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©The Straits Times (Used by permission)
By Sue-Ann Chia

Lecturer learnt extremist ideology online; new phenomenon troubling: MHA

A YOUNG Muslim Singaporean law graduate has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for planning militant activities, after being influenced by radical ideas online.

He is part of what the Home Affairs Ministry yesterday described as a troubling new phenomenon of individuals who are 'self-radicalised' and not directly recruited by established terrorist groups.

Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader, 28, earned his law degree from the National University of Singapore. He practised law at a top firm here and later became a polytechnic lecturer.

His militant views were shaped by the Internet and last year, he left for a Middle East country to learn Arabic for communicating with 'mujahidin' fighters.

Very soon, the extremist propaganda on the Net so influenced him that he bought a plane ticket to Pakistan, where he planned to get training for a militant jihad or holy war and to go into Afghanistan and join the Taleban.

His plans were thwarted when he was arrested and detained in February this year.

In revealing his detention, the ministry also disclosed that four more Jemaah Islamiah (JI) members were nabbed recently. A fifth member had a restriction order, which requires him to get approval before changing jobs or going abroad. All five had been on the run since 2001.

But the most stunning piece of news to community leaders last night was the detention of 'self-radicalised' or DIY radical Abdul Basheer. A bright student, he studied at Raffles Institution and National Junior College, said sources.

The ministry said he began developing, from late 2004, 'the mindset that he had to wage militant jihad in a land where Muslims were under attack'.

'His views were shaped by the radical discourse that he avidly looked up on the Internet,' it added.

Last October, he left Singapore for a Middle East country, where he planned to live for two years to learn Arabic.

But in two months, he became so fired up by extremist propaganda on the Net that he decided to escalate his militant jihad plans immediately.

When arrested, he had bought the plane ticket to Pakistan, where he intended to contact a militant group - the Lashkar e-Tayyiba - that could help him train for the militant jihad and to cross over into Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taleban.

To facilitate his plans, he got help from a Singaporean friend, Muhamad Yassin Khan Muhamad Yunos, 30, who was issued with a restriction order in February.

'He was not only fully aware of Abdul Basheer's plans to wage militant jihad in Afghanistan, but had actively abetted it,' said the ministry.

He had also encouraged Abdul Basheer's jihad aspirations by suggesting how to get more funds for his activities.

The Internal Security Department has, in recent years, investigated a few Singaporeans drawn to terrorist and radical ideas in the mass media, particularly the Internet.

Community leaders and MPs interviewed were troubled by the phenomenon. Said Hong Kah GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad: 'This shows we are a lot more vulnerable than we thought, and the role of the new media is quite apparent.'

But they are confident community ties, which have strengthened since the first wave of terrorism-related arrests in 2001, will not be strained by this development. They are also not alarmed as it shows the vigilance of security agencies here.

There are now 34 people detained under the ISA for terrorism activities.

TERROR SUSPECT'S ARREST: Lawyer's profile takes leaders by surprise

By Keith Lin

Abdul Basheer developed wayward beliefs because the Net was his only guide to Islam, says Ustaz Azmi

HE JUST did not fit the bill. Almost to a man, community leaders and MPs reacted with disbelief to the news of the arrest of Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader for pursuing militant activities after being influenced by what he read on the Internet.

The 28-year-old is a well-educated Muslim lawyer.

'He's just not the kind of profile you would expect,' said MP Zaqy Mohamad. 'You would think that those who are well-educated and have good careers would be more rational.'

His arrest, Mr Zaqy added, shows that people need to understand that there is a distinction between 'being well-educated and having a good understanding of the religion'.

However, many were also quick to point out that they felt reassured as the arrest shows the authorities were vigilant enough to stop him before he created mayhem.

They also do not think there will be a backlash against the Muslim community because of the stronger inter-community ties across the races and religions that have been cultivated since the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) arrests in 2001.

Said Taoist Federation chairman Tan Thiam Lye: 'As long as the different religious groups continue to communicate regularly, and their leaders monitor closely the activities of their followers, things will be all right.'

Yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs said Abdul Basheer had been detained under the Internal Security Act since February.

A former polytechnic lecturer, he had been influenced by radical discourse on the Internet and left for a Middle East country last year.

When he was arrested, he had bought a plane ticket to Pakistan, where he intended to get training from a militant group and go across to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taleban.

MPs like Mr Sam Tan were concerned that the ubiquitous nature of the Internet made radical Islamic views freely available to all.

Abdul Basheer's arrest is a sobering reminder that deviant teachings 'have taken on a more high-tech form and can reach out to unsuspecting people', he added.

This easy access has contributed to self-radicalisation becoming an international threat, said Dr John Harrison, head of terrorism research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

'People can just go into chatrooms and find like-minded Singaporeans and all the tools, like training manuals, to put together a fairly comprehensive attack plan, if necessary,' Dr Harrison said.

Ustaz Azmi Abdul Samad, a teacher on Islam, believes that Abdul Basheer developed wayward beliefs because he had used information on the Net as his only guide to Islam.

Such an approach is wrong, he added. 'It is not sufficient to study Islam, but Muslims should also seek further clarification from religious leaders and teachers on what are the correct practices.'

Agreeing, community leaders said the key to weeding out such views was education.

Mr Zaqy suggested making religious leaders more accessible to the Muslim community and being a 'reference point' for people to consult when they have doubts.

But the wider population needs to be better informed as well, said Brother Michael Broughton of the Inter-Religious Organisation.

He urged schools to make IT education a priority in their curriculum, so that students will be more discerning of the perils of the Internet.

'Media literacy is still not the foremost priority in Singapore's education system,' said Brother Broughton, who is a deputy principal of St Joseph's Institution.

'It usually surrounds pornography and drugs, but there are still many hate websites which can be freely accessed, and we have to be aware of the dangers.'

Community leaders and security analysts also reacted to the arrest of four JI members, saying it showed the terror network is still a danger to Singapore.

Said NTU's Dr Harrison: 'The message sent is that JI is still operational in Singapore, and the Government is doing well to contain that threat.'

But to effectively address the threat, more needs to be done at the ground level, such as stepping up efforts to boost inter-community ties, said Mr Joe Conceicao, a former MP and diplomat.

'The strengthening has to go further and the understanding has to be more profound...so that we can dissipate any bad effects that can come about in the event that terror strikes do occur,' he added.

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