Group honoured for role in countering religious extremism
RRG plays crucial part in battle for hearts and minds, says PM Lee
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 20 Aug 2014
RRG plays crucial part in battle for hearts and minds, says PM Lee
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 20 Aug 2014
The RRG is the first organisation to win the award, which the Malay daily has given out for the last 15 years.
The group of Islamic scholars and teachers first came together in 2003, in the wake of the Jemaah Islamiah arrests, to counsel those influenced by radical misinterpretations of Islam.
Speaking in Malay and English, Mr Lee said at last night's gala dinner: "RRG's work has been invaluable not only in fighting extremist ideology, but also in maintaining religious and racial harmony in our society, strengthening trust between government and the community and keeping Singapore safe."
And the group's work remains important today, with continued turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa causing some Muslims to become self-radicalised based on what they see and read online, Mr Lee said.
Thousands of foreign fighters have joined the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Malaysians and Indonesians have joined the cause, even carrying out suicide attacks. A few Singaporeans have also gone to fight in the Middle East, while others were planning to go when they were stopped by the authorities.
"The danger is that they learn the techniques of terrorism, they are infected with this radical ideology, and they forge an international brotherhood of fighters and produce a new generation of terrorists," Mr Lee said.
The RRG, he said, plays a crucial role in "the battle for hearts and minds", providing proper religious guidance, and preventing vulnerable Singaporeans from being led astray and drawn into the conflicts.
He also thanked the RRG's pioneer members for stepping forward 11 years ago, saying: "They worked closely with the Government, putting their reputations on the line, knowing the risk of being misperceived as doing the Government's bidding."RRG's co-chair, Ustaz Ali Mohamed, said he and his volunteers had at times been labelled "agents of the Government" and "hypocrites of Islam".
The award, he said, was a welcome surprise, after their quiet work over the past decade. "We don't work for awards. We really work for the betterment of our community and, of course, for our nation."
Last night, Mr Lee also presented the Berita Harian Inspiring Young Achiever Award to national rower Saiyidah Aisyah Mohammed Rafa'ee - who last year won Singapore's first gold in the sport since 1997. He said she had achieved this with "true grit and plenty of sacrifice".
Berita Harian editor Saat Abdul Rahman, who headed the panel of judges, said both the RRG and Ms Saiyidah reflect the can-do spirit.
"We'd like many more young individuals like Saiyidah Aisyah, and this is also the work of RRG, to reach out to (the youth) so that the future generation will live as model Singaporeans, moderate Muslims, which is good for the community as a whole."
Award-winning group widens scope to fight terror
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 20 Aug 2014
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 20 Aug 2014
FROM counselling Jemaah Islamiah (JI) detainees led astray by radical teachings, the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) has expanded its scope.
It now reaches out to the wider community, and engages schools and netizens to deal with new threats on the horizon.
The voluntary group of Islamic scholars and teachers, formed in 2003, is the first organisation to win the Berita Harian Achiever of the Year Award.
Ustaz Hasbi Hassan, co-chair of the RRG, said that of more than 30 JI detainees the group has seen over the past decade, about two-thirds have been successfully rehabilitated.
"You can see the change. You don't worry about their old habits any longer. And you don't worry about their families as well, that they may be angry or want to seek revenge against the people who captured their fathers or husbands," said Ustaz Hasbi in Malay yesterday. "Now, their wives and children accept and understand what we had to do."
Since 2007, the RRG has worked with schools to raise awareness on the threat of terrorist ideology.
The group has organised an inter-junior college dialogue on extremism, and has also collaborated with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies to conduct counter-ideology talks in secondary schools.
Earlier this year, it launched a resource centre in Khadijah Mosque to showcase its work. Countries both in the region and beyond have turned to the RRG for advice on how to deal with extremism in their communities.
And the RRG's efforts have also moved online: The group now has a Facebook page where it distributes information on Islamic teachings and seeks feedback.
"Social media is an influential tool, especially for the young," said Ustaz Hasbi.
"Sometimes, they are misinformed by social media, so we have to use that same platform, use it to get the right information out."
And as news of crises in the Middle East - such as the Syrian war - spreads, some Singaporeans are drawn to playing a role in these conflicts.
The RRG members speak to people at risk to clarify the situation in Syria, "stepping on the brakes" so they do not get influenced and inflamed.
And there is a long road ahead for the group, said Ustaz Ali Mohamed, also RRG's co-chair. "We can't stop at the moment... not in five years, nor 10 years. I think it will be a very long way to go and there are other challenges."
Rower goes against the tide to bring glory to Singapore
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 20 Aug 2014
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 20 Aug 2014
IN THE last year, rower Saiyidah Aisyah Mohammed Rafa'ee, 26, has gone from struggling underdog to SEA Games gold medallist and now, the winner of the Berita Harian Inspiring Young Achiever Award.
The winner of the women's 2,000m lightweight single sculls race at the South-east Asia Games in Myanmar last December said she was surprised to be so honoured by the Malay newspaper, because in going for gold, all she sought was to prove her detractors wrong - those "who didn't believe an ordinary Malay girl could bring glory to the country".
She has since become a role model to others, some of whom stop her on the streets to tell her she has inspired them to pursue their dreams in spite of obstacles.
But staying afloat has been hard. Ahead of the SEA Games, she took three months of no-pay leave from her job as a student development manager at Ngee Ann Polytechnic to train in Sydney, Australia. The Singapore Sports Council had cut funding for the sport and last year, she spent $10,000 on training expenses and rowing equipment.
At home, her 56-year-old mother Sumiati Buang questioned the choices made by her only daughter, and worried about her not doing housework or knowing how to cook.
Ms Saiyidah's drive also came from wanting to show her mother that "it's okay if I can't sew or cook, as long as I bring glory to the nation - which is not what many daughters can do".
When rowing - still an overlooked sport - was initially excluded from next year's SEA Games which Singapore will host, Ms Saiyidah convinced the Singapore Sports Council to include it, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last night after he presented her with the award.
Mr Lee said: "I think Aisyah was driven not just because she was rowing for herself, but for the future of the sport in Singapore."