*When small Muslim children are called terrorists*
‘Oh this is a one-off incident. There is not much racism in Singapore.’
*When girls in hijabs are attacked*
‘Let’s not make a mountain of a molehill. This is just one person.’
*When a person is denied employment because of her race and religion*
‘This is bad judgment by an individual. Racism is not rampant.’
*When a politician suggests fencing off foreign workers*
‘This is one misquoted statement. She gets along well with foreign workers in her ward. Let’s not make a big deal out of this.’
*When a person is adjudged to be lazy solely because of his/her race*
‘Oh this is not widespread. People are generally racially tolerant.’
*When a lady who calls out racists is attacked for the colour of her skin*
‘Oh those are just social media trolls. People are in actuality race-blind.’
*When people are denied opportunities because of their faith*
‘Oh this is just pragmatism. Minorities shouldn’t complain too much. Racism is not a major issue.’
*When clear-cut, indefensible racist incidents take place*
‘Racism exists everywhere.’
—–
*When a couple of teenagers express support for terrorist groups*
‘This shows that terrorism is a major problem. We need to ensure that our entire social fabric is intact, and is not affected by self-radicalized individuals. This is a clear and present danger to the harmony of our country, and we must spare no effort to tackle this issue. If left unchecked, this scourge could destroy everything that we have ever achieved.’
Source: Walid J. Abdullah
