Back in 2016, two Singaporeans were radicalised after regularly listening to an Indonesian radio station, Radio Hang FM.

According to a report by the Straits Times, they were detained by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for planning to travel to Syria and fight for ISIS.

On Nov. 22, 2018, the Jakarta Post reported that one of the station's co-founders, Zein Alatas, was denied entry into Singapore.

Stopped at HarbourFront

Zein said that he was going to Singapore to attend a friend's wedding on Nov. 20.

However, he was stopped at HarbourFront Port in Singapore by officers of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and went through six hours of questioning.

He was then denied entry and deported back to Batam.

Zein's wife and six staff members of the radio station who accompanied him passed through immigration, but they left Singapore voluntarily.

Said Zein:

"I was really disappointed by this kind of treatment. Why do they conduct the interrogation in the interrogation room? And the officers did not even ask me about the purpose of my trip to Singapore. This is very disappointing."

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Alleged links to Salafist movement

Zein said that the authorities questioned him about his radio station's activities and links to Radio Rodja, Indonesia’s leading Salafi station.

Salafism is an ultra-conservative movement within mainstream Sunni Islam.

The Jakarta Post contacted Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore I Gede Ngurah Swajaya, but he would not comment on the matter.

In 2017, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission conducted an investigation into Radio Hang FM and concluded that it no longer broadcasts radical teachings.

Radicalised after listening to Radio Hang FM

The two Singaporeans who became radicalised after listening to Radio Hang FM were Rosli Hamzah and Mohamed Omar Mahadi.

Radio Hang FM previously featured religious speakers who expressed extremist views.

Rosli, who began listening to the station in 2009, became convinced that beheading enemies was religiously permissible and that ISIS militants were fighting for Islam.

Omar began listening to the station in 2010, which led him to consume more of ISIS's radical material online.

Said MHA:

"By 2014, Omar was convinced that ISIS was fighting to bring glory to Islam, and that it was his religious duty to become an ISIS fighter in Syria. He was prepared to die a martyr."

Related stories:

Top image from Hang 106 FM's Facebook page.

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