Muhammad Saiful Alam Shah Bin Sudiman is an Associate Research Fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Islamic Theology at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt in 2003. He later obtained his Master in Counselling from Monash University in 2009 and Masters of Science in International Relations from RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2014 under the school’s Study Award.

Prior to this, he was active in social activities as a member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore associate member of Fatwa (Islamic legal ruling) committee, arbitrator and resource panel for Syariah Court Singapore, Board of Visitor of Singapore Armed Forces Detention Barrack. He is an active member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore Appeal Board and religious counsellor of the Singapore’s Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) and has been engaging detained and former terrorists for more than ten years now. Saiful is also a member of UNCCT Counter-Terrorism Advisors, with special expertise on religious rehabilitation.

• Islamism
• Contemporary Salafism
• Radical ideologies
• Governance and political system in the early Islam
• Terrorist rehabilitation and peace-building

Commentaries

• Detentions in Singapore: IS Supporters’ Misreading of Islam

  09 April, 2019

• Assessment of IS Ideological Threat

  01 March, 2019

• IS’ Changing Narrative: How To Counter It

  13 November, 2018

• CO18001 | Returning IS Fighters: Lesson From JI’s Hijrah

  02 January, 2018

• CO17214 | IS Distortion of Hijrah: Emigrating For A Lost Cause

  13 November, 2017

• CO17188 | IS Misconception of Bay’at: Nuances in Oath of Allegiance

  10 October, 2017

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) - Volume 9, Issue 02

  01 February, 2017

• CO16254 | Salafis and Wahhabis: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

  11 October, 2016

• CO024 | Indonesians’ Response to Jakarta Attacks: New Strategy to Curb ISIS’ Influence?

  02 February, 2016

Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) - Volume 15 Issue 01

  03 January, 2023

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) - Volume 12 Issue 01

  06 January, 2020

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) - Volume 11 Issue 01

  23 January, 2019

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA) - Volume 7, Issue 03

  27 April, 2015

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA) - Volume 7, Issue 03

  27 April, 2015

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA) - Volume 6, Issue 2

  01 March, 2014

Journal Articles

• “Muslims Living in Non-Muslim Lands: Contesting Muhammad Saeed Al-Qahtani’s Argument on Hijrah- Al-Walā’ wal Barā’ Nexus” (with Mohamed Bin Ali) in Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture, Vol 7, No 2, 2019. 97-106
• “Countering ISIS call for Hijra (Emigration): A review through The Lens of MAQĀṢID ASH-SHARĪʿAH” in Jounral for Deradicalization, 2017, No 12, 2017, p. 60-84

Chapters in Edited Books

• “Islamic State (IS) Supporters’ Misreading of Islam” in Muhammad Haniff Hassan and Rohan Gunaratna (Eds.), Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars’. Singapore: PERGAS, 2021, pp. 136-138
• “Islamic State (IS) Distortion of Hijrah: Emigrating for a Lost Cause” in Muhammad Haniff Hassan and Rohan Gunaratna (Eds.), Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars’ . Singapore: PERGAS, 2021, pp. 66-68
• “Islamic State (IS) Misconception of Bay`at: Nuances in Oath of Allegiance” in Muhammad Haniff Hassan and Rohan Gunaratna (Eds.), Countering Islamic State Ideology: Voices of Singapore Religious Scholars’. Singapore: PERGAS, 2021, pp. 69-71
• “Family and Social Rehabilitation as a Mode of Holistic Rehabilitation Programme” in Rohan Gunaratna and Sabariah Hussin, Deradicalisation and Terrorist Rehabilitation. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2018, pp. 79-94

