Israeli Diplomat Slams Singapore’s Counter-Terrorism Efforts
From a Wikileaks cable, a damning indictment:
They are like children with guns. It’s all a big game to them, and they have only avoided any serious terrorist incidents occurring here through sheer luck.
Why does this diplomat say this of the Singapore government? Firstly,
The religious counselors are all either members of MUIS, or are connected to the organization, and at least among ethnic Malays in Singapore, MUIS is tainted, and everyone sees religious counselors as government lackeys, she said… any rehabilitation program would require the government to enjoy a strong relationship with the Muslim community; yet the Government of Singapore does not even have a good understanding of ethnic Malays in the country, let alone how and why some ethnic Malay Singaporeans have turned to religious extremism, she said.
The suspicion of MUIS is backed up by an academic who interviewed Malay youths in Singapore:
Marranci said Malays distrust MUIS and avoid expressing any discontentment with the government while attending services at local mosques. It is only privately that the Malay youth express their growing disillusionment, he said. Some disaffected Malays turn to crime, while others, who travel to Malaysia and Indonesia, become radicalized after they come into contact with extremists there, he said.
Marranci also reveals other facts which, if correct, are disturbing:
Marranci expressed concerns that there is growing discontentment among Malay youth that could provide fertile ground for the recruitment of extremists in the future. Over the past year, Marranci has interviewed 250 Malay youth (aged 13-28), 240 of whom expressed a strong dissatisfaction with life in Singapore and told Marranci they would emigrate if they could. Many Malays feel marginalized in Singapore, and extremist attitudes appear to be intensifying, he said.
[…]
Marranci noted with alarm that ethnic Malays are increasingly involved in criminal activities that one does not usually associate with Muslims, such as loan sharking. Citing Singapore Police Force (SPF) sources, Marranci told Poloff that 19 out of 54 syndicate organizations found to be involved in loan sharking over the last two years were Malay. While he admitted he has no proof, Marranci believes the Malays’ involvement in loan sharking could be an indicator of a fund-raising attempt by extremists, most likely those living outside of Singapore, he said.
The most disturbing sentence in the whole cable follows:
The GOS is not concerned about the up-tick in ethnic Malay criminal activities, because the authorities view the increase as an indication of growing secularity among Malays, Marranci said.
I would be very, very worried if this is really what the government thinks.
