Security concerns ahead of Pope Francis’ Singapore visit

Aug 06, 2024

By Vanitha Nadaraj
Pope Francis' visit to Singapore on Sept. 11-13, on the last leg of his Asia-Pacific tour, has raised concerns among security analysts amid the rising anti-Israeli sentiments in neighboring Malaysia and the wider region.

“The pontiff picked the wrong time to come [to Singapore],” said Aruna Gopinath, a former senior fellow and desk officer for Southeast Asian Affairs at the National Defence University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.

Gopinath foresees a spillover of rising anger against Israel in Malaysia into the island republic during the 87-year-old Pope Francis’ visit.

She told UCA News on Aug. 5 that “Malaysian militant groups are likely to stage rallies in Malaysia, protesting the pope’s visit to Singapore and the region.”

Anti-Israel sentiments have been on the rise in Malaysia since the war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the Hamas group's Oct. 7 attack. It was exacerbated by the assassination of Hamas' political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, on July 31.

Malaysian Muslims reacted strongly to Haniyeh's murder, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called a rally on Aug. 4 to condemn it and show support for the Palestinian struggle.

“With Singapore seen as pro-Israel, the pope's visit will certainly ignite diehard pro-Islamic groups... There should be full surveillance in Malaysia. Security at the Philippines and Singapore embassies in Kuala Lumpur should also be heightened,” Gopinath said.

Kumar Ramakrishna, an international expert on political violence and terrorism, said the pope is an iconic global religious figure and threat groups or lone wolves inspired by an extremist ideology could be possible sources of threat when he visits Southeast Asia.

“The threat could be from pro-ISIS or pro-al-Qaeda elements,” said Ramakrishna, dean of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a think tank at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

The al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah based in Southeast Asia is accused of orchestrating some of the deadliest attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 bombing of Bali nightclubs that killed more than 200 people.

The Jemaah Islamiyah announced its disbandment on June 4. Gopinath and Ramakrishna felt the group was unlikely to cause any trouble.

But Ramakrishna said, “It is not only Islamist extremism that could be a source of threat.”

He cited the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope St John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. “The perpetrator was linked to a fascist, far-right Turkish network, although this has now been disputed,” he clarified.

The most recent terror-linked attack in the region came on May 17 when a man attacked a police station in Ulu Tiram, a town in southern Malaysia, leaving two cops dead and one injured.

Ulu Tiram is about 40 kilometers from Singapore, and the mother of the alleged 21-year-old attacker is a Singapore citizen.

The latest Singapore government report said the terrorism threat to the island republic remained high despite no indication of an imminent attack.

The July 25 report by the Internal Security Department recorded an uptick in anti-Singapore sentiments on social media among regional netizens who perceive it to be pro-Israel.

Some regional extremist elements have taken issue with Singapore’s contribution of personnel to the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian in response to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

“There have been posts on social media urging for attacks against Singapore using ‘bombs’ and ‘rockets,’ and calling for Singapore to be ‘destroyed’ and ‘wiped out,’” noted the report.

It also referred to the existence of a new pro-ISIS media group, the Al-Aan Foundation, that posted a recruitment video in February this year calling operatives in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to pledge allegiance to ISIS.--ucanews.com