KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — Malaysia’s knowledge from combating the communist insurgency have given Putrajaya crucial lessons in crafting strategies against the rise of the Islamic State, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

The Bagan Datoh MP, who is also deputy prime minister, said the experience included outreach programmes to counter extremist ideologies at its source, a key component to deradicalising militants.

“Malaysia has the proud record of eradicating the communist threat as well as successfully overcoming other numerous incidences of extremism, religious or otherwise, in the many years following its independence,” he said in his ministerial statement at the International Conference on Deradicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism here.

“Strategies which we have employed, while largely offensive tactically, have also included outreach-type programmes to counter extremist ideologies at its source. By this I mean programmes to reach into the psyche of extremists,” he added.

Today’s day-long conference will see delegations from various countries discuss deradicalisation efforts to combat the appeal of the IS, which government leaders conceded has gained a foothold in the region.

Zahid said understanding the psyche of extremists can help address the root cause behind why people join groups like the IS.

“We may know how an extremist might act in a given scenario, but we may not necessarily know why. The why brings us into the battle of minds, of emotions and personal leanings,” he said.

A Pew Research Centre study last year on the attitude of Muslims towards IS showed that 11 per cent of Malaysians supported the Muslim militant group that has claimed responsibility over the January 14 bombings in Jakarta, Indonesia, that killed four civilians and four terrorists.

Bukit Aman’s counter-terrorism unit chief SAC Datuk Ayub Khan previously noted that those drawn to the IS or other Islamic extremist groups often come from broken families and had shallow religious knowledge.

Zahid said today Putrajaya has designed a rehabilitation module for former militants. The module covers various aspects like social skills, self-management, patriotism, financial management and psychology.

The government also collaborates with community figures like clerics, NGOs, family members and former militants in its rehabilitation programmes.

These figures are key to correcting misinterpretation or misconceptions linked to radicalism, and provide psychological and spiritual guidance for detained militants, he added.