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SINGAPORE – Recent remarks by a self-styled religious teacher, seeking to be an influencer in this general election, worry me.
Noor Deros may not be a name familiar to many. By way of background, he was the Muslim religious teacher who started the Wear White movement in 2014, a pushback on the Pink Dot rallies.
Two years later, itwas led by a Christian pastor, who argued that themovement was about promoting traditional family values.
Mr Noor denied his involvement in the campaign that year, saying he was focusing on education. But he is back, this time bringinghis views on Islam into the political sphere, arguing that these should shape who Malay/Muslim Singaporeans vote for.
He draws a clear line in the sand. He says Muslims should vote only for candidates who agree with his interpretation of religious responsibilities.
Among other things, he says the candidates should not advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Writing his posts in a mixof Malay and English, he also says Muslims should support only the political party and candidate who agree to end diplomatic ties with Israel over the Palestine-Israel war, andchange the narrative on the war on terror to blame the United States and Israel for their role in conflicts in the region.
He writes like an academic, peppering his comments with religious passages to remind his followers of their responsibilities. But the postings are inflammatory – there is no room for compromise, he says.
While he speaks of seeking out people willing to sit down for a debate or discussion, he makes it clear he will not budge. Mr Noor is now bringinghisviews into the political sphere in the midst of a general election.
It is by design.
Mr Noor says a Muslim candidate is worthy of his vote only if the candidate is aligned with his hardline views on the role religions playin politics. Muslim Singaporeans should pick a candidate along thesame lines, he argues.
This Us v Them scenario can result in serious blowback.
I saw this first-hand while I was in Sydney when Australia held the Indigenous Voice referendum in 2023. The referendum sought to weave into the Australian Constitution a body that would advise the federal Parliament and executive government on policies affecting Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander people.
It was extra privilegesthat most of Australia disagreed with, based on the outcome of the vote.
The campaign split the country into the “Say Yes” groups against the “Say No” campaigners, with tensions close to boiling over.
Religious teacher says he had talks with WP, urged party to prioritise rights of Malay/Muslim communityWP says it did not make promises to any individual in exchange for political support
A report by the University of Technology Sydney found that there were more than 400 validated reports of racism directed at First Nations people as a result of the referendum. More than a third of the reports involved physical violence, hate speech, threats, intimidation, verbal abuse, bullying and property damage.
The report also noted that influencers, including media personalities, were the driving force of misinformation and disinformation that fuelled the pushback.
Mr Noor, the influencer, is throwing religion into the Us v Them mix. History tells us that when religion is drawn into politics inSingapore, there can be dire consequences.
I was involved in the writing and editing of five booksthat traced tumultuous events in Singapore post-World War II. One of the books looked at the race riots in Singapore in the 1960s.
On July 21, 1964, about 20,000 Malay/Muslims from political parties andreligious organisations gathered at the Padang to mark the Prophet’s birthday.
Speakers at the event delivered speeches that reminded attendees of their religious obligations, and the failings of rival organisations. The speeches were filled with inflammatory language, designed to stir the crowd.
Soon after, the crowd marched towards KallangGasworks and violence erupted, prompting a curfew that was lifted only in August.
Simmering tensions continued, with bloodshed and violence returning to Singapore in September. In total, more than 20 people were killed and more than 400 suffered injuries.
Mr Nooris working to influence the election and politics in Singapore not as a Singaporean Muslim,but as a hardliner insisting on dragging religion into the political sphere, never mind the consequences.
But he does it from a safe distance – hepreaches in Malaysia.
Mr Noor’s comments about PAP MPs not being Malay or Muslim enough echo comments made before the 1964 race riots by an extremist chief of Umno.
In a fiery speech,Mr Syed Ja’afar Albar accused all Malay PAP members of being un-Islamic, anti-Islam, anti-Malay, and traitors to their own community.
He worked the crowd into such a frenzy that chants of “Kill him!... Kill him!... Othman Wok and Lee Kuan Yew” resonated through the theatre. Mr Othman Wok was the Singapore Minister for Social Affairs then.
Mr Noor is not permitted to preach in Singapore.
The Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) said he had applied for recognition in 2017, but was unsuccessful due to his refusal to comply with the Asatizah Recognition Scheme code of ethics, despite being counselled by ARB.
The code is a framework established to ensure accountability and integrity among religious teachers while safeguarding Singapore’s unity, peace and harmony.
There are more than 5,000 teachers authorised to teach Islam in Singapore, the ARB said.
“These recognised teachers thoroughly understand Singapore’s multi-religious and multiracial context and actively contribute to strengthening social cohesion in the country,” it added.
Mr Noor’s assertions are not built around social cohesion, but wrapped around identity politics and division.
His true intentions need to be laid bare.
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