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Tag: Syria

  • 2 Self-Radicalised Singaporeans Detained Under Internal Security Act

    2 Self-Radicalised Singaporeans Detained Under Internal Security Act

    Two self-radicalised Singaporeans have been detained under the Internal Security Act for involvement in terrorism-related activities, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced on Wednesday (Sep 30).

    Muhammad Shamin Mohamed Sidek, 29, and Muhammad Harith Jailani, 18, were detained in August this year. Investigations showed that they had harboured the intention to make their way to Syria to join the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and engage in violence there, MHA said.

    Shamin was influenced by ISIS’s online radical propaganda and was earlier convicted and sentenced to three months’ jail under Section 267C of the Penal Code for inciting religious violence through his pro-ISIS postings on social media. MHA said he continued to express support for ISIS throughout his three-month imprisonment and was thus arrested under the ISA in July this year to assess if he posed a threat to Singapore’s security.

    Subsequent investigations by the Internal Security Department showed that Shamin planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS once he had raised enough money to fund the trip.

    Shamin had also decided that if he was unable to join ISIS, he would consider fighting alongside a regional militant group that he considered to be aligned with ISIS. “He was undeterred by his arrest under the ISA and said he would pursue his plans to join ISIS after his release from detention. Shamin said he was prepared to die in the course of defending the ‘caliphate’ that was declared by ISIS,” MHA added.

    Like Shamin, 18-year-old Harith was radicalised by online propaganda put up by ISIS. He harboured the intention to carry out armed attacks for the terrorist group, MHA said. “He was prepared to be trained by ISIS to fight and kill the group’s enemies, and to die in the process so that he would receive divine rewards for dying as a martyr.”

    Harith had collected information on how he could travel to Syria and also tried to radicalise those around him to support ISIS’ cause in an attempt to recruit them to join ISIS together with him.

    The detentions of Shamin and Harith underline the “persistent ISIS threat” and the threat posed by self-radicalised Singaporeans, MHA said. The ministry noted that a few of the
    Singaporeans who have been detained had even been prepared to carry out terrorist attacks in Singapore.

    “The Government takes a very serious view of any form of support for terrorism, including but not limited to the use of violence, and will take firm and decisive action against any person who engages in such activities,” the ministry said.

    It encourages those who are aware that someone is involved in terrorism-related activities, or who see suspicious activities to promptly inform the Internal Security Department (1800-2626-473) or call the Police (999).

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Kepala Komandan IS Dipenggal Kerana Sering Goda Isteri Orang Bawahan

    Kepala Komandan IS Dipenggal Kerana Sering Goda Isteri Orang Bawahan

    KUALA LUMPUR: Akibat sering mengganggu isteri kepada anggota bawahan, seorang ketua atau komandan militan Negara Islam (IS) telah dipenggal kepalanya.

    Anggota kumpulan militan tersebut bagaimanapun kini berada dalam pelarian kerana bimbang diambil tindakan oleh penyokong-penyokong tegar ketuanya.

    Kejadian yang dilaporkan Iraqi News itu berlaku di Sharqat, Salah al-Din yang terletak di utara Baghdad dan memetik memetik sumber yang enggan didedahkan identitinya.

    Menurut ceritanya, anggota IS yang berusia 28 tahun dan berasal dari Iraq itu mengetahui bahawa isterinya sering digoda komandan tersebut setiap kali dia meninggalkan kediaman untuk bertempur di medan perang.

    Beberapa hari lalu sejurus pulang, dia nekad berdepan dengan ketuanya itu untuk bertanyakan tentang masalah tersebut. Pertemuan itu tidak berakhir dengan baik apabila kepala ketuanya telah dipenggal.

    Berikutan kejadian mengejutkan itu, pihak IS telah mengeluarkan perintah untuk menangkap lelaki berkenaan, sama ada hidup atau mati, dan dibawa kembali ke markas IS di Sharqat.

    Sharqat merupakan kubu kuat IS di wilayah Salah-al-Din sejak berjaya ditakluk pada Jun 2014.

    Sementara itu, nasib isteri anggota IS berkenaan tidak diketahui. Secara umumnya, walaupun golongan wanita tidak dilayan dengan baik dalam IS, masih ramai wanita dari negara luar yang tertarik untuk menyertai kumpulan militan itu.

     

    Source: www.astroawani.com

  • Baby With Birth Mark Spelling “Allah” Born In Refugee Camp

    Baby With Birth Mark Spelling “Allah” Born In Refugee Camp

    Suruc| A couple of Syrian refugees living in a Red Crescent camp in Turkey, have given birth to a baby bearing a unique birthmark on his forehead: the name of Allah in Arabic characters.

     

    Hussein and Amira Qabbani fled Syria in June 2015, after their house was destroyed by an artillery shell, during some combat between ISIS and the Syrian army. Ms. Qabbani was already pregnant at the time, but she still walked more than 360 kilometers with her husband to reach the Turkish border.

    The couple gave birth young boy, on Tuesday night, inside their tent of the Red Crescent refugee camp. The news of the young boy’s distinctive birthmark rapidly spread across the camp and even across the country, attracting attention from the Turkish media.

    allahbaby2

    The birth of Mohammad as rapidly become a symbol of hope for the refugees, who have welcomed him as a message from the All-Mighty.

    “This young boy is the living proof that Allah hasn’t abandoned us,” says Farid al-Nouri, another refugee. “It shows that despite all the horrors surrounding us, Allah is still watching over us.”

