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A new call was made on Saturday for non-Muslims to join the fight against radicalism.
Their role in this continuous campaign against terrorist ideology was spelt out at a seminar that saw, for the first time, the participation of Chinese students from SAP schools.
They can perform it in two ways.
One, step forward and challenge any prejudiced view about Muslims whenever they hear it.
Two, non-Muslim community leaders should speak up about the dangers of radicalism to their own people, including the extremists among them.
This call by security analyst Jolene Jerard found strong support among the 200 secondary and junior college students,
One of them was Nan Hua High School student Tan Wei Qing, 16, who said: 'If people challenge the stereotype that Muslims are prone to radicalism, there can be more trust between Muslims and non-Muslims.'
Radical ideas that distort Islam - and pit Muslims against others - will then not win support, she added.
Similarly, Ms Jerard, in her paper on the need for non-Muslims to get involved, said: 'We can reduce the opportunities for extremists to exploit tensions.'
A research analyst on terrorism at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), she also noted that atheists have taken to terror acts to seek political change, citing the Communists of the past and today's environmental terrorists.
Saturday's seminar is part of the Muslim community's efforts to open the eyes of the young to the dangers of radical ideas.
It was organised by Malay-Muslim group Taman Bacaan, the inter-agency committee looking after the families of JI detainees, and the RSIS.
The presence of students from SAP schools, which stress the study of Chinese language and culture, is significant as these students have fewer opportunities to mix with Muslims.
Read the full report in The Sunday Times.
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