St Joseph’s Church evacuated: Other recent incidents linked to places of worship in Singapore
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A suspicious item was found in St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah on the morning of Dec 21.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
SINGAPORE – Religious institutions in Singapore – one of the safest countries in the world – have in 2025 been the targets of a slew of incidents ranging from vandalism to threats, leading the authorities to step in amid renewed calls for vigilance.
Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said in November that such acts will not be tolerated
He warned that Singapore could face the same outcome if the nation is not careful in dealing with the issue.
1. Several mosques received suspicious parcels
A suspicious parcel was delivered to Al-Istiqamah Mosque
One person was taken to hospital for breathlessness.
Mr Shanmugam revealed on Sept 25 that the parcel had contained meat
He said this was not an isolated incident and that other mosques have also been affected in similar ways.
He added that regardless of the parcel’s contents, the act was inflammatory, and investigations were ongoing.
Said Mr Shanmugam: “Whatever the motive, this is playing with fire. We are treating this matter very seriously. We will deal firmly with anyone found responsible.”
He stressed that targeting a place of worship is completely unacceptable and Singapore has zero tolerance for such acts.
A Singaporean man was charged in a district court on Sept 27
He had allegedly mailed an envelope addressed to the mosque, which contained a piece of pork and a note that read “halal BaBi chop”.
He was also said to be involved in several cases at other mosques in Singapore.
2. Reported incidents include anti-Israel vulgarities in school toilets
Mr Shanmugam noted in November that there have been several instances of anti-Semitism in Singapore, which is “a worrying development”, citing separate incidents.
In September, some toilets in international schools with Jewish students were vandalised with anti-Israel vulgarities. In another incident in October, a Jewish man wearing a skullcap on his way to the synagogue in Waterloo Street heard a passing motorist shout “Free Palestine” at him.
The incidents followed in the wake of global tensions surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has been ongoing since October 2023
Mr Shanmugam said places of worship cannot be made into fortresses and are to be freely accessible.
“But at the same time, Singaporeans of all faiths should be able to go about their lives feeling safe and secure. That’s really part of the cohesive and harmonious society that has taken us decades to build,” he added.
3. Teenager planned to kill at least 100 Muslims at five mosques across island
On April 2, the Internal Security Department (ISD) revealed it had thwarted plans made by a 17-year-old Singaporean boy
The teenager was said to have been inspired by the shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March 2019 that saw 51 Muslims murdered.
In June 2024, he shortlisted five mosques for attack – Masjid Maarof in Jurong West, Masjid Jamek Queenstown in Margaret Drive, Masjid Darussalam in Clementi, Masjid An-Nur in Admiralty Road and Masjid Hajjah Fatimah in Beach Road.
While he wanted to attack all five mosques to achieve a high kill count, he focused on Masjid Maarof because he frequented the Jurong West area.
He had planned to kill at least 100 Muslims as they were leaving after Friday prayers, then kill himself before the police arrived.
When asked if the Malay/Muslim community should be worried, Mr Shanmugam told the media on April 2: “I think we all need to be worried because… if Muslims get attacked, it’s bad for the Muslim community, but it’s bad for Singapore – because we are one community.”
He said the trend of self-radicalised young people dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA) was concerning.
Since 2015, ISD has dealt with 17 people aged 20 and below under the ISA. All were self-radicalised online. Nine of them had aspired to carry out attacks in Singapore.
The department added that far-right extremism is also getting popular among young Singaporeans.
4. Suspicious item found in St Joseph Church, later deemed as ‘harmless’
A suspicious item found at St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah on the morning of Dec 21
In an update at 11.08am, the police said their officers and the Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group reached the conclusion after conducting thorough checks on the item.
The unattended item led to the evacuation of the church and cancellation of mass services. The church later said in a Facebook update that masses will resume on Dec 22.
