Speaking in a dialogue session with community leaders representing the city-state's various ethnic communities, Goh vowed his government will not allow any form of discrimination after the arrest of 13 suspected Islamic militants belonging to the clandestine Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror cell.

"The JI espisode has worrying implications for our multi-racial and multi-religious society," said Goh during the dialogue late Monday.

"The government will therefore not allow any Singaporean to discriminate against and blame our Malay Muslim community for the acts of these few extremists," he said.

Singapore's population is composed of 77 percent ethnic Chinese, 7.7 percent Indians, and 14 percent Malays, most of whom follow Islam. The rest are Eurasians and other minorities.

Leaders of the tiny Southeast Asian state have been concerned about racial harmony since the September attacks on the United States, followed by the arrest here in December of the 13 Muslims with alleged links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Goh said he was especially worried about racial ties at the grassroots level where a minor incident or remark can trigger a confrontation.

"People on the ground, however, tend to react emotionally based on rumours, hearsay and prejudices," he said.

"A minor incident could blow up into a major confrontation between the races and religions. We must prevent this," said Goh.

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