Mosques remain safe, sacred places: Muis chief

Mosques here will continue to strengthen their emergency preparedness, even as their leaders reassure congregants that they remain safe and sacred spaces, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) chief executive Esa Masood said yesterday.

At an investiture session for mosque management board members, he encouraged mosque leaders to also intensify efforts to partner other organisations in serving the community.

"As mosque leaders, you play a vital role in reassuring our Jemaah (congregation) that our mosques continue to be safe, sacred spaces for our children, our parents, our family, our friends and neighbours," said Mr Esa, who was speaking at the Abdul Gafoor Mosque in Dunlop Street.

"Going forward, we will continue to strengthen and emphasise strengthening our emergency preparedness capabilities to ensure we are prepared."

Muis said mosques here have been building up their emergency preparedness capabilities since 2017.

Mr Esa's remarks come after the disclosure of a plot by a Protestant Christian youth to attack Muslims at two mosques here - Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands and Assyafaah Mosque in Sembawang.

The 16-year-old Singaporean of Indian ethnicity has been detained under the Internal Security Act.

Last Thursday, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said that places of worship should not be turned into fortresses but remain welcoming and open.

He also called on the wider community to instead counter radical ideologies by educating young people against far-right extremism.

Mr Esa, in his address, said the community condemns all acts of terror and violence. "These have no place in any religion, and such acts aim to tear communities apart."

Noting the arrest of the teen, he said: "Truly, this is a grim reminder of the threat of online radicalisation, and with social media pervading our lives, it brings the danger of extremist ideologies into our homes, and which can misguide individuals, especially our youth."

He also affirmed the close bonds among faith groups in Singapore.

"Indeed, the day after the news broke, we welcomed Christian leaders to our mosque to reaffirm our ties of friendship, and signal that threats of violence will not tear us apart as a society," said Mr Esa.

"Most importantly, we can take comfort that the case is an isolated incident, and that our security agencies were able to detect it early."

He stressed that the ties built by mosques and the community around them, including grassroots organisations and other faith groups in their neighbourhood, are "extremely vital in times of peace so that we can stand together in challenging times".

"When there are threats to our social fabric such as this planned attack, we need to close ranks and be strong together, and never allow the message of hate to tear us apart," he added.