Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam spoke on Nov. 27 at the Ministry of Home Affairs' National Day awards investiture.

According to Shanmugam, Singapore has been and continues to be an attractive target for attacks, adding that since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and subsequent Israeli retaliation, there had been a noticeable increase in anti-Singapore sentiment from around the region on social media.

Social media

As reported by CNA, Shanmugam said that the Oct. 7 attacks and the events that followed had affected Singapore and the Home Team's work in two ways.

Firstly, there had been a “noticeable increase” in anti-Singapore sentiments on social media from around the region, by those claiming that Singapore was Pro-West or Pro-Israel.

Some commenters also referred to Singapore as Tanah Melayu, “Malay land”, trying to draw parallels with Israel being on Palestinian land.

The term has been previously used by divisive figures, such as former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, to evoke a sense of loss amongst Malaysia’s Malay community.

Secondly, Shanmugam said that there had also been calls online for Singapore to be targeted using rockets and bombs.

Global terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as their supporters, are using the current conflict to renew their calls for attacks. “The threat is there, and it has gotten higher," Shanmugam said.

Singapore has been and continues to be an attractive target for attacks, Shanmugam said, adding that data from the region, as well as the number of attacks and foiled plots in the region in the past year, showed that the threat was not an “unreal one”.

Background and drawing lessons

The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas in Southern Israel saw nearly 1,400 people killed and nearly 240 more kidnapped.

Israel's retaliation has seen at least 14,800 people killed in the Gaza strip by air strikes and ground forces, as reported by Axios, citing numbers provided by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Fighting is currently paused due to a truce to facilitate prisoner exchange, with hostilities expected to resume when the truce ends.

Shanmugam was quoted by The Straits Times as saying that from a security perspective, Singapore could draw lessons from the events of Oct. 7

Shanmugam said that the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas showed a high level of tactical planning and coordination, despite it being done with relatively low tech equipment and weapons.

It was possible that something an attack like that could happen anywhere, including Singapore.

Peace and harmony

Shanmugam said Singaporeans "can and should" sympathise with civilian suffering; as well as call and pray for the end of violence, as well as make contributions to trusted humanitarian drives.

But Singaporeans had to be careful not to let what is happening in the Middle East "undermine the peace and harmony we have in Singapore".

Citing an increase in reports of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in many countries, he brought up the example of the London police reporting more than 1,000 per cent increase in anti-Semitic offences, and 140 per cent increase in Islamophobic offences.

Shanmugam also referenced a recent Pew survey that said that Singaporeans were unique in being very religiously tolerant and accepting of other faiths.

Most Singaporeans saw Singapore's religious diversity as something that makes Singapore a better place to live in, Shanmugam said, and “we have to protect this”.