9 'extremist' publications by radical Singaporean preacher banned: MCI
The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has banned nine publications by Singaporean preacher Rasul Dahri.
In a media release on Tuesday (20 June), the ministry said that the works “contain extremist religious views which include denigrating remarks of other religious groups” and have been gazetted as prohibited publications under the Undesirable Publications Act.
“In some of his publications, he (Rasul Dahri) rejects the idea of a secular state and calls on Muslims to establish an Islamic State. The Singapore Government has zero tolerance for individuals or publications which aim to promote hostility or violence among different religious groups,” said MCI.
In a separate media statement on Tuesday, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) also denounced Rasul Dahri’s “exclusivist, hardline and extreme positions in Islam”, noting that the preacher had espoused such “dangerous” views in both his videos and publications.
“For example, he opposes democracy, which is one of the Singapore’s fundamental governing principles, claiming it to be not part of Islam.
“He has also been found to advocate Islamic extremism by calling Muslims to establish an Islamic state through jihad (armed struggle) and da’wah (Islamic call). Beyond this, he has also denigrated Jews in general by labelling them as people who accept terrorism as part of their culture,” the Muis statement said.
Muis also noted that Rasul Dahri’s application to join the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) – which is mandatory for any individual looking to teach Islam in Singapore – was rejected by the Asatizah Recognition Board.
Offence to own, distribute banned works
With the prohibition coming into effect as of Wednesday, if will be deemed an offence to possess or distribute any of the nine banned publications. Those in possession of these materials should also hand them over to the police, said the MCI release.
Seven of the nine publications were published by Perniagaan Jahabersa while the other two by Syarikat Ummul Qura Enterprise.
Asserting that Rasul Dahri’s views “do not in any way represent the views of Muslims in Singapore”, Muis also advised Muslims in Singapore to “only seek religious education from religious teachers who are registered under the ARS”.
“The recent cases of self-radicalised Singaporeans show how serious an impact extremist ideology can have on a person. Rasul Bin Dahri is a Singaporean who has, through his radical teachings, betrayed the values that Singapore has held so close to us as a multi-cultural and multi-racial society. We will not allow his radical teachings and his extremist ideology to take root in Singapore,” said Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim in the MCI statement.
The nine banned publications are:
1. Setiap Bid’ah Menyesatkan (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 1997)
2. Hukum Mengenai Rokok & Mencukur Janggut (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 1997)
3. Salah Faham Dr. Harun Din Dalam Persoalan: Bid’ah & Percanggahannya (Edisi Baru) (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 1998)
4. Siri 1: Bahaya Tariqat Sufi / Tasawuf Terhadap Masyarakat (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 1998)
5. Siri 2: Imam Syafie (Rahimahullah) Mengharamkan Kenduri Arwah, Tahlilan, Yasinan dan Selamatan (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 2001)
6. Siri 5: Kebatilan dan Kemungkaran Berzanji & Perayaan Maulid Nabi (Sallallahu ‘Alaihi Wa-Sallam) (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 2001)
7. Siri 7: Amalan-amalan Bid’ah Pada Bulan Sya’ban (Publisher: Perniagaan Jahabersa, Taman Kempas, Johor Bahru, 2002)
8. Tauhid Hakimiyah & Khawarij: Punca Demonstrasi, Pemberontakan, Pecah- belah dan Pengkafiran (Publisher: Syarikat Ummul Qura Enterprise, Majidi Baru, Johor Bahru, 2012)
9. Demokrasi, Pilihanraya & Mengundi: Satu Kajian Menurut Al-Quran & As- Sunnah (Publisher: Syarikat Ummul Qura Enterprise, Majidi Baru, Johor Bahru, 2013)
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