We are a ‘peaceful people’: Singaporean and Bangladeshi society shocked and upset by extremist preacher’s sermon

SINGAPORE: A Bangladeshi extremist preacher who delivered an illegal sermon to migrant workers in Singapore has shocked the Bangladesh Society, its general secretary said on Friday (Aug 23).

The preacher, Amir Hamza, had entered Singapore using a passport bearing a name different from the one listed in the country’s security databases, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday.

His sermon “propagated extremist and segregationist teachings that were dangerous and detrimental to communal harmony in Singapore,” the MHA added.

He preached to migrant workers at the Lantana Lodge dormitory in Tuas on August 9.

The general secretary of the Singapore Bangladesh Society, who declined to be named, called the incident “heartbreaking” and told CNA that the people from their home country are “peace-loving people.”

The society is a non-profit organisation aimed at promoting mutual understanding between Singaporeans and Bangladeshis.

“They want to do their work and at the end of the day go back to their dormitories. They want to live a peaceful life here in Singapore,” he said.

The company secretary, who has been with the company for 17 years, added that Bangladeshis in Singapore generally do not want to be involved in controversial discussions. He also acknowledged that they may not know what can go wrong.

“There are maybe 10 people who go there, so they think, ‘Okay, I’ll follow them too.’ They probably don’t know the consequences,” he added.

On Wednesday evening, the society posted a notice on Facebook and WhatsApp to its more than 700 members, urging those who attended the sermon not to “get carried away by the messages of these irresponsible speakers and end up in trouble here.”

“The working brothers who attended Amir Hamzah’s speech should not get carried away and react negatively,” the company said.

“They should not try to participate in acts in Singapore that could affect the security and harmony of Singapore.

“All Bangladeshi workers are also reminded to respect the laws of Singapore and not to bring into Singapore any problems that arise in Bangladesh or other countries,” the notice read.

More than 450 people were killed in weeks of protests leading up to the ouster of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5.