Why we shouldn't let Noor Deros bring race and religion into politics

Straits Times

26-04-2025

Noor Deros, a religious teacher, is bringing his views on Islam into the political sphere, arguing that it should shape who Malay/Muslim Singaporeans vote for. PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN FILE
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SINGAPORE - Recent remarks by a religious teacher, seeking to be an influencer in this general election, worry me.
Noor Deros may not be a name familiar to many. By way of background, he was the Muslim religious teacher who started the Wearwhite movement in 2014, a pushback on the Pink Dot rallies.
Two years later, it was led by a Christian pastor, who argued that the movement was about promoting traditional family values.
Noor denied his involvement in the campaign that year, saying he was focusing on education. But he is back, this time bringing his views on Islam into the political sphere, arguing that it should shape who Malay/Muslim Singaporeans vote for.
Noor draws a clear line in the sand. He says Muslims should only vote for candidates who agree with his interpretation of religious responsibilities.
Among other things, he says the candidates should not advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Writing his posts in a mix of Malay and English, he also says Muslims should only support the political party and candidate who agree to end diplomatic ties with Israel over the Palestine-Israel war, and change the narrative on the War on Terror to blame the United States and Israel for their role in conflicts in the region.
He writes like an academic, peppering his comments with religious passages to remind his followers of their responsibilities. But the postings are inflammatory - there is no room for compromise, he says.
While he speaks of seeking out people willing to sit down for a debate or discussion, he makes it clear he will not budge. Noor is now bringing his views into the political sphere in the midst of a general election.
It is by design.
Noor says a Muslim candidate is only worthy of his vote if the candidate is aligned with his hardline views on the role religions play in politics. Muslim Singaporeans should pick a candidate along the same lines, he argues.
This Us vs Them scenario can result in serious blowback.
I saw first-hand while I was in Sydney when Australia held the Indigenous Voice referendum in 2023. The referendum sought to weave into the Australian constitution a body that would advise the Federal Parliament and executive government on policies affecting Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander peoples.
It was extra privileges most Australia disagreed with, based on the outcome of the vote.
The campaign split the country into the Say Yes groups against the Say No campaigners, with tensions close to boiling over.
A report by the University of Technology Sydney found that there were more than 400 validated reports of racism directed at First Nations People as a result of the referendum. More than a third of the reports involved physical violence, hate speech, threats, intimidation, verbal abuse, bullying and property damage.
The report also noted that influencers, including media personalities, were the driving force of mis and disinformation that fuelled the pushback.
Noor, the influencer, is throwing religion into the Us vs Them mix. History tells us when religion is drawn into politics in Singapore, there can be dire consequences.
I was involved in the writing and editing of five books that traced tumultuous events in Singapore post-WWII. One of the books looked at the race riots in Singapore in the 1960s.
On July 21, 1964, about 20,000 Malay-Muslims from political parties and religious organisations gathered at Padang to mark the Prophet's birthday.
Speakers at the event delivered speeches that reminded attendees of their religious obligations, and the failings of rival organisations. The speeches were filled with inflammatory language, designed to stir the crowd.
Soon after, the crowd marched towards Kallang gasworks and violence erupted, prompting a curfew which was only lifted in August.
Simmering tensions continued, with bloodshed and violence returning to Singapore in September. In total, more than 20 people were killed and more than 400 suffered injuries.
Noor is working to influence the election and politics in Singapore not as a Singaporean Muslim, but as a hardliner insisting on dragging religion into the political sphere, never mind the consequences.
But he does it from a safe distance - he preaches in Malaysia.
Noor's comments about PAP MPs not being Malay or Muslim enough echo comments made before the 1964 race riots by an extremist chief of UMNO.
In a fiery speech, Syed Ja'afar accused all Malay PAP members of being un-Islamic, anti-Islam, anti-Malay, and traitors to their own community.
He worked the crowd into such a frenzy that chants of 'Kill him!... Kill him!... Othman Wok and Lee Kuan Yew' resonated through the theatre. Othman Wok was the Singapore Minister for Social Affairs then.
While he claims to be a religious teacher, I understand that Noor had applied to be a certified religious teacher in Singapore but this was not accepted. Either way, his intentions should be exposed.
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