“WHY now?”
That was the pertinent question from human rights lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri who was denied entry into Singapore and then subsequently deported back to Malaysia.
This is despite the pro-Palestine activist having previously lived in the island republic for five years during which she was conferred a doctorate degree in Southeast Asian studies from the National University of Singapore (NUS) as recently as Jan 31.
In her March 22 X post, the International Islamic University (IIUM) first degree holder further claimed that the Singaporean Immigration authorities refused to disclose the reasons for denying her entry.
I’ve been banned from entering Singapore & was just deported to Malaysia. I asked immigration to provide the grounds for the ban/deportation, but they said they could not disclose them. It’s stunning bcs I stayed there for 5 years & was conferred a doctoral degree on 31 January. pic.twitter.com/fsAi4srRdu
— Fadiah Nadwa 法迪婭·娜德娃 (@FadiahNadwa) March 22, 2026
The civil society propagator also outlined the reasons for her latest visit which included collecting her degree certificate and to “cat-sit” for a friend. Part of the visit was also to deliver a guest lecture on her doctoral thesis at the invitation of her former supervisor.
Expressing outrage at this deportation, she found the ordeal distressing while emphasising that her work in Singapore was largely in academia.
Given that NUS had conferred a doctorate degree just two months ago, it was argued that this move to bar her from entering Singapore was an attack on her scholarly integrity and academic output.
Her post has generated 1M views at the time of writing with many netizens keen to postulate on why she was denied entry.
One commenter was of the opinion that the power-that-be across the Causeway were threatened by “leftist” political views.
A social media user nevertheless found no compelling reason for the ban given that her posts were “more of a humanitarian nature”. He urged the activist to appeal.
Another current affairs observer surmised that such special treatment was reserved for those with pro-Palestine views. He further wondered if Israeli Defence Force personnel “with pending genocide case in ICJ (International Court of Justice)” were similarly barred.
A few highlighted that Singaporeans were “trained to be submissive to the ruling party”. Those with differing views were usually not welcome.
However, there were many who thought that the Singaporean authorities were well within their rights to bar Fadiah from entering the country “if she’s seen as a threat” regardless of the length of time she had previously lived there.
It was surmised that the social activist’s outspoken views on social media were the reason she landed in hot soup.
This sentiment was evident in some comments which advised the pro-Palestine supporter to keep her “leftist” views outside of Singapore.
One commenter expressed surprise that Fadiah was unaware of the subtleties and nuances of life in Singapore having lived there for five years.
The fact that not everyone shares similar views on Palestine was evident in a comment that implored her to “stay in Gaza for the service of Hamas”.
Regardless of whether one thinks the Singaporean authorities’ actions was high-handed or well within their rights as a sovereign nation, it should be noted that a person’s online activity can be used as justification to deny you entry.
You have been warned, so think before you post. – March 25, 2026
Main image credit: Millennials Are Killing Capitalism Live!/YouTube
