1. What is the RRG?
RRG is the acronym for the Religious Rehabilitation Group.
2. Who are in the RRG?
The RRG consists of local Singaporean ‘Ulama (religious scholars) and Asatizah (religious teachers) who volunteer their services to counsel detainees to assist them in understanding their religion correctly.
3. When was the RRG form?
The RRG was formed formally in April 2003.
4. Why was there a need to form the RRG?
The formation of the RRG is recommended for a number of reasons. The Core Personnel of the RRG who counselled the detainees felt that there was an urgent need to address the misinterpretations of several Islamic concepts such as jihad, bai’ah, hijrah, and other. The ideology if not addressed carefully is potentially dangerous as it will bring not only disharmony but more importantly loss of lives and property. The public and the community need to be engaged to ensure greater understanding that these wrongful understanding does not represent Islam. This ideology has to be countered with the truth.
5. What are the roles of the ulama (religious scholars) and asatizah (religious scholars)?
According to Imam Zaynuddin Ibn Rajab, a renowned scholar, who died in Damascus in 795H, in his book “Warathatul Anbiya” (The Heirs of the Prophet), he stated three main roles of the asatizah: Firstly, we act as guides through darkness of ignorance. Secondly, we adorn the earth as beacons to show the right paths, and thirdly, we repel those who mix truth with falsehood and introduce wayward understanding of Islam.
Thus the issue of the distorted ideology was discussed with several ulama (religious scholars) and asatizah (religious scholars). They too concluded that a concerted effort needs to be deployed to tackle the issue and religious rehabilitation is one approach that can be adopted. These ulama formed the Resource Group in RRG.
6. What is the main function of the RRG?
The primary role of the RRG is to provide religious counseling to those who have been detained and those under restriction orders.
7. What is the Islamic position on extremism and radicalization?
Extremism and radicalization have no place in Islam. Ibnu Mas’ud related from Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) exclamations which he pronounced repeatedly three times:
“The extremists are destroyed, the extremists are destroyed,
the extremists are destroyed.”
(Hadis narrated by Muslim, Abu Daud and Ahmad)
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