"World‐class Muslims": Examining the Discursive Construction of a Singapore Muslim Identity.

"World-class Muslims": Examining the Discursive Construction of a Singapore Muslim Identity The Muslim minority community in Singapore came under great scrutiny in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and even more so, after the arrests of local members of terrorist network, Jemaah Islamiyah, in 2001 and the 2002 Bali bombings. When unpacking the identity of the ideal Singaporean Muslim in government speeches, it can be argued that Singaporean Muslims are still viewed through the lens of securitisation, and that the approach to understanding the Singapore Muslim identity remains prescriptive and essentialised. The purpose of focusing on government speeches, instead of discourse used in initiatives by Muslim institutions (like the SMI project), is due to the far-reaching impact that the national government has, affecting how citizens perceive the Singaporean Muslim identity. [Extracted from the article]