Faishal Ibrahim defends Halimah Yacob's comments on Gaza crisis, slams Facebook page Critical Spectator for 'minimising the suffering of Palestinians'

Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim criticised comments on the Gaza crisis by Facebook page Critical Spectator as "[minimising] the suffering of Palestinians".

He also defended former president Halimah Yacob, whom the page slammed in a May 23 Facebook post titled: "Looks like Mdm Halimah is complicit in the starvation of 3 million children in Sudan this year".

"Mdm Halimah is a deeply respected national figure," the senior minister of state, who was sworn in as a member of the Cabinet yesterday, said in a same-day statement.

"I'm gravely concerned about the recent remarks made by Critical Spectator.

While it is valid to draw attention to suffering in other parts of the world, we should reject any statement that minimises the suffering of Palestinians."

Background

On May 23, Halimah took to Facebook to decry an ongoing blockade by Israel that is preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.

Calling it a "humanitarian catastrophe", she wrote:

 "Keeping quiet makes us complicit in the violations of international humanitarian laws and encourages similar aggressions elsewhere. Our world is all the poorer for it."

In response, Critical Spectator criticised the former president's statement.

He took issue with Halimah's assertion that "keeping quiet" about the crisis "makes us complicit".

He said that Halimah has not made similar public statements about other crises in Sudan or Yemen, and questioned why the Palestinians "deserve special treatment or care".

"Tsk, tsk... looks like Mdm Halimah is complicit in quite a few humanitarian disasters," he added.

Faishal said in a statement of his own that he shares Halimah's sentiments and called for people to "reject any statement that minimises the suffering of Palestinians".

"In times like these, we need more understanding, not division. We must never allow dismissive or divisive rhetoric — local or foreign — to erode the mutual respect and unity we have worked so hard to build in our multicultural society," he wrote.

Critical Spectator is reportedly run by Polish national Michael Petraeus.

The member of parliament for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights also said that Halimah's concern reflects the compassion and moral courage that "many in our community share".

"Many in our Muslim community, as well as Singaporeans from all walks of life, continue to feel deeply about the tragedy unfolding in Palestine," he said.

"We must not lose sight of our shared humanity, especially in times of crises."

He pointed out that the Singapore government has consistently called for a humanitarian ceasefire, urged the protection of civilian lives, and supported the Palestinian people’s right to a homeland.

Singapore and Singaporeans have also collectively contributed over S$19 million in aid to Gaza.