KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak emphasised on his administration's no-tolerance policy for extremism yesterday to world leaders, telling the United Nations General Assembly that those of different racial and religious backgrounds thrive here in Malaysia.

In his speech during the 70th session of the assembly, the prime minister said Malaysia views the problem of militancy seriously, and has been working hard to detain those with links to the Islamic State (IS) terror movement.

He noted that in recent months, Malaysia's security forces have identified 39 Malaysians who have travelled to join the IS, while over 100 here have been arrested.

Although Malaysia has not suffered from any successful terrorist attacks, Najib said many of these individuals were trying to either use Kuala Lumpur as their transit point or attempting to sow violence and destruction on home soil.

"These threats are real," he told the UN General Assembly. "There are people who want to bring terror to our streets."

"We will not stand for it, neither will they succeed. For Malaysia has been, and will always be, a land where many faiths and ethnicities freely prosper and thrive," he said.

Najib also reminded UN leaders of his speech to the assembly five years ago when he preached about Malaysia's brand of moderation and called for a global movement of moderates where all countries and those of all religions work together to "reclaim the centre" and "marginalise the extremists".

He said Malaysia has followed up on this since then, both through action and by building intellectual capacity.

"We believe that moderation is key," he said.

"Moderation is not about being weak. On the contrary, it is courageous and shows strength. The strength to push for peace and put the people first," Najib added.

The prime minister then offered Malaysia's experience in upholding Islam and its marginalisation of extremism to the assembly, noting again that the country has done well to maintain a multi-ethnic society for all those of different faiths and backgrounds.