Part 1 How Singapore Handles Extremism : A Satanic Radio Station

Singapore is a prosperous and peaceful country also because they take pains to maintain their peace. 

Unlike Malaysia, Singapore goes to extra lengths to prevent trouble before it happens. They strongly believe in prevention being better than cure.  

In Malaysia our philosophy is the opposite, our philosophy is the "tidak apa" attitude. We let things go terribly wrong and then start looking for the cure. Sebab kita bodoh.

Dont believe me? Recently Dato Ayub Khan the Head of our Counter Terrorism Unit at Bukit Aman made a point blank statement that when they arrest ISIS militants in Malaysia the Police have frequently confiscated the writings of one syaitan called Ibn Taiyminya. Dato Ayub Khan then said that the ISIS was inspired or influenced by the writings of Ibn Taiyminya.

Immediately Dato Ayub Khan came under attack by the local religious guys including Pemuda UMNO's religious advisor Fathul Bari and another religious fellow.  They came out strongly defending Ibn Taiyminya.

In Singapore there are a few think tanks, government departments and even a University whose job is to keep track of the extremists, their politics, jihadi groups and all 'religious' parties and NGOs in this region. They do a thorough job.  

They have developed detailed knowledge and profiles of the 'jihadis' and other religious groups from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and of course Singapore. 

The following is an article about a Salafi radio station based in Batam in Indonesia. It is written by a young  scholar Dr Nawab Osman of the Rajaratnam School Of International Studies (at the Nanyang Technical University) who spends considerable time researching the jihadi groups and the religious extremists all over South East Asia.

I have come to know Dr Nawab as a scholar and a friend.

This is taken from here :   http://m.todayonline.com/commentary/radio-hangs-dangerous-network-islamist-extremists.

Note : I have deleted the words 'Islam' or 'Muslim' and replaced them with other words.

By  Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman AND Aida Arosoaie
 

Published: August 30, 2016

recent arrests of two Singaporeans planning to join ISIS cast spotlight on Batam based radio station, Radio Hang, which according to Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), radicalised the two individuals.

Two others on Restriction Orders also radicalised by Radio Hang

blurred lines between violent and non-violent extremism

growing transnational religious extremism detached from power dynamics

Radio Hang founded by Zein Alatas in 2002 

2005 Zein influenced by Abdul Hakim Amir Abdat, puritanical Indon 

started airing lectures by Hakim Abdat

year later ceased airing music due to belief that music prohibited 

station began exclusively airing sermons 

by extreme scholars from Indon, M'sia, S'pore and Middle East.
has following in Riau Islands, southern M'sia and S'pore.
closer scrutiny of sermons and scholars featured on Radio Hang

PROMOTING INTOLERANCE AND VIOLENCE
preachers of Radio Hang vilify others who dont subscribe to their cult

Hakim Abdat known for denigrating Shia 

referring to them as infidels 

warning about the threat posed by Shias 

Rasul Dahri, S'porean jailed in Johor

says celebration of Prophet's birthday a sin bigger than murder. 

Such intolerant views are common themes discussed on Radio Hang
station’s exclusionary and dogmatic discourse is insidious

classifies world into good and evil 

condones use of violence 

sermons aired by radio station vilify other sects

message justifies attacks against Shias

juxtaposition of preachers’ supreme authority 

consistent push for puritanism 

command followers to adjust behaviour to threats to their religioncan be read as unconditional readiness for violence. 

preachers who go on air explicitly call upon individuals to take up arms
 

Oct 2013, Abu Saad  encouraged listeners to “violent struggle” in Syria.
Abu Saad active in fund-raising efforts for radical groups in Syria 

has travelled there to disburse these funds 

preachers on Radio Hang are actors with clear political allegiances

followers detached from these power networks.

Radio Hang shows transnational network of puritanical scholars. 

In 2011, Rasul Dahri organised fund-raising dinner in Kuala Lumpur for Radio Hang

Fathul Bari, of Pemuda Umno supported fund-raising efforts for Radio Hang. 

Both spoke about the station spreading teachings in S'pore and M'sia. 

followers’ religious morality bypasses political and strategic concerns.
.. joining IS in spite of explicit pro-Al-Qaeda rhetoric of Radio Hang 

indicates listeners disinterested in political divides that separate two groups.

Since it was IS, not Al Qaeda, which claimed to have re-established the Caliphate, these individuals oscillated towards the former based solely on the group’s alleged association with the perceived righteous form of religion.

Most joined IS in past two years cited Caliphate as seminal factor in their decision 

As such, the politically-motivated extremist discourse employed by Radio Hang clerics has created an extremist movement which is governed solely by uncritically hateful beliefs.

(My comments : Let me explain this. People have already been radicalised from the Tadika, the primary schools, the secondary schools, the universities, their local suraus, madrassahs, masjids etc. People have been radicalised since young by their parents, by the "religious discourse" that has seeped into every day life everywhere.  

When they grow up, these radicalised young people want to see the manifestation of the radicalised version of their religion. For example they want shariah. They want a caliphate. They want the hijab. The 72 virgins is also in the picture. 

Because these are their identity markers which they believe they must have. 

So if you are a clever beggar, just promise to deliver these identity markers to them and these radicals will support you. They will readily become suicide bombers for you. Whether you are ISIS, Al Qaeda, Jubhat Nusra, Shiah, Salafi, Wahabi etc it does not matter. Those are just labels. As long as you promise shariah, hijab, caliphate, 72 virgins they will support you.)

current trajectory of radicalisation in region is worrying because of two important reasons.

First, increasing number of a bottom-line transnational extremist religious movement that transcends political calculations will certainly bring along the increase of reactionary Islamo-phobic discourses throughout South-east Asia.

Secondly, the emergence of these parallel networks will make it increasingly difficult for both security advisers and policymakers to tackle the threat of violent extremism.
(My comments : I believe Dato Ayub Khan understands this very well. Unfortunately the dunggus at the Majlis Keselamatan Negara do not. Too much melanc@p not good for you Tan Sri.  Please wake up. 

As for the Dumbno morons, do they even understand any of this? Boleh ke baca article omputih brader? Huh ?  Nak cakap pasal bini baru? Apa macam bini baru brader? Bini tua kata apa? Huh? Mampos pi kat dia ??  Fuiyyo !! )

While established networks of extremists are easier to track, the seemingly autonomous extremist network which takes up arms based on individual considerations will be much harder to trace and tackle.

(My comments. Exactly the point.  Also university academics who preach Ibn Taiyminya's satanic philosophies. These are the non-violent idealogues who operate under the radar, they provide the extremist software to complement the violence of the extremists ('the hardware').  

It is harder to trace and tackle them.  Two good examples are Zakir Naik and Ismail Menke. More about them later.)


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman is assistant professor and coordinator of the Malaysia Programme in S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and Aida Arosoaie is a senior analyst at the Malaysia Programme, RSIS.