Then when their societies collapse into ignorance and violence they will just stand and stare like fools.

They are no more Masters of their own Fate.

They become Masters of their own Doom.