New guidebook, helpline to help counter ISIS threat in Singapore

A new guidebook introduced by the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) was presented to Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean at RRG's retreat lunch on Tuesday.

With the aim of helping counselors refute ISIS's extremist narratives and pointing out how they are not relevant to Muslims, especially those in Singapore, the guidebook will be used by RRG members as guidelines to re-educate clients and the youth who have been influenced by ISIS.

The guidebook, the third counseling manual produced by RRG, provides an overview of the threat posed by ISIS and radicalization, highlights possible counter-narratives that counselors can use to guide radicalized individuals, as well as explores methods to further future steps to mitigate the threat of radicalization and its effects on the community.

Meanwhile, a helpline was introduced for the public to call if they have questions related to issues on radicalization, or aspects of religion which can potentially lead one to be radical. The helpline will be operational from early next month, and more details will be revealed.

A 19-year-old self-radicalized Singaporean student was detained in April under the Internal Security Act. The student had made plans to join ISIS, and had also planned to carry out terrorist attacks in the city state, including the assassination of President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Another 17-year-old was arrested in May for further investigations. These two cases highlighted the urgent need to deal with the ISIS threat, said Singapore's Home Affairs Minister.

Teo urged the community to work together to protect the youths from radical ideology, and suggested community groups to reach out to young people to better tackle concerns of terrorism. Endi