IT IS very disturbing to see young, innocent children being used for the mindless propagation of violence, especially when it involves children from South-east Asia ("ISIS posts footage of boy-trainees from region"; Tuesday).
We must take this as a timely reminder of how important it is for Singaporeans to invest time and effort to develop a more resilient society against such propagation of violence.
This kind of violence, when nurtured into the psyche of children at a young age who are then used in armed conflicts, breeds a culture of hatred that will be very difficult to combat.
The inculcation of adverse rhetoric to brainwash these innocent children not only distorts the true teachings of Islam, but also replaces it with a distorted world view, and does nothing less than destroy the sanctity of humanity and the fact that all life is sacred, regardless of ethnic or religious background.
The root cause of the issue is extremist teachings that denounce anyone who is not Muslim, using this to justify their destruction. Tolerance finds no sanctuary in this extremist mindset and I worry about the potential threat posed by these children who, in a few years, will be ready to engage in martyrdom to defend their beliefs.
How can we, as a nation and as a community, prepare ourselves for extremist violence in this region?
Are we certain our social fabric will be able to withstand the threat of extremist ideology, in the event a terrorist attack occurs in Singapore?
Will the decades of National Education on Total Defence and racial harmony ensure the ties that bind will not rupture our social cohesion?
Are we prepared to face the unseen enemy and not turn against one another, and display unity in adversity?
These are serious questions we must ask ourselves, and we must work to strengthen the bonds in our society.
Abdul Halim Kader
We must take this as a timely reminder of how important it is for Singaporeans to invest time and effort to develop a more resilient society against such propagation of violence.
This kind of violence, when nurtured into the psyche of children at a young age who are then used in armed conflicts, breeds a culture of hatred that will be very difficult to combat.
The inculcation of adverse rhetoric to brainwash these innocent children not only distorts the true teachings of Islam, but also replaces it with a distorted world view, and does nothing less than destroy the sanctity of humanity and the fact that all life is sacred, regardless of ethnic or religious background.
The root cause of the issue is extremist teachings that denounce anyone who is not Muslim, using this to justify their destruction. Tolerance finds no sanctuary in this extremist mindset and I worry about the potential threat posed by these children who, in a few years, will be ready to engage in martyrdom to defend their beliefs.
How can we, as a nation and as a community, prepare ourselves for extremist violence in this region?
Are we certain our social fabric will be able to withstand the threat of extremist ideology, in the event a terrorist attack occurs in Singapore?
Will the decades of National Education on Total Defence and racial harmony ensure the ties that bind will not rupture our social cohesion?
Are we prepared to face the unseen enemy and not turn against one another, and display unity in adversity?
These are serious questions we must ask ourselves, and we must work to strengthen the bonds in our society.
Abdul Halim Kader
