Mohamad Zulfikar Shariff, who has expressed sympathy for suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and opposed Singapore's support for the US-led war on terrorism, said he objected to politicians tagging him an "extremist".

He said he would file criminal defamation suits "in two or three days".

Police have questioned Zulfikar this week over three articles posted last month on the website of the Muslim organisation Fateha, saying they were directed to carry out the defamation investigation by the attorney general.

"I told the police I took full responsibility for the three articles," Zulfikar, a former head of Fateha, told AFP, adding they were written because he was "trying to promote more transparency" in Singapore.

One article, "Is Yaacob Ibrahim a hypocrite", referred to the Muslim affairs minister, another questioned the government's ban on young Muslim girls wearing the tudung headscarf to school, and the third, "The Ho Ching miracle", covered the appointment of Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's wife as head of the powerful state investment arm Temasek Holdings.

Singapore's ruling People's Action Party (PAP), which has held a firm grip on power since independence in 1965, has regularly used defamation suits to silence critics and never lost a case.

In the process one former opposition politician has been bankrupted (Jeyaretnam), another (Tang Liang Hong) has gone into voluntary exile and been declared bankrupt in his absence, while a third, Chee Soon Juan, faces two defamation suits among several charges.

Zulfikar, a father of four sons aged one to six, said he was aware of the risks involved when challenging the government, but felt he had no choice.

"I understand the implications. I wanted to hold back but I don't feel I can do that. I could never live with myself," he said.

The police investigation began Tuesday, a day after Zulfikar was fined S$600 (US$240) for trespassing in a police station where he had gone in support of Chee who had been arrested for organising an illegal rally.

Outside the court Zulfikar reportedly said his conviction would add "more credibility to the accusation that Singapore is a police state".

In a second criminal defamation inquiry, police have seized a computer believed to have been the source of articles on the soc.culture.singapore newsgroup site entitled: "LKY and AlbinoDad beat even best lie detectors" and "Police inspector commits perjury knowing judge is bent".

Police said it was too early to say if the two incidents were connected, but Zulfikar told AFP he was only involved in articles on Fateha.com.

The PAP has argued its regular use of defamation suits is necessary to defend reputations and maintain integrity.

But it has run into international criticism, including a charge by Amnesty International that lawsuits placed "unacceptable restrictions on the right of Singaporeans to freely hold and peacefully express their opinions".

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