KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — Free speech without limits has led to acts of extremism around the world and is the one “trigger” to public disorder, an Utusan Malaysia assistant news editor warned today in the wake of the recent terror attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The Umno-owned daily’s Zulkefli Hamzah said Malaysians still have yet to learn from lessons abroad and are constantly fighting to protect groups that are openly attacking those who have long maintained peace and order in the country.

As an example, Zulkefli cited the case of Lawyers for Liberty’s Eric Paulsen, who was recently arrested over his tweet criticising the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

“Although many have objected to his controversial remarks that Jakim’s Friday sermons promote extremism, he (Paulsen) has stood by his words.

“He has refused to retract his statement or apologise, however hard others have urged him,” the writer said in an article today.

He said the attack against Jakim is clearly because the federal religious authority is seen as a deterrent to the fight for free speech.

But Zulkefli reminded critics that in the case of the Charlie Hebdo, it was the magazine’s persistent fight for free speech without limits that had resulted in the murder of 12 of its editorial staff.

Free speech, he added, has caused turmoil across the world.

“Absolute freedom has led to the blossoming of extremism,” he said.

Last Friday, Paulsen allegedly posted on Twitter a remark that read: “Jakim is promoting extremism every Friday. Govt needs to address that if serious about extremism in Malaysia.”

Paulsen was arrested on Monday night by between 15 and 20 police officers, before being remanded for two days. He has since been released.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said unlimited freedom would give rise to extremism and warned that failure to respect the sensitivities of those of other faiths could result in a repeat of the Charlie Hebdo murders.

As such, he said, such freedom must come hand-in-hand with a mechanism for individuals to answer to their irresponsible actions

“We cannot follow ultimate freedom. Coincidentally, my statement coincides with what the Pope (Francis) said,” Najib said in his speech to officiate the Malaysian Youth Council’s (MBM) annual general meeting here.

“If we want the world to be peaceful, we must create a situation whereby we have to bear full responsibility over our actions,” he added.

Najib said that if religious beliefs are criticised in the name of freedom, it will result in severe repercussion.

A total of 12 editorial staff members from Charlie Hebdo were killed in a massacre on January 7 when several gunmen stormed the magazine’s office in Paris to protest its publication of several unsavoury cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.