bukit view prelim

Section A: Source-based Case Study Question 1 is compulsory for all candidates. 1 Living in a diverse Society Study the Background Information and all the sources carefully, and then answer all the questions. You may use any of the sources to help you answer the questions, in addition to those sources which you are told to use. In answering the questions you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the sources. 1a. Study Source A. What is the message of the cartoon? Explain your answer. [5] b. Study Source B. Is the cartoonist supportive of the French assimilation policy? Explain your answer. [6] c. Study Sources C and D. Both sources have different conclusions about the burkini ban. Does this mean one of them is wrong? Explain your answer. [7] d. Study Sources E and F. Which of these two sources is more useful as evidence about the Laïcité policy? Explain your answer. [7] e. Study all the sources. ‘The Laïcité policy has failed to achieve its aims.’ How far do the sources support this view? Use the sources and your knowledge to explain your answer. [10]

2 Was the Laïcité policy necessary for France to assimilate immigrants in the society? BACKGROUND INFORMATION Read this carefully. It may help you to answer some of the questions. Laïcité is France’s principle of secularism, which is a clear separation between religious affairs and governance. In place since 1905, Laïcité has gone further by prohibiting religious expression in the public sphere. The aim is to assimilate different immigratns to achieve harmony in society. In response to the behaviour of the immigrants, the French government has strengthened their resolve in upholding the Laïcité policy by introducing the law to ban the wearing of burqas*, crosses and most recently in 2016, the burkinis* for Muslim women. With the increase in the number of immigrants coming to France over the years, the French government faces a great challenge in enforcing the adoption of the French identity by the immigrants. Study the following sources to find out the extent to which Laïcité is necessary for assimilation in France. *burqas - a long, loose garment covering the whole body from head to feet, worn in public by women in many Muslim countries *burkinis – modest swimwear that covers the whole body, worn by Muslim women Source A: A cartoon published in Le Droit, a leading newspaper in Canada in 2012, showcasing immigrants lining up to take on French citizenship.

3 Source B: A cartoon by an online American Magazine on 31 August 2016. Source C: Adapted from an interview with a French feminist* on the burkini ban published in a French news blog, August 2016. We live in a materialistic society where people are very shallow and conscious about a woman’s look. The ban on the burkini is actually forbidding a wet suit with a hood. Furthermore, it is not worn in a government building but on a beach. As a muslim, I wear a burkini regularly and would describe myself as a feminist. I choose to dress this way because it gives me freedom. I don’t have to worry about strange men looking at my figure or judging my looks. At the same time, I feel that these measures, especially the ban on burkini, are isolating France’s muslims. Little by little, muslim women are being pushed back indoors where it is harder for them to integrate with the French population. Feminist* - a person who tries to achieve change that helps women to get equal opportunities and treatment Source D: Adapted from an interview given by a French Minister for women’s rights to Le Parisien, French daily newspaper in 2016. The burkini is not some new line of swimwear, it is the beach version of the burqa and it has the same logic: hide women’s bodies in order to better control them. It is not just the business of those women who wear it because it is the symbol of a political protest that is hostile to diversity and women’s liberation.

4 Source E: Results of a study published by a French researcher, called “Laïcité in Practice: the Representations of French Teenagers’ for the British Journal of Religious Education on 18 Feb 2011. Question: There are people from different religions living in every country. What do you think would help them to live together in peace? Yes (%) No (%) Without opinion (%) If they do something together 82 9 9 If they know about each other’s religion 74 16 10 If everybody keeps their own religion in private 46 24 28 If the state has strong laws about the role of religion in society 29 28 41 Source F: A poster created by the French Government. The poster is about the principle of laïcite and the word ‘Laïcité’ is formed using one letter from the different religions. The words in French read Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Atheism. ‘Pour Vivre Ensemble’ means living together.

5 SECTION B (Structured-Response Question) Question 2 is compulsory for all candidates. 2 BEING PART OF A GLOBALISED WORLD Study the extracts carefully, and then answer the questions. Extract 1 As a globalised city, Singapore has one of the highest Internet penetration rates. Singapore has also developed its infrastructure, technologies and legislation to deal with threats from cyber-terrorism. Despite these developments, Singapore is not free from such threats due to the human factor — long seen as the first line of defence. This had contributed to some of the recent cyber attacks such as hackers breaking into SingHealth's I.T. systems to steal the data of 1.5 million patients due to the complacency of the people managing the system as they ignored the warning signs before the data was stolen. . Extract 2 Singapore has been facing threats from homegrown radicalisation. This was most vividly seen through the case of Abdul Basheer Kader, a 28-year-old Singaporean lecturer with a background in law. He was about to make contact with a terror group in Pakistan to train for “militant jihad” at the time of his arrest in Singapore in February 2007. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs, Abdul Basheer was influenced by radical jihadists’ websites from the Internet. Extract 3 The Singapore government ensures the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and our homeland agencies protect key installations in Singapore. For example, Jurong Island is protected by the SAF troops working closely with the Singapore Police Force and the Police Coast Guards to guard the sea and land access to the island. (a) Extract 1 states that Singaporeans take the threat of cyber-terrorism lightly. In your opinion, what can be done to make individuals play a more active role to combat the threat of cyber-terrorism? Explain your answer using two strategies. [7] (b) Extract 2 and Extract 3 reflect how Singapore is vulnerable to transnational terrorism and some measures taken by the government to tackle this threat. Do you agree the preventive measures are more effective than the protective measures to counter the threat of transnational terrorism in Singapore? Explain your answer.