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SINGAPORE – There is a growing danger of violent extremism spreading as global communities struggle to curb the spread of Covid-19, said a Muslim religious teacher and terrorism expert involved in the rehabilitation of radicals in Singapore.
The pandemic has increased the chances of people becoming radicalized because many are now spending more time online while working or learning from home and interacting with others through social media, said Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) vice president Dr. . Mohammed ali. .
He noted that this danger is especially pronounced among young people, who spend more time on the Internet.
“With the proliferating use of online communications to adhere to strict social distancing measures, young people are spending even more time online, especially on social media. At the same time, Covid-19 has changed the way terrorist organizations, security agencies and society operate globally, “said Dr. Mohamed.
He said terrorist groups will take advantage of this to spread their ideas.
Dr. Mohamed spoke at a virtual event on Saturday (October 10) that the RRG organized for students from higher education institutes in Singapore.
The event, held through the Zoom videoconference platform and broadcast live on Facebook and Instagram, was attended by about 740 people. It featured dialogues and talks by Islamic religious professors and the Deputy Mufti of Singapore, Dr. Hannan Hassan.
Launched in 2003, the RRG is a nonprofit group that trains religious teachers to counsel those influenced or misguided by radical teachings. It also conducts workshops on fighting extremist ideology in schools and mosques.
Since 2002, Singapore has treated more than 130 people who participated in terrorism-related activities.
But Covid-19 has posed new challenges in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
In August, the United Nations undersecretary-general for his counter-terrorism office, Vladimir Voronkov, said that the global pandemic “poses several strategic and practical challenges for the fight against terrorism.”
For example, terrorist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are launching more “opportunistic propaganda efforts”, fueling an ongoing trend of attacks by individuals and small groups, he said.
During Saturday’s event, Dr. Mohamed asked the youth and participants of RRG’s Youth Awareness Program (APY) to come together to spread positive messages to the Muslim community and reject violent extremism.
He said: “The spread of radical narratives online makes young people more vulnerable to radicalization online. In this sense, the work of RRG and APY to reach young people … is extremely important.”
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