First Singaporean woman detained under ISA for radicalism

Singapore

IN a first for Singapore, a 22-year-old female citizen has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for radicalism.

A statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released on Monday said that Syaikhah Izzah Zahrah Al Ansari, an infant-care assistant at PCF Sparkletots, was detained earlier this month.

It said that Izzah, as she is known, began to be radicalised in 2013 by online propaganda related to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

"She began to believe that ISIS represented the true spirit of Islam. Her radicalisation deepened over time. This was exacerbated by a wide network of foreign online contacts which she developed."

These included ISIS militants and supporters, some of whom have either been killed in Syria or arrested for terrorism-r…