    Other refugees from the camp, however, have criticized the media for giving so much attention to the Mohammad’s story while ignoring the misery of the other refugees.

    “The journalists come here to see the baby, and they completely ignore the rest of us,” says Duraid Rezk, who has been in the camp for 16 months. “They don’t want to know that we have nothing to eat or that we are sick… al they want to see is the young boy.”

    Dozens of journalists from around the Mulism world and even from Western countries, have indeed invaded the refugee camp of the last few days, and most of their reports talked almost exclusively of the young boy.

    refugee

    Since they appeared in the media, the Qabbanis have been handed a 3-year residence visa from the Turkish government, they have received lots of gifts from would-be sponsors and were presented with various financial and professional offers.

    The couple declared this morning that they were “very happy to leave the refugee camp for a more regular life” with their son, even if it broke their heart to leave many of their friends and family behind.

     

    Source: http://worldnewsdailyreport.com

  • What Drives People To Join Extremist Groups?

    What Drives People To Join Extremist Groups?

    Militant groups such as the Islamic State (IS) can offer direction and a certain meaning in life that some people crave, said Professor Andrew Silke from the University of East London, where he is programme director for Terrorism Studies. Prof Silke, who serves as a counterterrorism consultant to government agencies in Britain and America, is in Singapore to give a lecture at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies. In this interview with TODAY, he examines the appeal of IS and suggests ways to deal with returning fighters.

    What is the draw of the Islamic State? In particular, why does it appeal to young people even from developed countries?

    The appeal is based on a range of factors. For some, it is a sense of adventure and excitement. For others, it provides a strong sense of identity and belonging. To the people attracted, IS can offer a powerful sense that you are doing something meaningful and that you matter. The reality, of course, when people get there can be much harsher and very different. But for young people looking for meaning and direction in their lives, IS can appear to offer answers and certainty.

    There have been many instances of young women in their teens being radicalised by the Islamic State and travelling to the conflict areas for marriage. What drives them?

    The Islamic State offers clarity, certainty and a clear sense of belonging and meaning. That can be very, very attractive to young people, who are often searching for a clear sense of identity and a quest for significance and acceptance. In its propaganda, IS offers all these and more.

    What is the typical psychological state of a jihadist who has returned after fighting? Is it euphoria and a sense of accomplishment or emptiness as the “mission” has ended?

    Most are tired and have no intention of trying to continue the conflict elsewhere. Probably fewer than 10 per cent have a serious interest in further violence. Some are disillusioned by their experiences. The conflict was not the noble, heroic adventure they expected. The group they were fighting for also failed to live up to expectations. Some suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other problems as a result of what they have seen or done. Many are anxious about their future and what will happen if they are identified by the authorities as a returning fighter.

    How should countries rehabilitate jihadist returnees? How do we strike a balance between the carrot (counselling, making them feel less marginalised) and the stick (stronger legislation to “punish” them)?

    This is a very tough question and one that the United Kingdom, for example, is really struggling with today. About 600 UK citizens have travelled to fight with the Islamic State. Many have already returned and some of those have been imprisoned. Others have tried to travel and have been stopped and imprisoned too.

    I think we need a balanced approach. We should offer a route out for people who have changed their minds and are desperate to leave IS. Some people remain in Syria mainly because they think they will be imprisoned if they try to return home. There are disengagement and counter-radicalisation programmes these people can do which can help them leave without having to face years in prison. But we also need to recognise that there will be highly radicalised individuals who are extremely committed to the IS cause, and prison is a legitimate and sensible option for them.

    From the macro policy perspective, what are the most vital measures governments should take to prevent the radicalisation of individuals?

    First, I think we need to accept that you cannot have a society that is completely free of extremism and if your focus is to try to eliminate all extremism, you are setting yourself up for failure. Only totalitarian regimes can have such ambitions and who would want to live in that type of society?

    Second, we need to be careful about claiming radicalisation is the result of one factor. The UK government, for example, is pushing the view that extreme ideology is the primary cause of radicalisation. It is convenient to blame ideology because the role of other factors such as discrimination, marginalisation and foreign policy get pushed to the side.

    The counterterrorism effort starts to focus increasingly on only countering the ideology and expecting that that will be the solution.

    Research shows us that a range of factors drives radicalisation and that identity issues, for example, are more important than ideology in explaining how and why young people become radicalised.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Malaysia Arrests 10 Suspected Of ISIS Links

    Malaysia Arrests 10 Suspected Of ISIS Links

    KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian police on Thursday said they had arrested and were investigating 10 Malaysians suspected of links to Islamic State, among them six members of the country’s security forces.

    Although the Southeast Asian country has not seen any significant militant attacks, it has arrested nearly 100 citizens this year on suspicion of links to Islamic State. Authorities have identified 39 Malaysians in Syria and Iraq.

    “They are suspected to be involved in activities to promote the Islamic State ideology,” police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement announcing the arrests.

    These activities ranged from raising funds for the movement to recruiting Malaysians and planning to buy weapons for an attack in Malaysia, he added, but gave no details.

    The suspects, who included two women and two civil servants, were arrested following an operation launched by the police anti-terrorism unit in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and five Malaysian states, the statement added.

    A police spokeswoman did not immediately respond to telephone calls seeking comment.

    Malaysian militants have used Facebook and other social media sites to lure recruits, attracting thousands of followers online.

    Recruits now include young women and families, with domestic news reporting that a family of four had traveled to Syria, while a Malaysian female doctor’s posts on Facebook on her life as a militant’s wife in Syria have attracted wide attention.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com