Op-Eds

• “What is jihad?”, Muslim.Sg, 12 September 2022
• “Pengaruh pendakwah radikal dalam talian perlu dibenteng dengan ilmu sahih”, Berita Harian, 3 June 2022
• “Baiah palsu”, Berita Harian, 14 May 2022
• “Baiah palsu Daesh perangkap pengikut langgar Al-Quran, sunah”, Berita Harian Malaysia, 5 May 2022
• “The Death Of Islamic State (IS) Leader Abu Ibrahim Al-Qurashi: A Window To Stop The Cycle Of Violence Ideology – Analysis”, Eurasia Review, 22 March 2022
• “ISIS has a new leader – why it is vital to break the bai’at”, The Straits Times, 22 March 2022
• “Memahami pembentukan pemikiran eksklusif”, Berita Harian, 26 April 2020
• “In Love With God: Beyond The Prayer Mat”, Eurasiareview, 15 April 2020
• “Bijak mengimbangi tuntutan Islam dan tanggungjawab sosial”, Berita Harian, 21 March 2020
• “Revoking the bai’at to IS”, The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC), 27 February 2020
• “What Do You Do When You Hear The Call To Jihad”, muslim.sg, 5 February 2020. Republished in MUIS
• “Meluruskan salah tafsir, putar belit ideologi kumpulan pengganas” (with Mahfuh Bin Haji Halimi), Berita Harian, 5 February 2020
• “Setiap negara berdaulat perlu dipimpin ketua pilihan rakyat”, Berita Harian, 22 November 2019
• “Islamic State: Its Agility to Reinvent Persuasive Narrative – Analysis”, Eurasiareview, 20 July 2019
• “Penilaian ke atas ancaman ideologi IS” (with Mahfuh Bin Haji Halimi, and Ahmad Saiful Rijal Bin Hassan), Berita Harian, 18 February 2019
• ““Terus berusaha tangkis naratif IS demi hindar masyarakat dari keliru” in Wacana.”, Berita Harian, 21 November 2018
• “Delegitimizing The Radicals’ Call for Hijrah”, learnislam.sg, 1 November 2018
• Returning Islamic State Fighters: Lesson From JI’s Hijrah – Analysis
• Philippines’ Duterte declares Marawi liberated but analysts urge caution
• Answer to Marawi extremism seen as more than just religion
• Islamic State Misconception Of Bay’at: Nuances In Oath Of Allegiance – Analysis
• Militan IS buat dakwaan palsu mengenai kewajipan hijrah
• Igniting the spark of radicalisation in the Philippines
• Isu kekhalifahan yang wajar dipersoal

• Speaker, Home Team Academy Advanced Leadership Programme on “Religious Extremism Impact on Societal and Organisational Cohesion: Implications for Singapore” by the Home Team Academy, 27 January 2021
• Speaker, Home Team Academy Advanced Leadership Programme on “Religious Extremism Impact on Societal and Organisational Cohesion: Implications for Singapore” by the Home Team Academy, 8 December 2020
• Speaker, Home Team Academy Advanced Leadership Programme on “Religious Extremism Impact on Societal and Organisational Cohesion: Implications for Singapore” by the Home Team Academy, 10 November 2020
• Speaker, Home Team Academy Advanced Leadership Programme on “Religious Extremism Impact on Societal and Organisational Cohesion: Implications for Singapore” by the Home Team Academy, 8 July 2019
• Guest Speaker, RSIS 12th Terrorism Analyst Training Course on “Tracing The Root of Exclusivism Among Islamist Extremist” by ICPVTR, 2019
• Guest Speaker, CBRE HQ Defence Group Commanders’ Training and Safety Day on “Islam and The Practice of Exclusivism: Analysing The Concept of Loyalty and Disavowal” by the Ministry of Defence, Singapore, 2018
• Paper presenter, Annual Conference on “Countering IS Call for Hijra (Emigration): A Review through the Lens of Maqāṣid Ash-Sharīʿah” by Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, School of Governance and International Affairs, Durham University, UK, 2018
• Guest Speaker, FGD on Counter Terrorism in ASEAN on “Approaching CT Narratives Through Maqāṣid Ash-Sharīʿah” by International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 2018
• Guest Speaker, Conference on the Prevention of Violent Extremism in Southeast Asia on “PVE Strategies in Singapore” by Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), ASEAN Society- Philippines (ASP) and RSIS, 2017
• Guest Speaker, CIISCM Malaysia Conference on “Religion: An Integral Component in De-Radicalisation Work” by Chartered International Institute of Security & Crisis Management, Kuala Lumpur, 2017
• Guest Speaker, Workshop for Undergraduate Leaders in CT Narratives on “Religion & Extremism” by Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism, Kuala Lumpur, 2017
• Guest Speaker, Regional Workshop on Countering DAESH Narratives on “IS Exploitation of Religion” by Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism, Kuala Lumpur, 2016
• Guest Speaker, CVE Workshop on “Terrorist Rehabilitation & Reintegration: The Way Forward in CT” by John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA, 2016
• Guest Speaker, International Conference on Social and Political Sciences “Explaining Religious Radicalism & Political Violence: Towards Nation-State Building” on “Alternative Approaches to Terrorist Rehabilitation” by Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, 2015
• Paper presenter, 7th International Symposium on Terrorism and Transnational Crime (UTSAS 2015) on “Alternative Approaches to Terrorist Rehabilitation” by Turkish Police Academy, Antalya, 2015
• Guest Speaker, Conference on Radicalization in East Asia: Addressing the Challenges of the Expanding ISIS Influence on “Reintegration and Social Rehabilitation: Some Best Practices” by University of Philippines, Mandaluyong City, 2015
• Speaker, Global Security Asia on “Strategic Ideological Response to ISIS”, Singapore, 2015
• Guest Speaker, GCTF Working Group Workshop on Raising Community Awareness in Response to FTF Phenomenon on “Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programme: The Case of Singapore” by Department of State, Washington D.C. USA, 2015
• Speaker, GCTF Expert Workshop on Reintegrating Returning FTF on “Reintegration Effort: Lesson Learnt from the Rome Memorandum”, Rome, 2014