The Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that Singaporean Murad bin Mohd Said (Murad), a 46-year-old freelance religious teacher, was placed on a Restriction Order* (RO) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on 5 December 2018.
Murad’s accreditation under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) had been cancelled by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) in May 2018 for his propagation of segregationist ideologies that contravened the ARS Code of Ethics.
A RO was issued because Murad propagated beliefs promoting violence and views detrimental to the cohesion of Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious society. He taught that it was compulsory to kill apostates, defined broadly to include non-believers, Sufis, Shi’ites, and Muslims who have renounced Islam or disregarded texts and rulings from the Quran and sunnah.
He also taught that Muslims were allowed to defend themselves by waging “armed jihad” against “infidels who persecuted them”. Murad also encouraged his students to withdraw from Singapore’s secular society, disregard secular laws and adhere to the rulings of shari'ah law instead. Even after his ARS Accreditation was cancelled, Murad continued to propagate his segregationist views online.
Murad’s binary “us versus them” worldview and violent teachings, which he propagated to his students and followers, could have led them to develop extremist views, as well as lead to inter- and intra-faith tensions. His statements on the primacy of shari'ah law over secular laws also undermine Singapore’s secular nation-state system, the ministry said.
The ministry further disclosed that Singaporean Razali bin Abas (Razali), a 56-year-old technician, was arrested under the ISA in September 2018. He was found to hold radical views concerning the use of armed violence against the perceived enemies of Islam.
Like many other radicalised individuals, Razali turned to religion after he became disillusioned with his lifestyle. Sometime in 2012, he was introduced to Murad and began attending the latter’s classes. The exclusivist religious teachings he received from the classes rendered him susceptible to the more radical and violent influences he later encountered on social media.
Over time, Razali became convinced that it was legitimate to kill those he felt were oppressors of Islam, including non-Muslims and Shi’ites. He began to seek out individuals with militant-looking profiles on Facebook, seeing them as “heroes” who were making sacrifices he could not make himself. Their posts also reinforced his belief in armed violence and his admiration and support for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda.
Razali was issued with a RO in October 2018 to prevent him from continuing his downward spiral into extremism.
MUIS said the case reinforces the need to remain vigilant against exclusivist and extremist teachings and the importance of the mandatory ARS to ensure that Muslims receive religious guidance only from certified religious teachers.
Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Senior Director of Religious Policy and Development in Muis said that this case is an example of individuals misrepresenting religious ideas by taking them out of context and fitting them into a radical agenda that promotes violence and killing.
For example, the Quran clearly promulgates freedom of belief and leaves it to the individual to accept the religion out of his or her own conscience. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called others to his faith through good words and deeds, and lived alongside non-Muslims as a single community in Madinah, KSA whose rights to their own beliefs and practices were protected by the Prophet through a covenant or social contract.
"The idea that apostates or non-believers can be killed is misguided and erroneous, and has been exploited by radical groups to justify their indiscriminate killings. There must be no place for such ideas in our multireligious society in Singapore," MUIS said in a statement.
Since 2017, MUIS has developed the Code of Ethics under the ARS to guide religious teachers appropriately. MUIS also works with the authorities to ensure objectionable materials which propagate such teachings are not used in religious classes in schools. This system has ensured that the community receives religious teachings and guidance compatible with Singapore’s context.
Ustaz Pasuni Maulan, Vice Chairman of the Asatizah Recognition Board, which manages the ARS together with Muis, said he was reassured that the Board and Muis are actively monitoring and engaging religious teachers and Islamic religious schools to ensure the Code of Ethics is put into practice, and would not hesitate to remove from the scheme any teachers who violate the Code. Such individuals would not be allowed to mislead the community, as these teachings are clearly incompatible with the values of the Muslim community, who are well-adjusted to Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious society.
Such was the case with Murad bin Mohd Said, who, despite being engaged by Muis and ARB, did not change his views. He was subsequently struck off the ARS register and not allowed to conduct classes in Singapore. In spite of this, Murad persisted in propagating his teachings.
When investigations into radicalised individual Razali bin Abas showed that Razali was influenced by Murad’s segregationist teachings, the authorities deemed that the case was serious enough for him to be issued a RO under the Internal Security Act.
Dr Nazirudin noted that the case is a clear reminder to the community that we should always seek guidance and teachings only from credible religious teachers and religious schools registered under the ARS, which has robust mechanisms in place to preserve and protect the religious life of the community.
The ministry also announced that a RO issued against Singaporean Mohd Jauhari bin Abdullah (Jauhari) was allowed to lapse upon its expiry on 14 September 2018. Jauhari was a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who was detained in September 2002 in the second phase of the Singapore JI arrests. He was released on RO in September 2012.
*A person issued with a RO must abide by several conditions and restrictions. For example, he is not permitted to change his residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore, without the prior approval of the Director ISD.
The individual issued with a RO also cannot issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute, contribute to any publication, hold office in, or be a member of any organisation, association or group without the prior approval of Director ISD.
