PETALING JAYA, Oct 16 ― The increasing number of young Muslim Malaysians subscribing to Islamic State’s (IS) jihad has left enforcement authorities befuddled but appeared not to worry scholars who said the problem is not worrying given rising local crime.

Downplaying the threat to Malaysia, International Islamic University (IIU) professor Dr Maszlee Malik higher cost of living as the government rolls back its system of subsidies poses more dangers as it widens the wedge between the rich and the poor.

“ISIS is not stealing my motorbike, committing snatch theft, robbing or walking around with grenades. But it is evident that gangs are recruiting in schools and a life of crime is more appealing with the higher cost of living and the lack of suitable employment opportunities,” said Maszlee at a forum attended by some 60 people here yesterday.

Unconvinced by official statistics that violent crime nationwide has declined sharply over the years, Maszlee insisted that the soaring crime rate ― which he said has blighted the capital ― requires urgent attention, echoing public criticism that the country’s enforcers are “losing priority”.

Penang Institute’s chief executive officer Zairil Khir Johari said the Islamic State is “symptomatic” of a broader issue noting that the islamic State fighters are mostly youths who have lost hope in the system of democracy.

“Unless the sense of injustice is enough to get hundreds and thousands to go I don’t think it is a threat here,” said Zairil.

As many as 40 Malaysians are currently fighting for the Islamic State in Syria, with some saying that the jihad was mandated by the Prophet Muhammad, business news service Bloomberg reported last month.

Some of the jihadists identified as Malaysian come from diverse backgrounds and include a former Kedah PAS leader Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was died in Syria following an ambush, and a UK-educated 38-year-old who held a job with a construction company, Ahmad Salman Abdul Rahim.

Malaysia has designated IS a terrorist group.