The conflict in Syria now in its third year
is a security concern for many countries, including Singapore, deputy prime
minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament on Wednesday.
The
government already knows of Singaporeans who have gone there to take part in
the conflict or who have plans to do so, he added.
He
revealed that a Singaporean woman is believed to have gone to Syria with her
foreign husband and their two teenage children.
"The
whole family is taking part in the conflict in various ways, either joining the
terrorist groups to fight, or providing aid and support to the fighters,"
he said.
Earlier
this year, the home affairs ministry disclosed it was investigating another
Singaporean, Haja Fakkurudeen Usman Ali, 37, for allegedly going to Syria with
the intention of taking part in armed violence there.
Teo
said that the naturalised Singapore citizen of Indian origin had also taken his
wife and three children, then aged between 2 and 11, with him.
Several
other Singaporeans had also intended to take up arms in Syria, but were
detained before they could do so. There are also others who have
"expressed interest" to do so, who are under investigation.
In
Malaysia and Indonesia, there had also been those who joined the armed conflict
in Syria and Iraq, which is being rocked by an uprising of an extremist Sunni
group trying to carve out a purist Islamic state across both sides of the
Syria-Iraq border.
Teo
said: "The presence of former foreign fighters in our region - whether
they originate from Southeast Asia or elsewhere, is a security threat to us.
This threat is magnified if these returnee fighters are Singaporeans."
Drawing
parallels with the Soviet-Afghan war in the 1980s, he said that the al-Qaeda
terrorist organisation was spawned from that conflict, which had also attracted
scores of foreign fighters.
And the
al-Qaeda had planned attacks on Singapore after the September 11 terrorist
attacks in the US in 2001, through the regional terrorist organisation Jemaah
Islamiyah (JI), he noted.
"Foreign
fighters in Syria may similarly return from conflict proficient in terrorist
activities in their home countries or overseas or provide logistical help to
those they have befriended in Syria," said Teo.
Another
worry is the impact of this on social cohesion, he added.
If
support for the fighting in Syria becomes more widespread, he said, it could
cause "disquiet on the ground" and mistrust between different
communities.
To
guard against these threats, Singapore will "continue to investigate persons
who intend to engage in violence overseas, so as to prevent them from posing a
security threat to Singapore and their fellow citizens", said Teo.
The
government will also work with religious leaders and community groups to
counter the radical propaganda used by terrorists to recruit fighters.
Said
Teo: "At the core of the issue is an ideological battle, between those who
distort Islam for their violent political ends, and those who uphold the tenets
of Islam as a religion of peace."
His
speech comes amid growing concern about foreigners, especially from Europe and
the United States, travelling to Syria to join rebels in their fight against
President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Teo
noted that the internet and social media had been a "game-changer" in
the conflict, allowing extremists to market their cause and also recruit
foreigners to fight.
Some
extremists have also been posting selfies online, attracting young people
through the "jihad cool" factor, he said.
He
urged Singaporeans to keep a lookout for family members and friends, and to
bring them to the attention of authorities if there are any signs of them
becoming radicalised.
"By
intervening early...(we) would be saving these individuals from taking a course
of action that would have caused them and others harm," he said.
Singaporeans
who want to help Syrian civilians who are victims of the violence, should check
with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis, to see if
humanitarian organisations they are donating to are bona fide, and not just
fronts for extremists to raise funds, he added.
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