Ex-PAP MP Amrin Amin: Abuse of 2 brothers by religious influencer is ‘horrifying’

SINGAPORE: In a social media post, former Member of Parliament Amrin Amin weighed in on the recent incident of abuse and molestation of two brothers by a religious mentor, describing it as “horrifying.”

“Religion should make children safer, not make predators easier to trust,” he wrote.

According to reporting from CNA, the mentor, a 37-year-old Singaporean man, took two brothers from a broken home under his wing and became a father figure to them.

The two boys later developed suicidal thoughts and grew distant from one another.

On Aug 17, the man was given a jail sentence of 27 years and 10 months and 24 strokes of the cane, after pleading guilty to three charges of rape and two counts of molestation. A dozen other charges were taken into consideration. 

Mr Amrin, who served as MP for Sembawang GRC from 2015 to 2020 and had been Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health, noted how the boys’ abuser had taught religious classes, adding that he was neither an accredited asatizah, a mosque staff member nor a volunteer.

“Yet he built enough religious credibility online and in person for a family to trust him deeply. Checking credentials is simple, and worth doing. But it is not a substitute for something harder: teaching children that respect for authority must never mean unquestioning obedience,” he wrote.

The former MP, who is a father himself and who often posts about parenting, underlined that parents should feel that they can ask difficult questions concerning “who their children are with, what happens when they are together, and whether anything feels wrong.”

Acknowledging that the type of abuse may also occur outside religious spaces, he emphasised how important safeguards are in these venues where adults are trusted with children, and added that Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, has said safeguards will be strengthened.

“Perhaps the deeper issue is cultural. We teach our children to respect authority, and rightly so. But respect should never mean: don’t question, don’t check, just have faith,” he added.

On Aug 18, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad expressed how deeply disturbed he was by the incident.

“What happened should never happen. Not to any child, not anywhere. And certainly not in a place where our children and families should feel safe,” he said in a video posted on social media by MUIS, wherein he reiterated that safeguards are now being bolstered and carefully reviewed, especially for activities involving children. /TISG

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