The TTC Community was treated to a very engaging and most informative talk on religious extremism on Tuesday 23 February 2016. Dr Mohamed bin Ali, Assistant Professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, spoke on “ISIS: The Threat of Extremism and the Muslim Community in Singapore.” Emphatically denying that ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) was neither Islamic or a state, Dr Mohamed traced the history of the development of ISIS as a terrorist organisation. He showed how the ISIS’ religious narrative and propaganda motivates recruits from all over the world. Dr Mohamed also outlined the Muslim Community’s efforts through the Religious Rehabiliation Group to counsel and rehabilitate radical Muslims in Singapore.

Dr Mohamed Bin Ali is an expert not only in Islamist ideology and religious extremism but also in Islamic Jurisprudence. He has been involved in the counselling of former JI detainees since 2003, and is a member of the Syariah Appeal Board of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).

Also attending the talk were Mr Zainul Abidin bin Ibrahim, the Director of Strategic Engagement of MUIS, and Ustaz Muhammad Fazalee bin Ja’afar, Head of the Harmony Centre.

The talk was a stark reminder that terrorism is a real threat in Singapore and that we are not immune from religious extremism.

Reported by Dr Chiang Ming Shun