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SINGAPORE: In the past several days, since election season began in earnest, some social media posts made by a man named Noor Deros have been making the rounds online, sparking debates about the mixing of religion and politics. In one of his posts, for example, he made a list of demands to Singapore's politicians, and claimed to have met Workers' Party (WP) Malay candidates. He also called on his followers to vote for WP candidates such as former Aljunied GRC MP Faisal Manap, who is contesting in Tampines GRC this election.
But who is Noor Deros? HIS BACKGROUND Noor Deros is a Singaporean Islamic religious teacher now based in Malaysia. He is not an accredited ustaz in Singapore. His Facebook account states that he lives in Kuala Lumpur and is the second vice-president at MIASA Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation that raises awareness and supports persons with mental illnesses.
According to Infaq.sg, a website listing Islamic events in Singapore, Noor Deros graduated from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt with a Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Creed and Philosophy. In 2006 and 2007, he was also the president of PERKEMAS, a Singapore student welfare assembly in Egypt.
He came into some prominence in Singapore in 2014, when he founded the WearWhite movement, an anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) campaign that called on Muslims to wear white clothing as a protest against homosexuality and to defend traditional family values. The campaign was a response to Pink Dot, the annual protest advocating for LGBT rights in Singapore. He said then that "the natural state of human relationships is now under sustained attack by LGBT activists" and urged Muslims to "stand up and defend the sanctity of family".
According to his biography on the International Mental Health Recovery Conference, at which he spoke in 2019, Noor Deros teaches Islamic creeds, "especially on facing the challenges posed by Western philosophy", in Johor Bahru, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS In more recent days, Noor Deros made several social media posts mixing religion and politics and claimed to have met WP candidates. On Apr 19, he published on Facebook a list of demands to all the political parties contesting in GE2025 and encouraged people who "resonate with these ideals, whether wholly or partially" to read and share the demands.
His demands included the creation of an Administration of Muslim Law Act and making the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) an independent body. On Apr 23, Mr Noor claimed that the WP was the only party that had responded to his demands, but added that they had not made a "concrete promise". He also made a list of four further demands in this post.
When asked in a Facebook comment who in WP he had spoken to, Mr Noor replied: "All of the Malay candidates". In another post, Mr Noor criticised Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, accusing him of failing to defend the rights and aspirations of the Malay Muslim community, and called on Tampines residents to "do the right thing". Subsequently, he said on Apr 24 that if the WP "does not respond to the widespread demands of the Muslim community to reject the normalisation of LGBTQ+ and address other major concerns, then I urge that we vote for the candidate, not the party".
At around midnight on Apr 26, Mr Noor made another Facebook post where he clarified that WP had "accepted" his requests, but that it was not the same as "agreeing" to his requests. "'Taking seriously' does not necessarily mean 'agree and promise to deliver'," he added, in reference to his earlier post that WP was the only party that had taken his demands seriously. WP'S RESPONSE In a statement on Apr 26 , WP said that it meets with various members of Singapore's religious communities, regardless of race or religion.
"At a meeting with other religious leaders where Noor Deros was present, the Party confirms there were no promises, commitments or agreements made to any individual, including Noor Deros, in exchange for political support for WP candidates," WP said. It also highlighted speeches made in parliament by party chief Pritam Singh and former Mr Faisal about separating religion and politics. "We remain firmly committed to Singapore’s secular, multi-racial, multi-religious society, and to protecting the integrity of our electoral process," said the opposition party.
In a statement on Apr 25, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Elections Department Singapore (ELD) said it had identified a “number of foreigners” attempting to influence the GE, and added: “We must not mix religion and politics. Singapore is a secular state. “Bringing religion into politics will undermine social cohesion and harmony, as we have seen in other countries with race- or religion-based politics.
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