SINGAPORE, Oct 21: The Muslim voices, some tinged with emotion, spoke of discrimination in the workplace and being viewed with suspicion by non-Muslims, in the aftermath of the arrests of Jemaah Islamiah members here for terrorism-related activities two months ago.

The non-Muslims voiced fears over the level of security in Singapore, with some wondering if it needed to be stepped up at basement car parks, shopping centres and open-air restaurants and bars by the Singapore River.

During the one-hour-long, no-holds-barred forum on the impact that the security situation has had on social cohesion here, 19 people spoke their minds on how the arrests here and the bomb blasts in Bali had touched them personally.

To allay the concerns of both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo Chee Hean, the Second Minister for Defence, told the more than 400 grassroots and community leaders that the terrorists would have succeeded even without setting off a bomb, if Singaporeans started turning against each other or chasing after shadows.

Singapore, he said, was fighting the problem on several fronts, starting with acknowledging that there was a terrorist threat in the region.

“This will give confidence to investors that we are not shutting our eyes and hoping the problem will go away,” he said.

At home, the activities of groups set up to promote inter-racial understanding and expand the common space among the races are being intensified so that the actions of a minority do not affect inter-racial relations.

Public forums, such as the dialogue held at the Pasir Ris East Community Club, are also part of the strategy to spread the message that social cohesion needs to be strengthened in the wake of the JI arrests.

After the minister set the scene for the discussion, among the first to speak was a Muslim woman who recounted how her friend’s daughter had been turned down for the job of tutoring an N-level student in biology, when the family found out that she was Malay.

When the minister asked what conclusions she drew from this, she said she was a moderate Muslim, “but I am affected by all this”.

A mosque leader also told of how he had felt uncomfortable when an old Chinese newspaper vendor asked him what Muslims were up to, on the day the terrorist arrests made the headlines.

On the security situation, several participants questioned if Singapore was safe and whether more needed to be done.

One participant asked what individuals should do if, for example, someone left a bag on a bus. Should they stop the bus and call in the bomb squad?

The reply from Rear-Adm Teo: “No need to if the bag belongs to a school boy who has dashed off. But, if there is a bag left behind in an MRT station, alert the station manager.

“”We should all remain vigilant and go about our normal activities and not let the terrorists frighten you,” he said.—The Straits Times/Asia News Network