Hamas’ ideology is infecting countries in Asia

Within months of viewing pro-Hamas content online, a 14-year-old boy in Singapore became convinced the terrorist organization was justified in its violence, including its Oct. 7 attack against Israel. The Muslim high school student decided to travel to Afghanistan to enlist in the Black Flag Army, a force Muhammad prophesied would rise up in end times, and began recruiting schoolmates to join him. The boy even considered conducting attacks in Singapore against non-Muslims as he aspired to facilitate the establishment of an Islamic state in the small Southeast Asian country at the tip of Malaysia.

In June, Singapore’s Internal Security Department placed the radicalized teen, whom it has not named, under a restriction order, banning his internet access and travel out of the country. The ISD applied the same measure last month to An’nadya binte An’nahari, a radicalized 33-year-old civil servant, after she participated in social media groups that support Islamist terror groups and called for attacks against Israel and Singapore.

Officials say the radicalization of the two Singaporeans was “triggered” by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. As the conflict in the Middle East continues, there is growing concern it is contributing to extremism in Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian region, including the Muslim-majority countries of Malaysia and Indonesia.

Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, the threat of terrorism in Singapore has risen and “remains high,” according to an annual ISD report released on July 25. While there is no indication of an imminent attack, the assessment cites online radicalization as the primary factor of the threat.

In Southeast Asia, the Israel-Hamas war “evokes strong emotional reactions, especially among Muslims who feel a deep connection with the Palestinian cause,” Noor Huda Ismail, a security analyst and visiting fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told WORLD. The emotional resonance can escalate to radicalization, as “individuals see the conflict as directly tied to their identity and faith, which increases the likelihood of their engagement in extremist activities to avenge perceived injustices against their in-group,” Huda added.

He believes extremist groups are also framing the Israel-Hamas conflict as part of a global war against Islam and disseminating narratives of oppression, which extremist recruiters use to justify violence and radicalization.

Meanwhile, adherents of the Islamic State terror group threaten the security of Malaysia. “Due to proximity, what happens in Malaysia will have an impact on our security landscape,” said K Shanmugam, Singapore’s minister for home affairs and law.

In late June, police in Malaysia arrested eight people for their suspected ties to the Islamic State group. Authorities say the suspects plotted to overthrow the government, targeted the police, and threatened Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

It is not clear if the suspects are connected to Radin Luqman Radin Imran, 21, who attacked a police station with a machete in the Malaysian town of Ulu Tiram on May 17. He killed two officers and injured another before he was shot dead by police.

Although Radin Luqman carried out the attack alone, authorities have charged his immediate family with terrorism-related offenses. His father is accused of encouraging terrorist acts by instilling Islamic State ideology among the family, among other charges. His brother allegedly pledged allegiance to Islamic State’s former leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, while his mother and two sisters are charged for withholding information about terror-related crimes.

In Indonesia, the announcement from the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah that it would disband has raised doubts on whether the organization responsible for the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people has truly ceased to be a threat. Sixteen senior JI leaders announced the move in a video statement on June 30. They pledged to abide by Indonesian laws and ensure the curriculum at JI-affiliated boarding schools is not extremist but consistent with mainstream Sunni Islam.

Many analysts believe JI members who do not agree with the leaders’ decision to dissolve could form splinter factions instead or join other existing terrorist cells. At the same time, JI’s shift away from jihadist violence over the years to focus on Islamic education and outreach, along with involvement from Indonesia’s counterterrorism police, could indicate JI’s genuine decision to disband, according to Sidney Jones, founder of the Indonesia-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, and Solahudin, a researcher on jihadist movements. They also see JI’s surrender of its caches of weapons as a further sign of its dissolution.

Back in Singapore, authorities said they would put the 14-year-old high school student through a deradicalization process. The boy is expected to receive help from a psychologist and counseling from the Religious Rehabilitation Group, a voluntary organization of Islamic scholars and teachers.