Commentary: Youth radicalisation now encompasses more than religious extremism
CNA
The unsettling reality is that young people cannot be fully shielded from harmful influences online, says NUS’ Carol Soon and Hannah Nor’hisham.
SINGAPORE: The 14-year-old student who was issued a restriction order in January highlights the worrying trend of self-radicalisation in Singapore. Buying into extremist ideologies propagated by Islamic State, he harboured aspirations to go overseas to fight for the group and die as a martyr.
Last year, another 14-year-old student was given a restriction order for subscribing to a “salad bar” of extremist ideologies, ranging from far-right to far-left ideas to misogyny, Islamic State beliefs and anti-semitism. The Internal Security Department also imposed its first restriction order on a female teenager. The girl, aged 15, aspired to marry a militant fighter and fight for the group in Syria.
These cases at home reflect a global phenomenon of young people subscribing to radical beliefs that go beyond religious extremism.
A subculture which is growing in popularity, particularly among male youths, is the manosphere – a loose but interconnected network of online communities united by the perception that men are victims of modern feminist society.
The unsettling reality is that young people cannot be fully shielded from harmful influences online. What can we learn from extremist internet communities, and what can we do to inoculate youth against dangerous ideals and narratives?
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