A Singapore-born Australian man, detained here for the promotion of terrorism, was charged on Oct. 8, 2020 for lying about his Australian citizenship when renewing his Singaporean passport.
Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, 49, was arrested in July 2016, and subsequently detained under the Internal Security Act for his active promotion of terrorism and glorification of the terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS).
He had exhorted Muslims to reject the constitutional, secular, democratic state in favour of the establishment of an Islamic state governed by Syariah law, and believed that violence should be used to achieve this goal if necessary.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), his actions contributed to the radicalisation of at least two Singaporeans.
Lied to ICA
Zulfikar had resettled with his family in Australia in 2002, and by the time of his arrest in 2016, held dual citizenship for both his country of birth and his new home.
During investigations — carried out by the Internal Security Department and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) — Zulfikar admitted he had entered Singapore using his Singaporean passport.
He had withheld information regarding his Australian citizenship and also falsely declared to ICA that he did not hold separate citizenship when applying to renew his Singaporean passport in 2013.
On Aug. 26, 2020, Zulfikar ceased to be a Singapore citizen after renouncing his citizenship.
Supported Al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiyah, and ISIS
On Jul. 29, 2016, MHA released a statement revealing Zulfikar began to be radicalised in 2001 after reading jihadi-related material.
He was supportive of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah, advocating for Muslims to take up arms in Afghanistan after the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
After resettling in Australia, Zulfikar joined the hardline Hizbut Tahrir organisation and began supporting ISIS.
He made numerous Facebook postings glorifying and promoting ISIS and their violent actions while exploiting religion to legitimise the terrorist activities of ISIS.
To motivate Muslims to engage in armed jihad, Zulfikar proposed the creation of a support system for the families of the fighters, said MHA.
At the time of his arrest in 2016, he was served with an Order of Detention for a period of two years.
If found guilty of making a false declaration to ICA, Zulfikar could face up to 10 years in jail, a fine not exceeding S$10,000, or both.
Top image from MHA
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