KUCHING, July 28 ― Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said he has directed the Prison Department to separate those arrested for links to the Islamic State from other prisoners.
“I do not want the militants to be placed in the same prisons with other prisoners as they (militants) will make use of the opportunity to influence other prisoners,” he said at the Home Ministry's Hari Raya gathering here .
He said a total of 261 Malaysians have been detained for their involvement in militant and extremist activities.
He said another 33 Malaysians are also involved in fighting alongside the extremist groups in Iraq and Syria.
“In Malaysia, we are concerned because Daesh has a network to spread their brand of Islam,” he said, adding that terrorist attacks were now inevitable.
Some countries refer to the IS as Daesh, both because the group considers the term to be a pejorative and to dissociate Islam from the militant organisation.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the home minister, said such militant groups worldwide have hurt the global perception of Islam with their extreme interpretation of the religion.
“Islam is a religion of peace, but these groups, which are in the minority, have tarnished the image the religion with their extremist teaching and activities by killing Muslims and non-Muslims who do not agree with them,” he said.
He also said that indefinite detention is not the only measure taken by the government against members of any militant groups.
“Other efforts are de-radicalisation or rehabilitation so that they can become assets, not liabilities, of the country,” he said, explaining that Malaysia has the necessary experience in carrying out the de-radicalisation or rehabilitation programme since the days of the communist insurgency which started in 1948.
“Our record shows that 97.5 per cent of our de-radicalisation programme is successful,” he said, explaining the reasons why Malaysia is willing to share its success in combating Islamic militancy with other countries.
