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Armed soldiers guard the entrance to a Singapore detention center where a number of alleged terrorist suspects are being held, Thursday, September 19, 2002
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By
Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, September 19 (IslamOnline) - The Muslim community in Singapore
felt increased pressure after the announcement that 21 Muslim
Singaporeans were arrested last August on grounds of terrorism and
association with separatists in the region.
The
Singaporean home ministry this week said it would release further
information on the arrests of the 21 said to be members of the Jemaah
Islamiah (JI), a group soon to be listed as an international terror
organization by Washington.
Internal
security and an attempt to dismantle suspected “terror groups” in
the South East Asian region are reasons that would be given for the
arrests, IslamOnline was told.
However,
the arrests have brought more strain to the Muslims and fears are that
the thin fabric of racial harmony existing in Singapore might be put
to test.
The
Straits Times newspaper said the arrests has caused shock and
disappointment in the country at large, leading observers to weight
the consequences of such arrests under the disputed Internal Security
Act (ISA).
“Muslims
are not happy to be put in the spotlight again with these arrests,”
IslamOnline was told.
The
Straits Times itself said the underlying anxiety for most, however,
was about how this wave of arrests would affect Muslims in the country
and the way non-Muslims perceive them.
“Arrests
under the ISA do not help anymore. There must be transparency. Proof
must be given to the public on why they were arrested,” a
businessman involved in car sales in Singapore said when contacted by
email.
He
said that if the regime in Singapore continues to arrests Muslims and
associates them with terror organizations, there would be an
impression in Singapore that “All Muslims are terrorists.”
In
Singapore, the social composition is such that Muslims are easy prey
to criticism for their lifestyle. For example, the authorities are
finding it impossible to accommodate Muslim girls wearing scarf in
schools.
Restaurants
and hotels are being “forced” to carry ‘halal’ logos in their
premises in order to accommodate a community of around half a million
people in a country of 4 million.
The
government also believes that Muslims must be grateful for the
opportunities they are given in business and at employment levels, and
that they should merge in the society rather than standing apart.
However,
many in the Muslim community believes life will be more difficult for
them in the ongoing “war against terror” label brandished every
time there is an ISA arrest in Singapore.
Non-Muslims
also believe Muslims should rally behind the regime in order to help
ease the growing tension in the country. Muslims in Singapore are
mostly of Malay origin, with family and business links to Malaysia and
Indonesia.
Most
of them are employed in government departments while a smaller
percentage of the community is involved in business.
Rozlan
Giri, chief executive officer of self-help group Mendaki told the
Straits Times: “I think it would be helpful if non-Muslims don’t
make us defensive about our faith. Please know and understand that the
anxieties you face are identical to our anxieties, as terrorism is a
common threat.”
This
indicated the grave concern the current situation is having on the
social fabric of the rich but tiny island off the coast of Johor
Bahru, Malaysia.
In
December 2001, 15 JI members were arrested under the ISA. Singapore
has also urged neighboring nations to tackle terrorism and extremism
in order to prevent the “ills to spill on its soil.”
