Adequacy of Existing Laws Against Racial and Religious Harmony Offences, and efforts to strengthen detection and inter-faith harmony

Questions:

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many cases of the offence of deliberately wounding racial feelings have there been in each of the last two years; (b) whether there are observable trends and risks, including those relating to incidents and developments overseas; and (c) whether there are plans to introduce more punitive measures against offenders to serve as a stronger deterrent.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether existing laws such as the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990 and related legislation are adequate to address new forms of provocation; and (b) how the Ministry works with community partners to build trust and strengthen inter-faith harmony in the wake of such incidents.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what proactive measures are in place to detect and deter incidents that may provoke racial or religious disharmony; and (b) whether additional resources will be directed to strengthen early detection and community resilience.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

1.  My reply will also address Mr Zhulkarnain’s question for tomorrow’s sitting, on measures to deter incidents that may provoke racial or religious disharmony.

2. I believe Members have asked their questions with the Al-Istiqamah Mosque incident in mind. This is the case where a 61-year-old Chinese man was charged in court on 27 September 2025 for allegedly having sent pieces of pork by mail to several mosques.

3. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) takes a very serious view of incidents that threaten Singapore’s racial or religious harmony. We have a robust legal framework that sets clear boundaries of unacceptable conduct. This includes the Penal Code, the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, and the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act.

4.If we receive specific information on threats linked to places of worship, the Police will take appropriate action, including investigations and stepping up security measures such as the frequency of patrols in the vicinity of the place of worship.

5. In the last two years, the Police had investigated into about 25 cases of race- and religion-related offences annually.

6. Upstream, as part of the SGSecure movement, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) works with the Police and other partners to strengthen religious organisations’ crisis response capabilities. At the community-level, the Police and Singapore Civil Defence Force also work with the Safety and Security Watch Group, which includes religious organisations, to conduct security surveys, share best practices, and deliver training on building safety and security awareness.

7. That said, the social harmony we enjoy today is a result of not just our strict laws and enforcement, but also our policies and programmes to expand the common space. For instance, the Racial and Religious Harmony Circles strengthen inter-cultural and inter-religious understanding in our communities through community celebrations, dialogues, and learning journeys. Following the Al-Istiqamah Mosque incident, leaders of various faith communities made statements condemning the incident and expressing solidarity with the Muslim community. Members of the Serangoon Harmony Circle gathered to show support for their Muslim neighbours. In a statement, they reminded us that “an attack on one religion is an attack on us all”.

8. It should not be taken for granted, and we must continue to work at it; that our various communities come together, and stand shoulder to shoulder, whenever one of us faces problems, gives us a measure of confidence in the resilience of our society to threats to our racial and religious harmony.