Muslim activist Zulfikar Mohamad Shariff urged the Singapore government to be more sensitive in dealing with Islamic-related issues and to avoid taking extreme actions deemed insulting to the Muslims in the republic.

He said the arrests of 21 Muslims under Internal Security Act (ISA)on Monday while the community was still reeling from the tudung (headscarf) and restriction on Islamic education controversy had created more unrest.

"The arrests puts the community on the defensive. It makes certain sections of the community feel it is necessary to repair the image of Islam. It is a good time for the government to act magnanimous.

"If the Singapore government decides to use it to further erode Islam, then it will cause a backlash and may create sympathisers for those alleged [Islamists]. It will then be only a matter of time before the whole country gets caught in a major racial unrest," he said in an e-mail to malaysiakini .

Zulfikar fled to Melbourne, Australia in July alleging that the Singapore government was out to persecute him for his beliefs.

'Doubtful' terrorists

He said the Muslim community doubted the government's claim that the detainees were arrested due to their alleged involvement in terrorism-related activities linked to al-Qaeda widely suspected for the Sept 11 attacks in US last year.

He said it was possible the arrests were a ploy by the government to divert the Muslims' attention away from the problem faced by Muslims who feel their rights to practise their religion freely was being eroded.

"So long the detainees are not charged in an open court, the arrests will remain suspicious. It shows that they have insufficient evidence. It is also recognised that the government indulge in red herrings consistently whenever it is faced with problems. This is a possible red herring," he said.

More unrest

He said such divert-tactic may backfire as it will only cause more unrests among the 400,000 Muslims who form about 15 percent of the republic's population.

Asked if any of 21 people arrested on Monday were known for any militant activities, Zulfikar said some of them had been vocal and critical of the government's handling of Muslim affairs but none was known for being militant.

The 31-year old editor of the Muslim-centric Fateha.com website said that the Singaporean Muslims would not resort to militant action as long as the government respect Islamic-related issues and their constitutional rights to practise their religion.

If there was indeed anyone who feels there is a need to react in a militant manner, he added, the government had no one but themselves to blame.

"They may feel that way because they have no other recourse (but to react in a militant manner). There is no avenue for Muslims to gain redress when their religion is prohibited.

"We have some people whose leadership are imposed on us. The Malay members of parliaments (MPs) were not elected by Malays. They will agree with the government when it has a conflict with the community," he said.

Elected leadership

Zulfikar said that if there is a recognised elected leadership to represent the Muslim community, grievances can be properly channeled through it and this will not only protect the community from governmental abuses but also the country.

He said the community had wanted this since 1990 when the Association of Muslim Professionals, then headed by Assoc Professor Husin Mutalib, was set up.

He said Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong rejected the proposal though 550 Muslim professionals and members of organisations voted for it in the Malay Muslim Convention in Nov 2000.

The group has since lost interest in the proposal since Goh threatened to withdrew financial support to Malay organisations promised earlier by the government, he added.

Zulfikar said he is determined to pursue the issue until the community is accorded the rights as ensured by the republic's constitution.

The Muslim activist came to prominence earlier this year when he expressed his opposition against Singapore's support for the United States-led war on terrorism.

He also openly criticised the People Action Party (PAP) government's over its decision to ban young Muslims girls from wearing tudung to public government school.

In July, he told malaysiakini that he strongly believed that he was persecuted for his article questioning the appointment of senior minister Lee Kuan Yew's daughter-in-law, Ho Ching, as the chairperson of Temasek Holding, a government subsidiary.

Ho is married to Lee's son, Hsien Loong, who is also the deputy prime minister and finance minister.