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SINGAPORE: The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) on Wednesday (January 27) urged church leaders and the Christian community to be vigilant and “continue the careful upbringing of young people” who worship in churches.
The statement came after news broke that a teenager had been detained under the Internal Security Act for planning an attack on Muslims.
The 16-year-old, who was not identified, is a Protestant Christian, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday. He had planned to use a machete to attack Muslims at two mosques in the Woodlands area in March, on the anniversary of the Christchurch attacks.
READ: 16-year-old Singapore detained under ISA after planning to attack Muslims in 2 mosques
READ: Religious groups asked to be more vigilant after a teenager planned attacks on mosques: Shanmugam
NCCS said it was “deeply saddened” to learn that a radicalized young man who attends church had made plans to “cause harm to Muslims in Singapore.”
“We receive this alarming news with great concern and wish to express our appreciation to the authorities for the swift action,” said the council, which represents some 200 churches.
“We totally reject any ideology, even if it should come fictitiously under the label ‘Christian’, that promotes or incites violence against another, especially if they are from a different religious community,” the council added.
NCCS said it believes this is an isolated incident and that the young man developed his extremist ideology on his own and not from any teaching from the Singapore churches.
“However, we urge all church leaders and Christians to be vigilant and continue to care for the young people who worship in our churches,” said NCCS.
“NCCS treasures the special relationship it has with the Muslim community,” the council also said. “He therefore wishes to assure our Muslim friends that there is no animosity between our communities and that we remain committed to defeating hatred and violence.
“We will not be deterred from our common goal of building harmony and cohesion in Singapore’s multi-religious society.”
“VIOLENCE HAS NO PLACE IN SOCIETY”: SINGAPORE CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Catholic Church said in a statement Wednesday that it was “deeply concerned” by the arrest of the young man.
“We wish to affirm our solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters and our firm belief that Islam is a religion of peace,” he said, adding that “violence has no place in society, let alone wrongly perceived martyrdom by removing life to others. ” .
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said the Catholic Church strongly supports its principle of respect for all religions and places a high priority on promoting religious harmony.
“With the proliferation of errant and violent materials readily available on the Internet, it is even more urgent and incumbent upon teachers and tutors to guide our young people toward healthy teachings, especially in matters of faith, that can lead people to great good or incite the worst offenses against humanity.
“Our thoughts and prayers are also with the young man and his family. With good guidance, may he come to understand and share respect for all other religions and races that we celebrate in Singapore,” he said.
