Singapore takes action against former citizen for inciting racial tensions

Key Concepts

• Racial and Religious Harmony: The central theme of the transcript, referring to the peaceful coexistence of different racial and religious groups in Singapore.
• Incitement of Racial Tensions: The act of provoking hostility or conflict between racial or religious groups.
• Internal Security Act (ISA): A Singaporean law that allows for detention without trial to prevent subversion, sabotage, or threats to national security.
• Radicalization: The process by which an individual or group comes to adopt extremist beliefs and ideologies.
• Social Cohesion: The degree to which members of a society are united by shared values, beliefs, and behaviors.
• 0 Tolerance Approach: Singapore's policy of not tolerating any form of incitement to racial or religious hatred.
• Sharia Law: Islamic law derived from the Quran and the Sunnah.
• Secular and Democratic State: A state that is not based on religious principles and operates under democratic governance.

Singapore's Action Against Online Incitement

Singapore has taken decisive action against former citizen Mohamed Sharaf, now an Australian citizen, by ordering social media platforms TikTok and Meta to disable his accounts. This directive stems from Sharaf's repeated posts that the Ministry of Home Affairs deems as inciting racial tensions and stirring discontent within the local Malay-Muslim community against Singapore's Chinese community.

Nature of Mohamed Sharaf's Content

Mohamed Sharaf's social media content is characterized by:

• Inflammatory Posts: He frequently posted content that incited hatred, hostility, and ridicule targeting different racial and religious groups in Singapore.
• False Claims: In a June video, Sharaf falsely claimed that Malay Muslims were "forced to move away from Islam in assimilate into the Chinese community."
• Narrative of Exploitation: His posts painted a narrative of the Malay-Muslim community feeling exploited and dominated by the Chinese community.
• Threat to Harmony: The Home Affairs Ministry stated that Sharaf's content broke laws on religious harmony and threatened the trust built between the country's Malay-Muslim and Chinese communities.

Implications for Singapore's Social Fabric

The transcript highlights the severe implications of such content for Singapore's social cohesion and national stability:

• Risk of Radicalization: The narrative of exploitation and domination can lead to radicalization, a phenomenon observed globally where communities feel threatened, leading to defensiveness and divisiveness.
• Undermining Social Cohesion: The Home Affairs Ministry emphasized that such divisiveness is unhealthy for Singapore's social cohesion and has implications for the nation's stability.
• Destroying Multicultural Fabric: Associate Professor Faisal, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, stated that Sharaf's posts seek to destroy the fabric of Singapore's multicultural society, which Singaporeans have toiled for decades to build.

Legal and Historical Context

Mohamed Sharaf has a history of concerning activities:

• Detention under ISA (2016): He was previously detained under Singapore's Internal Security Act (ISA) for promoting terrorism and glorifying ISIS online.
• Contribution to Radicalization: At the time of his detention, he admitted his actions contributed to the radicalization of at least two other Singaporeans.
• Advocacy for Islamic State: He called on Muslims to reject Singapore's constitution, secular, and democratic state in favor of an Islamic state governed by Sharia law, believing violence could be used to achieve this.
• Renunciation of Citizenship: Sharaf renounced his Singapore citizenship in 2020 and is now an Australian citizen.
• Interference in Elections (April 2023): He identified himself as a foreigner attempting to influence Singapore's general election by operating under a different Facebook name. He accused several Malay MPs of failing to represent the community's interests and claimed they did not reflect the community's views.
• Elections Department Warning: The Elections Department issued a statement warning against mixing religion and politics and directed platforms to disable Singaporean access to his posts.
• Police Investigations: The police have initiated investigations into Sharaf's conduct.

Singapore's Stance and Call to Action

Singapore maintains a firm stance against incitement and emphasizes the importance of preserving its hard-won harmony:

• 0 Tolerance Approach: Singapore has a "0 tolerance approach towards issuing into rushing to read religious incitement."
• Reaffirming Position: The government's action reaffirms Singapore's commitment to racial harmony.
• Call for Protection of Peace: Singaporeans are urged to continue protecting the peace, trust, and unity of their society.

Conclusion

The actions taken against Mohamed Sharaf underscore Singapore's unwavering commitment to maintaining racial and religious harmony. The government views online incitement as a direct threat to the nation's social cohesion and stability, employing legal measures and platform directives to counter such harmful content. The case highlights the delicate balance Singapore strives to maintain in its multicultural society and the collective responsibility of its citizens to safeguard the peace and unity that have been painstakingly built over decades.