Tag Archives: Fined

Singapore bans newspaper linked to Islamic State

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore on Friday banned the distribution and possession of Al Fatihin, a newspaper linked to the Islamic State militant group, after government officials repeatedly warned against terror threats.

The wealthy city-state saw its first case of terrorism financing this month, with four Bangladeshi men jailed for terms ranging from two to five years for funding attacks in their South Asian homeland.

“The Singapore government has zero tolerance for terrorist propaganda and has therefore decided to prohibit Al Fatihin,” the Ministry of Communications and Information said in a statement.

Launched in the southern Philippines on June 20, the paper, whose name means “The Conqueror” in Arabic, is also distributed in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern Thailand, the Straits Times newspaper said this month.

“ISIS is a terrorist group which poses a serious threat to the security of Singapore,” the ministry added. “Al Fatihin is yet another step by ISIS to spread its propaganda abroad, with a clear intention to radicalize and recruit Southeast Asians.”

The newspaper is published in the Indonesian language, which is very close to Malay, Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s minister in charge of Muslim affairs, said in the statement.

Anyone convicted of possessing or distributing the newspaper faced a fine or imprisonment, or both, the statement added.

The fine can range up to S$10,000 ($7,380), and the jail term up to three years for a first offense, rising to four years for subsequent offences, the Straits Times newspaper said.

Al Fatihin is mainly distributed online, said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

“I have not seen a printed version in Singapore,” Gunaratna told Reuters this month. “It is primarily directed at Indonesia and Malaysia. The number of potential supporters and sympathizers in Singapore is very small – insignificant.”

(Reporting by Masayuki Kitano and Marius Zaharia; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Woman Fined $2,000 For Feeding Homeless

A Christian woman is facing a fine of $2,000 for feeding the homeless in San Antonio.

Joan Cheever has been serving hot plates of food to the homeless in the city since 2005.  Cheever is well known for using her food truck and helping those in need.  She’s appeared on national TV shows like Rachael Ray, she’s been photographed with various city leaders and is known among the homeless as someone who reflects Jesus in her care for them.

Then earlier this month Cheever was shocked when some San Antonio police showed up to harass her and her staff for their act of charity.

Cheever said she asked the cops, “What’s the problem?” and they replied, “You.”

‘One of the police officers said, “Ma’am, if you want to pray, go to church,” and I said, “This is how I pray. When I cook this food and deliver it to the people who are less fortunate,’ Cheever told News 4 San Antonio.

While they were forced to leave that day, they didn’t let the intimidation stop them.

‘I came back to the park the following Tuesday and was met with 100 people who had candles and signs,’ Cheever said. ‘This isn’t only about The Chow Train. It’s about every non-profit and every person who wants to do a good thing, but are intimidated by the $2,000 fine and possible arrest. So we’re just going to keep rolling on.’

Cheever has hired a lawyer to help her fight the city.

Advocates for the homeless around the country are standing behind Cheever.

“We’re all human,” said Megan Hustings of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “Giving someone a sandwich at a park is not going to keep them in homelessness; it’s not encouraging anyone to remain homeless. This is just an act of charity, and do we really want to criminalize that in our society? This is a moral issue.“