Murad’s accreditation under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) had been cancelled by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) in May 2018 for his propagation of segregationist ideologies that contravened the ARS Code of Ethics.
A RO was issued because Murad propagated beliefs promoting violence and views detrimental to the cohesion of Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious society. He taught that it was compulsory to kill apostates, defined broadly to include non-believers, Sufis, Shi’ites, and Muslims who have renounced Islam or disregarded texts and rulings from the Quran and sunnah.
He also taught that Muslims were allowed to defend themselves by waging “armed jihad” against “infidels who persecuted them”. Murad also encouraged his students to withdraw from Singapore’s secular society, disregard secular laws and adhere to the rulings of shari'ah law instead. Even after his ARS Accreditation was cancelled, Murad continued to propagate his segregationist views online.
Murad’s binary “us versus them” worldview and violent teachings, which he propagated to his students and followers, could have led them to develop extremist views, as well as lead to inter- and intra-faith tensions. His statements on the primacy of shari'ah law over secular laws also undermine Singapore’s secular nation-state system, the ministry said.
The ministry further disclosed that Singaporean Razali bin Abas (Razali), a 56-year-old technician, was arrested under the ISA in September 2018. He was found to hold radical views concerning the use of armed violence against the perceived enemies of Islam.
Like many other radicalised individuals, Razali turned to religion after he became disillusioned with his lifestyle. Sometime in 2012, he was introduced to Murad and began attending the latter’s classes. The exclusivist religious teachings he received from the classes rendered him susceptible to the more radical and violent influences he later encountered on social media.
Over time, Razali became convinced that it was legitimate to kill those he felt were oppressors of Islam, including non-Muslims and Shi’ites. He began to seek out individuals with militant-looking profiles on Facebook, seeing them as “heroes” who were making sacrifices he could not make himself. Their posts also reinforced his belief in armed violence and his admiration and support for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda.
Razali was issued with a RO in October 2018 to prevent him from continuing his downward spiral into extremism.
MUIS said the case reinforces the need to remain vigilant against exclusivist and extremist teachings and the importance of the mandatory ARS to ensure that Muslims receive religious guidance only from certified religious teachers.
Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Senior Director of Religious Policy and Development in Muis said that this case is an example of individuals misrepresenting religious ideas by taking them out of context and fitting them into a radical agenda that promotes violence and killing.
For example, the Quran clearly promulgates freedom of belief and leaves it to the individual to accept the religion out of his or her own conscience. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) called others to his faith through good words and deeds, and lived alongside non-Muslims as a single community in Madinah, KSA whose rights to their own beliefs and practices were protected by the Prophet through a covenant or social contract.
"The idea that apostates or non-believers can be killed is misguided and erroneous, and has been exploited by radical groups to justify their indiscriminate killings. There must be no place for such ideas in our multireligious society in Singapore," MUIS said in a statement.
Since 2017, MUIS has developed the Code of Ethics under the ARS to guide religious teachers appropriately. MUIS also works with the authorities to ensure objectionable materials which propagate such teachings are not used in religious classes in schools. This system has ensured that the community receives religious teachings and guidance compatible with Singapore’s context.
Ustaz Pasuni Maulan, Vice Chairman of the Asatizah Recognition Board, which manages the ARS together with Muis, said he was reassured that the Board and Muis are actively monitoring and engaging religious teachers and Islamic religious schools to ensure the Code of Ethics is put into practice, and would not hesitate to remove from the scheme any teachers who violate the Code. Such individuals would not be allowed to mislead the community, as these teachings are clearly incompatible with the values of the Muslim community, who are well-adjusted to Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious society.
Such was the case with Murad bin Mohd Said, who, despite being engaged by Muis and ARB, did not change his views. He was subsequently struck off the ARS register and not allowed to conduct classes in Singapore. In spite of this, Murad persisted in propagating his teachings.
When investigations into radicalised individual Razali bin Abas showed that Razali was influenced by Murad’s segregationist teachings, the authorities deemed that the case was serious enough for him to be issued a RO under the Internal Security Act.
Dr Nazirudin noted that the case is a clear reminder to the community that we should always seek guidance and teachings only from credible religious teachers and religious schools registered under the ARS, which has robust mechanisms in place to preserve and protect the religious life of the community.
The ministry also announced that a RO issued against Singaporean Mohd Jauhari bin Abdullah (Jauhari) was allowed to lapse upon its expiry on 14 September 2018. Jauhari was a senior member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who was detained in September 2002 in the second phase of the Singapore JI arrests. He was released on RO in September 2012.
*A person issued with a RO must abide by several conditions and restrictions. For example, he is not permitted to change his residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore, without the prior approval of the Director ISD.
The individual issued with a RO also cannot issue public statements, address public meetings or print, distribute, contribute to any publication, hold office in, or be a member of any organisation, association or group without the prior approval of Director ISD.