July 29, 2016•Update: July 29, 2016
By Kirsten Han
SINGAPORE
Two Singaporean men accused of radicalization and terrorism-related activities have been served with two-year detention orders under the country's Internal Security Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced Friday.
Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, 44, was arrested and detained in July 2016. According to the ministry, he began to be radicalized in 2001 after reading extremist material, and continued following radical ideology even after relocating his family to Australia the following year.
He has been accused of publishing numerous posts on social media "glorifying and promoting ISIS [Daesh] and their violent actions, while exploiting religion to legitimize the terrorist activities of ISIS," the ministry said in a statement.
"I wonder how long it will take before Muslim leaders declare we should defend Palestinians, the Rohingya or any other Muslims who are massacred. They are unable to defend themselves. Do we wait until they are all killed before we act?" he wrote in a Facebook post reproduced by local broadsheet The Straits Times.
"One day soon, we will run out of excuses. And join the jihad. May Allah grant us the courage and guidance to do what needs to be done," he wrote in another post, also republished by The Straits Times.
According to the ministry, Zulfikar has admitted that he created the Facebook page "Al-Makhazin Singapore" so that he could use it as a platform "to provoke Muslims in Singapore into pushing for the replacement of the democratic system with an Islamic state".
He is accused of contributing to the radicalization of at least two other Singaporeans: Muhammad Shamin bin Mohamed Sidik, who has already been detained for terrorism-related activities, and Mohamed Saiddhin bin Abdullah, who has been issued a Restriction Order.
"At times [Zulfikar] has tried to hide his real motivations, by putting out moderate sounding views. But in reality, he believes in the use of violence to overthrow the democratic system of government, and the imposition of an Islamic caliphate. He continues to support ISIS, and wants Singaporeans to do the same," the ministry said in its statement.
"The Government takes a very serious view of efforts to undermine Singapore's constitutional democracy, and will take firm and decisive action against any person who engages in such activities."
The ministry said that it also re-detained 27-year-old Muhammad Fadil bin Abdul Hamid in April this year.
Fadil had previously been detained under the Internal Security Act from 2010 to 2012; the authorities said he had intended to join the armed conflict in Afghanistan.
The ministry said that upon his release, Fadil eventually fell under the influence of radical material once more, and "reverted to the belief that militant jihad was the easiest way to achieve martyrdom".
"He had to be detained to prevent him from pursuing his violent agenda," the ministry claimed.
In its statement, the ministry also said that a restriction order for a period of two years had been issued to a 17-year-old male Singaporean who had allegedly been radicalized online. The ministry has also released a 37-year-old man from detention after he was deemed no longer a security threat, and allowed the restriction order against a 35-year-old former member of Jemaah Islamiyah to lapse.
Detention orders can be issued by the Minister of Home Affairs, allowing the state to hold an individual in detention without trial. The orders can be renewed an unlimited number of times.
Restriction orders place limits upon an individual's movements. For example, an individual served with a restriction order is not allowed to change his residence or employment, or travel out of Singapore, without clearance from the director of Singapore's Internal Security Department.
The individual is also prohibited from issuing public statements, or being a member of any organization or group, without the approval of the Department.
The Internal Security Act has been criticized by human rights activists in Singapore, and the government accused of using the law to quash dissent.
In 1987, social workers, lawyers and activists were detained under the Internal Security Act and accused of being engaged in a "Marxist Conspiracy".
Although some of the detainees made public confessions -- which they later said were made under duress -- none of them were charged in court, and no evidence of a conspiracy ever produced.
