’Counter-ideological’ work in Singapore: A preliminary assessment

This paper aims to describe and provide a preliminary assessment of the ‘counter-ideological’ work of Singapore’s all-volunteer Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), which was formed by several of Singapore’s leading Muslim community leaders in the wake of the discovery of the Al Qaeda-linked and inspired Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network in the city-state at the end of 2001. The paper sheds light on the various challenges faced by the RRG in attempting to neutralise the ability of the virulent JI narrative to influence Singaporean JI members as well as the city-state’s wider Muslim public. In essence, it shows that while the counter-ideological efforts to date of the RRG have not been without effect, scope exists for further enhancing counter-ideological work through the judicious and calibrated employment of specially selected ex-JI detainees.