Singaporean Man Charged for Hosting Unauthorized Religious Event with Extremist-Linked Bangladeshi Preacher

By
Siti Hajar
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A 51-year-old Singaporean man has been charged for organizing an unauthorized religious event at a foreign workers’ dormitory involving a Bangladeshi preacher with reported links to a pro-Al-Qaeda organization.

Abdus Sattar was charged on 27 Mar 2025 with one count each of abetting a foreigner to conduct activities as a religious speaker in Singapore without a work pass, organizing a public assembly without a police permit, and providing public entertainment without a license.

Foreign Preacher with Extremist Links Allowed to Address Migrant Workers

Sattar allegedly organized the event at Lantana Lodge in Tech Park Crescent, near Tuas South Avenue 4, on 9 Aug 2024. At the time, he was a director at dormitory operator SBM Electrical & Automation.

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According to court documents, the gathering was organized to promote the Islamic faith. Sattar is accused of inviting Bangladeshi national Amir Hamza and another Bangladeshi known as Ullah Mohammed Neamat to the religious public assembly.

Prosecutors alleged that Sattar solicited Amir’s services as a speaker, facilitated his travels, provided logistical equipment, and conducted promotional outreach efforts regarding the preacher’s speaking engagement.

Amir reportedly preached to migrant workers present while Ullah performed songs to the crowd.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated that Amir’s sermon propagated extremist and segregationist teachings that were dangerous and detrimental to Singapore’s communal harmony.

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam told Parliament on 9 Sep 2024 that at the event, Amir suggested non-Muslims were kafirs (infidels) and held up extremists as exemplars of religious piety.

Amir’s sermon was also politicized as he described the previous Bangladesh government led by the country’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina as “oppressors” and claimed it had sentenced individuals to death for dissent.

Security Lapses and Legal Implications

The Internal Security Department (ISD) was aware of Amir and his background, but the Bangladeshi had used a passport bearing a different name from that in its databases to enter Singapore on the same day the event was held.

Mr Shanmugam noted that Amir’s biometric data was not in the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s multi-modal biometric database because it was his first visit to Singapore.

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Amir left Singapore the day after the event. Police received reports on 12 Aug 2024 that he had preached to a group of Bangladeshi migrant workers.

News about the illegal event was first shared on Reddit on 12 Aug 2024, with videos of a man speaking to a large crowd within a dormitory.

SBM Electrical & Automation was charged with failing to maintain an up-to-date record of persons who were not dormitory residents when they entered and left the dormitory on or around 9 Aug 2024.

The company allegedly allowed a large number of foreign workers who were not residents of the dormitory to enter the premises and attend the event without maintaining proper records.

Dormitory operators must keep an up-to-date record of people who enter the premises if they are neither dormitory residents nor persons employed by the dormitory for at least one year.

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If convicted of organizing a public assembly without a permit, Sattar could face a fine of up to S$5,000. For providing public entertainment without a license, he could face a fine of up to S$20,000.

If found guilty of the offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, he may face a fine of up to S$20,000, up to two years’ jail, or both.

Dormitory operators who contravene license conditions may face a fine of up to S$50,000, up to one year’s jail, or both, for each contravention.

Amir Hamza is reportedly involved with Ansar al-Islam, a pro-Al-Qaeda terrorist organization in Bangladesh. He was arrested by Bangladeshi authorities in 2021 for terrorism activities and for inciting violence through his sermons.

Three suspects arrested while planning to attack Bangladesh’s Parliament that year told investigators they were inspired by his speeches.

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Amir later confessed to misinterpreting religion and spreading extremism in his sermons but denied inciting his supporters to carry out attacks. He was released on bail in December 2023, according to news reports.

The cases involving Sattar and SBM will be mentioned again in court on 24 Apr 2025.

In late 2015, ISD arrested 27 male Bangladeshis working in the construction industry in Singapore. The majority belonged to a group that subscribed to extremist beliefs such as armed jihad, and which targeted other Bangladeshi nationals to grow their membership. All 27 had their work passes canceled and were repatriated.

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Siti Hajar