Angullia Mosque attendees say they never met radicalised Bangladeshi nationals
Congregants who frequented a mosque said to be a meeting place for a group of Bangladeshi workers with connections to terrorists groups said they had never seen the group in the mosque before.
A report published by a Bangladesh newspaper, New Age, said that the Angullia Mosque, located at Serangoon Road, was a meeting point for 27 Bangladeshi workers who supported al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The report went on to say that the group, who were arrested by the Singapore authorities and deported, met there on Sundays to distribute books and leaflets promoting militancy.
They also used the mosque as a venue to recruit members and raise funds.
A site manager, Md Khairul Islam who frequents the mosque weekly said he had never seen such activities in the mosque before.
The 27-year-old Bangladeshi added that he was surprised to read about the arrests through social media.
“I heard about it and I saw the pictures (of the suspects) but I have never seen them before at the mosque,” said the Dhaka native.
Khairul who was visiting the mosque on Thursday with his younger brother said he is usually around the area on his days off and usually drops by the mosque to do his prayers and mingle with fellow countrymen.
Another Bangladeshi worker who was at the mosque on Thursday said he had never seen any of the men before.
Pointing to an article about the arrest, Rahman Mohammad Mustafi Jur said he is usually there on weekends to do his prayers.
“I come here to pray and never was I approached by anybody asking for funds or to join a terrorist group,” said the 29 year-old construction worker.
Workers condemn terrorists
Meanwhile, Hasan Rakibul, a 28 year-old Bangladeshi worker condemned the suspects for being involved in terrorist activities.
“We all come (here) to work and this is not good. We have to be alert, anyone can be a terrorist and Singapore must be careful.
“I feel safe here and though I go to the mosque often I have never seen them,” said Hasan who visits the Angullia Mosque every weekend.
His views were echoed by Khairul who added that the arrests made him scared.
“I am scared. We cannot be sure that they are (terrorists) but if they are it is scary.
“I am glad they were caught,” he added.
Mosque refused to comment
Meanwhile Yahoo Singapore’s attempts to speak to mosque officials were unsuccessful.
A mosque official stopped Yahoo Singapore from approaching the imam of the mosque after the afternoon prayers at about 1.45 pm on Thursday.
“We do not want to talk to reporters on this matter,” said the official.
Singaporeans react
Singaporeans whom Yahoo Singapore spoke to on Thursday believed that it was an isolated case and called for fellow Singaporeans not to overreact and treat Bangladeshi workers differently.
Anu Menon, a Chief Operating Officer (COO) said, “I think this is an isolated situation, one that does not require generalising the Bangladeshi community in Singapore in a negative light.”
Menon’s views were echoed by Sofianna Ng who said, “You can’t persecute an entire group for a handful of bad people and isolated incidents.”
However there were some Singaporeans who were alarmed by the incident.
Cindy Lim, a senior advertising and promotion executive said that Singaporeans need to be vigilant and look out for one another so as to keep the country safe.
“It is worrying to know that terrorism can happen anywhere in the world now. Everyone has a part to play to protect our home and enable us to live in a more peaceful environment,” she said.
Senior controller Faizal Kamal said that he felt vulnerable even though the authorities did a good job to apprehend the radicalised group.
“I felt vulnerable because our agencies failed to identify or screen them before they (the workers) stepped into Singapore,” he said.
