ABSTRACT
The impetus for Singapore’s terrorist rehabilitation programme was the enduring threat posed by Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), two of the most active terrorist groups in Southeast Asia. In this regard, although the stated aim of JI is the establishment of an Islamic state (Daulah Islamiyah) in Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei, it followed Al-Qaeda’s trajectory of targeting Western and Christian targets. Influenced and supported by Al-Qaeda, JI spearheaded most of the significant terrorist attacks in the region from the early 2000s. It is in this context that shortly after the unprecedented 9/11 attacks in the United States, the Internal Security Department of Singapore (ISD), through intelligence sharing and swift responses, successfully thwarted several plots against Western embassies and other key infrastructure in Singapore instigated by a local cell of JI. Singapore’s rehabilitation strategy is a combination of efforts by the government, community organisations, and academia. Together they fostered treasured multi-partite cooperation that has employed different approaches and enabled rehabilitation initiatives to be dynamic to achieve its aims. This relationship has led to a deeper contribution to the literature on counter-radicalisation and deradicalisation and to public policy initiatives globally.
