SINGAPORE – A self-styled “religious influencer”, who became a father figure to two brothers because their parents were absent from their lives, sexually abused them instead of protecting the young boys.
He repeatedly raped the younger brother, who was then between six and eight years old, at various locations, including in a toilet at the mosque where they often prayed together.
The man later directed his attention to the older boy, who was 11 to 12 years old, and molested him on several occasions.
On Aug 17, the 37-year-old man was sentenced to a total of 27 years and 10 months’ jail and 24 strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to three charges of rape and two charges of outrage of modesty. Another 12 charges for various sexual offences were considered during sentencing.
Aside from sexual offences against the two brothers, the man admitted to molesting three other victims, including a 17-year-old boy who had treated him as a “big brother” and religious mentor.
The man’s name, his social media handles and the name of the mosque where the rapes occurred cannot be published due to a gag order to protect the victims’ identities.
In sentencing, High Court judge Kwek Mean Luck said the man’s offences were “utterly abhorrent and heinous”.
In a statement to the media, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said it strongly condemned the “serious sexual offences involving youth victims at mosque premises”.
“Our mosques must always be safe and trusted spaces, especially for our children and young people.
“The accused is not a mosque staff member or volunteer, nor is he an asatizah accredited under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS),” said MUIS, which added that individuals who appear or present themselves as religious should not automatically be regarded as qualified religious teachers.
It said Muslims should seek guidance from ARS-accredited asatizah, who meet recognised standards of training and professional conduct.
In light of this case, MUIS said it will strengthen existing security measures, both in the online space and within the mosques, including patrols and CCTV monitoring.
It added: “Safeguarding, however, extends beyond our mosque premises.
“As more religious engagement takes place online, parents, mosque leaders, asatizah and the wider community have an important role in helping our young recognise trusted sources, navigate online interactions safely and speak up when something does not seem right.”
TikTok presence
The two brothers were cared for by their maternal grandmother.
Their father abandoned them after divorcing their mother, while their mother was admitted to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre from October 2021 to October 2023.
The offender, who was married with no children, operated a TikTok account where he made short videos mainly about religion. He was never officially recognised as an Islamic and Quranic teacher, said prosecutors.
In April 2022, the older boy chanced upon the man at the mosque and recognised him from his TikTok account. He introduced himself to the man, and they became close.
The man took the boy to play football with his friends and to his home several times, and the boy told the man about his family issues.
The boy also told his grandmother about the man, describing him as a popular “influencer”. The grandmother asked the boy to invite the man home so she could assess him in person.
She found him to be “very religious” and learnt that he was a childhood friend of her two sons. She also watched his TikTok videos and noticed that they pertained mainly to religion.
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