S'pore Muslim leaders denounce violent road to Islamic state

S'pore Muslim leaders denounce violent road to Islamic state

Agence France-Presse, Singapore

Singapore Muslim leaders Saturday denounced the plans of
suspected terrorists to create a Southeast Asian Islamic state by
insurrection.

"There is nothing wrong with having a political ambition. But
the way to achieve it should be in a free, democratic way," said
Abdul Rahman Sukir, secretary general of the Muhammadiyah
Association.

The Singapore Malay National Organization (PKMS) said any
group with an ideology of violence was being influenced by
"external forces", after suspects held in Singapore were linked
to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.

"PKMS does not condone any orientation towards extremism and
violence," the organization said in a statement.

The government has accused 21 suspected terrorists arrested
last month of planning to cripple key installations and turn
Chinese Singaporeans and Malay Muslims against each other.

It would be the first step towards overthrowing the Malaysian
government, with the ultimate goal of creating an Islamic state
covering Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the southern Philippines
island of Mindanao and Brunei.

In an effort to quell any potential for racial and religious
violence, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong met leaders of Singapore's
Muslim community on Thursday night when the report was released.

He outlined that the latest arrests must be viewed as a
national security issue and would not be allowed to taint Islam.

One person who attended the meeting told AFP the reaction to
details of the alleged terrorists' plans was "mixture of shock
and sadness".

There was a feeling of "why must we become the center of
attention?" the person said.

Zulkeflee Ismail, manager of Pergas, an organization which
teaches Islam, said the religion did not encourage anarchy.

"As a Muslim, we are told to strive in a peaceful manner," he
said.

But Zulkeflee said the definition of an Islamic state as
planned by the accused terrorists, most of them members of the
militant Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) organization, was unclear.

The government report said the targets in Singapore included
vital water supply pipelines from Malaysia, Changi airport,
Jurong Island, where Singapore's oil refineries and petrochemical
plants are based, and the ministry of defense headquarters.

"The aim was to create a situation in Malaysia and Singapore
conducive to overthrowing the Malaysian government and making
Malaysia an Islamic state," the report said.

"The attacks on key Singapore installations would be portrayed
as acts of aggression by the Malaysian government, thereby
generating animosity and distrust between Malaysia and
Singapore."

They wanted to turn Singapore and Malaysia into another
"Ambon", the government said, referring to the Indonesian city
where more than 5,000 people have been killed in religious
violence since 1999.