Purpose and self-radicalisation
The 15-page MHA/ISD resource kit equips people approached by worried family or friends to recognise warning signs, understand reporting and address barriers. Self-radicalisation involves consuming extremist material, accepting violent ideology and potentially acting on it. Online access, emotional content and interaction can amplify the process; people may be young and come from different backgrounds.
Warning signs and historical cases
Consider conduct in context, rather than ordinary religious observance or ethnicity. The source’s 2020–2023 cases include extremist supporters with different targets and motivations, illustrating why reporting should focus on actual concern. Its March 2023 counts are historical.
| Warning sign |
|---|
| Repeated access to extremist propaganda |
| Sharing support or admiration for terrorists or violence |
| Displaying terrorist insignia |
| Expressing plans to join or conduct violence |
| Promoting racial or religious hatred |
| Inciting others to commit violence |
What happens after a report
ISD checks the information, including speaking to the informer where possible, and protects the informer’s identity. If the person is not radicalised, no further action is taken. Early-stage cases may be referred for counselling without ISA action. Where a security threat is assessed, action under the ISA may be taken together with rehabilitation. Reporting is not a promise of one particular outcome; the assessment determines the response.
Holistic rehabilitation
The kit describes religious counselling addressing distorted teachings, psychological support addressing hatred, violence and susceptibility, and social support maintaining family contact and reintegration. Programmes are tailored to individual circumstances and involve ISD, religious counsellors, psychologists and aftercare partners.
The source describes monthly religious counselling, family visits, educational materials and aftercare support as part of its programme account. These are descriptions of the source’s arrangements, not a personalised promise about a future case.
CARE when someone asks for advice
Create a private, safe setting, acknowledge fear or shame and listen without judgment. Explain that imminent threats cannot be kept secret. Ask for specific details and compare them with warning signs.
Reassure the person that early help can prevent harm and avoid blaming them for not reporting sooner. Encourage prompt official reporting, not independent counselling of the suspected person. The kit lists ISD 1800-2626-473 and the SGSecure app among reporting routes; an immediate emergency calls for Police assistance.
Practitioner views and rehabilitation examples
RRG practitioners emphasise patient listening, accurate religious understanding and the family’s role in noticing changes. Do not label a person a terrorist merely because a concern is raised. Explain reporting as a step to seek help and protect people.
The kit describes “Daniel”, detained at 17 in January 2020, receiving counselling, mentoring and tutoring, then being released on a Restriction Order in January 2022. It also describes Amirull, detained at 20 in March 2021, developing critical-thinking, emotional-regulation and educational goals and being released on a Restriction Order in March 2023. These individual historical outcomes do not guarantee identical results for others.