Singapore’s Malay-Muslims

channelnewsasia.com, Singapore’s Malay-Muslims can be modern, vibrant community that the world looks up to: Shanmugam "The minister cited a Pew Research Centre study which showed that 10 per cent of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of Islamic State (IS) and nearly one quarter were not prepared to come out and say that IS is wrong.

“We have to make sure that we do not get there. And a key part of that depends on you, the leaders of the Malay community - whether you can make sure that the right religious values are put forth. We have to work hard at this because the influences are on the Internet,” said Mr Shanmugam."

Islamic Fashion Festival

Louisa Lim, The Daily Star, Islamic fashion with a modern twist showcased in Singapore, 23 Jun 2011 "According to the founder and chairman Datuk Raja Rezza Shah, however, staging the IFF [Islamic Fashion Festival] in a non-Muslim country in front of a predominantly non-Muslim crowd, was not about highlighting the superiority of Islam or converting anyone, it’s “to create a better understanding of the religion through fashion.”"

Singapore

Hetty Musfirah, channelnewsasia.com, Need to protect Muslim youths from radical ideologies: Islamic Religious Council, 16 Jul 2010 "The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, MUIS, in its Friday sermon, has reminded the Muslim community to protect the young from being influenced by radical ideologies.

"It said one way of doing so is to ensure that they are being taught by qualified and recognised religious teachers. Accredited teachers are listed on the MUIS website."

For more see MUIS

Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

asiaone.com, Muis sounds alert on DIY radicals, 8 Jul 2010, "The Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis) - the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore - has called on the Muslim community to be on the alert for individuals who develop radical religious views, especially those who may be swayed by online or video materials."

I did research on MUIS some years back, as part of my PhD.

Also see: Teo Xuanwei, TodayOnline, The virus that is Al Awlaki, 8 Jul 2010 "He was just a teenager pursuing a diploma at a local polytechnic, when he started listening to lectures of radical ideologues online. Soon, Muhammad Fadil Abdul Hamid was avidly surfing the Internet in search of jihadist propaganda and videos."

Singapore detention

AFP/mysinchew.com, Singapore detains 'radicalised' army trainee, 6 Jul 2010 "The MHA said Muhammad Fadil had "initiated online communication" with the radical cleric and "expressed his desire to fight alongside Anwar" in places like the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"He then "made online contact with a suspected Al-Qaeda recruiter who encouraged him to fight in Afghanistan," researched information on bomb-making and posted a video justifying suicide bombing, MHA said."

Foursquare and Gowalla

Observer, Will Foursquare be the new Twitter?, 25 Apr 2010 "I asked [Robin] Dunbar if he saw anything in the evolution of online networks to suggest that the next stage might extend our social horizons in any meaningful way.

"The question really is," he said, "does the technology open up the quality of your social interaction to any great extent, and the answer to that question is, so far: not really.""

See:

Foursquare

Gowalla

In terms of research relating to this blog, it might be an interesting theme for the future. At present, neither has much 'Islam' related content (admittedly a non-scientific and rapid sweep). I did come up with this on Gowalla:

Darul Aman Mosque which has just been posted.

I'll be looking out for more of these...

Singapore research: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

AFP, Cyber warriors trawl web for extremist threats, 16 Aug 09

"Nur Azlin Mohamed Yasin spends several hours a day trawling the Internet, but she is not your typical young surfer, descending into a world of bomb-making, militancy and extremism.

"From her computer, she enters a world where young Muslims openly volunteer to fight against US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan or learn how to make explosives out of everyday materials.

"The 24-year-old Singaporean research analyst is constantly on the lookout for attack manuals, video clips of Islamist militants in training and fiery extremist chatter that could hint at an imminent assault somewhere."

Singapore

straitstimes.com, Mosques using English more, 28 Jan 09 "Although Malay is still the dominant language of instruction in Singapore's mosques, English is increasingly being used in Friday prayer sermons and religious classes at some mosques."