Chitchat Terrorists Win If Sinkies Distrust Muslims Just Because Most Terrorists Are

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:



SINGAPORE: While the state of inter-racial and inter-faith ties in Singapore may be “much better” than in other places, it is still important to guard against a “trust deficit” caused by terrorist incidents in the last few years, said Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday (Jul 22).

“The terrorists win if Islamophobia grows,” said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Minister for Law. “If the trust deficit widens in Singapore, if there are deep rifts and if the day after an attack, we start pointing fingers at the Muslim community, then the terrorists have won.”

Mr Shanmugam was speaking to the media after a youth forum on countering violent extremism organised by the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group (ACG).

The minister said the closed session, which involved about 200 Muslim youths, saw them raising concerns to do with a range of topics including Islamophobia.

Mr Shanmugam said his central message to the youths was that Singapore is in a better place compared to others because of its policies and approach to integration.

“The majority trust each other. We work with each other, we live with each other, stay in housing estates,” he said.


"However, at the same time, it behooves to recognise that there is some trust deficit and the attacks around the world – from terrorist incidents over the last few years to the constant highlighting in headlines - has impacted a little bit on the trust.

"We’re in a better place than others, but this is something we need to watch out for," he added.

Mr Shanmugam said this is why Singapore needs to double its efforts in engagement sessions, both with the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

“In Singapore, we have created something special. How can we maintain it?” said Mr Shanmugam.

MARAWI SITUATION “HEIGHTENS THE THREAT”: SHANMUGAM

On Saturday, Mr Shanmugam also responded to media questions about a recent report released by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, which looked into the ongoing battle for Marawi city between terrorist militants and the Philippine military.

The report cited a message issued out of the Philippine city, calling for attacks to the territories of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Philippines, China, Burma and Thailand, which they said are ruled by kafirs or non-believers.

Mr Shanmugam said while there is no intelligence to suggest a specific threat from Marawi, the situation does not help because it heightens the terror threat.

The report also stated that the battle is likely to have long-term repercussions for extremism in Southeast Asia, even after the Philippine military regains control of the city.

“We also have got to get the message across that everybody needs to be prepared to protect (themselves). What will you do if you are caught in the middle of a situation?

"And the forces need to be ready. We have put them on the ground. We are increasing them pretty much on a regular basis, training them. So we've identified this and we have been working for a while,” said Mr Shanmugam.
"Marawi specifically doesn’t increase or change our response. But it confirms our belief that the threat is high," he added.

Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...rorist-9054782


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