SINGAPORE – Authorities in Singapore have moved swiftly to curb the circulation of a controversial video that showed a man stepping on a copy of the Quran, ordering social media giant Meta to disable access to related posts within the country. The decision came after officials determined that the video, which circulated on several online platforms, contained material offensive to religious communities and could threaten social harmony, according to reporting by Channel News Asia.
The incident reportedly took place on a public bus in Singapore. Although the original clip was removed, copies of the video continued to spread through reposts on various social media channels. In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Singapore Police Force assessed the footage and concluded that it likely constituted an offence under the country’s Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, which prohibits actions that insult or provoke religious groups.
Authorities then issued a series of legal orders known as Disabling Directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023, instructing Meta—the company that owns Facebook and Instagram—to block access to posts containing the footage. In a statement quoted by Channel News Asia, the ministry explained, “We have issued five Disabling Directions to Meta to disable access to the content, and the posts containing the video are no longer accessible to end-users in Singapore.”
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Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who also serves as Coordinating Minister for National Security, condemned the incident in strong terms while speaking to reporters during a community event in Khatib. Calling the video “deeply offensive,” he said, “At any time it would have been offensive, let alone during Ramadan.”
Shanmugam added that the individual believed to have uploaded the video may be the same person responsible for similar offensive content in the past. The man had previously been charged and convicted in July the previous year and was jailed before being released in December. According to the minister, there had been indications that the individual might have been mentally unwell, and he is currently overseas. “Police will interview him when he returns,” Shanmugam noted.
Other officials also stressed the broader implications of the incident. Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim warned that deliberately insulting any religion undermines the foundations of Singapore’s multicultural society. “An insult to one religion affects all other religions and their communities,” he said, emphasizing that such acts “have no place in Singapore.”
Looked at from a wider perspective, the swift response highlights Singapore’s strict stance on protecting racial and religious harmony. Authorities have urged members of the public not to repost the video—even if the intention is to criticize it—because doing so may still amplify harmful content online while investigations continue.
