Why 9/11 matters to Singapore

THE United States military involvement in Afghanistan has come full circle. Its messy withdrawal, bookended by the Taliban being in control, has brought terrorism back into public consciousness 20 years after the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on American soil.

In Singapore, 9/11 prompted much soul searching and has led to a better understanding of the Muslim community in Singapore. There is a keener focus on inter-faith relations as well as the imperative to build trust and confidence between the government leaders and religious leaders and among religious elites. But such a state of affairs did not just happen.

In December 2001, the Internal Security Department arrested 13 members of the radical regional Islamist group known as Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which had links to the Al-Qaeda. Another 19 members were arrested in August 2002. Most of them were Singaporeans.