The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has directed TikTok and Meta to disable the social media accounts of Zulfikar bin Mohamad Shariff, after assessing that his online posts were inflammatory and posed a threat to racial and religious harmony.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (26 Nov), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the directions were issued under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 (OCHA).
SPF issued an Account Restriction Direction (ARD) to TikTok and a Disabling Direction (DD) to Meta.
Zulfikar, who renounced his Singapore citizenship in 2020 and is now an Australian national, was detained under the Internal Security Act in 2016 for promoting terrorism and glorifying the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Source: The Inquiry on Facebook
While living in Australia, he continued to propagate radical views online, including advocating armed jihad and urging Muslims to reject Singapore’s constitutional, secular, and democratic system in favour of an Islamic state governed by Syariah law.
His activities contributed to the radicalisation of at least two Singaporeans.
Source: Ministry of Home Affairs
According to MHA, Zulfikar has repeatedly used his online platforms to stir up discontent within Singapore’s Malay/Muslim community against the Chinese community.
In a TikTok video posted on 19 June 2025, he falsely alleged that Malay/Muslims in Singapore were being forced to abandon Islam and assimilate into the Chinese community. Other videos were similarly inflammatory.
Source: The Inquiry on Facebook
The Government received multiple reports and public feedback expressing concern that his posts threatened Singapore’s racial and religious harmony.
MHA and SPF assessed that Zulfikar’s content amounted to offences under Section 17F(3) of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990, as he had knowingly engaged in conduct inciting feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will, or hostility against different racial and religious groups.
Source: The Inquiry on Facebook
The ARD and DD issued to TikTok and Meta require the platforms to disable access to Zulfikar’s accounts and prevent further communication of his content in Singapore. His TikTok page is currently inaccessible locally.
SPF has also initiated police investigations into his conduct.
During the 2025 Singapore General Election (GE2025), authorities had identified attempts by foreigners to influence the electoral process through online posts.
In an earlier joint MHA-ELD statement, Zulfikar, posting under the account name “Zai Nal”, was identified as one such foreign actor.
His Facebook post, which urged voting along racial and religious lines, was disabled for users in Singapore under Corrective Directions issued to Meta.
Non-compliance with ARDs or DDs under OCHA can result in fines of up to S$1 million, with additional penalties for continuing offences.
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Featured image adapted from The Inquiry on Facebook and Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore on Facebook.