Singapore blocks the social media accounts of a former citizen accused of online extremism
For the authorities, Zulfikar Shariff, currently in Australia, used TikTok and Meta to stoke racial tensions, undermine secular governance, and influence local politics. Among his calls were the introduction of Sharia law in the city-state. Three citizens were radicalised to fight in Gaza and other conflict zones in the Middle East.
Singapore (AsiaNews) – Singapore has moved to block TikTok and Meta accounts linked to former citizen Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, an Australian-based man whom authorities accuse of fuelling radicalisation among local Muslims and attempting to meddle in domestic politics.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said Zulfikar had “called on Muslims to reject the constitutional, secular, democratic state in favour of an Islamic state governed by Syariah law,” adding that he “believed that violence should be used to achieve this goal if necessary.”
Zulfikar, formerly a Singaporean national, was detained in 2016 under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for promoting extremist ideology and praising the Islamic State online. The ISA allows detention without trial or the imposition of restriction orders that can curb travel, Internet access, and other activities.
Despite earlier enforcement action, authorities said Zulfikar “repeatedly continued to stir up discontent within the local Malay/Muslim community against the Chinese community in Singapore,” citing a TikTok video posted in June in which he claimed that Malays and Muslims had been pressured to abandon Islam and assimilate into the Chinese majority.
Zulfikar renounced his Singaporean citizenship in 2020, but officials say his influence has persisted online. The MHA additionally accused him of attempting to interfere with Singapore’s election this year through his social media activity.
Singapore, a nation that has long prided itself on carefully managed multiracial harmony, comprises a resident population that is 74 per cent Chinese, 13.6 per cent Malay, 9 per cent Indian, and 3.3 per cent from other communities. The city-state is home to a diverse mix of religions as well.
“The Singapore government takes a very serious view of threats to our racial and religious harmony, including from foreigners, and will not hesitate to act against them,” the ministry said.
The authorities invoked powers under the Online Criminal Harms Act – legislation that came into force in February 2024 – to compel TikTok and Meta to restrict access to Zulfikar’s accounts within Singapore. Both companies have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Earlier in January this year, Singapore disclosed that three self-radicalised citizens had been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), following months of online radicalisation linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The three men – 21-year-old Muhammad Indra Aqmal bin Effendy, 41-year-old Mohamad Latiff bin Rahim, and 44-year-old Nurisham bin Yusoff – were detained in November 2024 after security agencies uncovered their plans to travel overseas to take up arms.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, each man had been radicalised separately via online content, but all were drawn deeper into extremism as the war in Gaza intensified.
Investigations found that Indra and Nurisham had intended to fight for Hamas and its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in Gaza. Latiff, meanwhile, planned to join Iran’s military or Iran-backed militant groups such as Hezbollah in the Middle East to fight against Israel.
The authorities stressed that while the three cases were not connected, they underscored the speed and severity with which online propaganda surrounding the conflict had influenced vulnerable individuals.
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