NEW YORK: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told United States fund managers yesterday that Malaysia was a moderate and progressive Muslim nation which rejected extremism.
“We totally reject extremism. We will continue to be moderate. I spoke on record... (Islamic State or) ISIL or ISIS, whatever you call them, don’t speak for Islam. They are against Islam, they are against God, they are against humanity,” he said.
Najib was addressing the Invest Malaysia meeting organised by Bursa Malaysia, Maybank and Credit Suisse in New York.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Malaysia told a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday that the country has designated the Islamic State (IS) as a terrorist organisation and would take stern action against its members.
He said a small number of Malaysians had joined the IS in the mistaken belief that doing so would serve the cause of jihad.
“I wish to unequivocally stress that for Malaysia, there is nothing Islamic about kidnapping, raping, torturing and murdering civilians.
“We neither condone or support the involvement of Malaysian nationals who commit terrorism or participate in conflicts abroad,” he said in a statement.
Anifah was speaking at the Security Council meeting on Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts: Foreign Terrorist Fighters.
He also said Malaysia believed that terrorism needs to be addressed in a comprehensive manner and not necessarily through the use of force alone.
He said countering terrorism also requires a multifaceted approach in addressing the underlying factors that support terrorism.
“On this note, Malaysia believes that there is a serious need to look into the support mechanisms including funding and supply of weapons that sustain the foreign terrorist fighters.”
In this regard, Anifah said Malaysia fully supports Resolution 2178 adopted by the Security Council meeting, which aimed to strengthen and galvanise international action to combat terrorism in general, and the scourge of foreign terrorist fighters in particular.
Anifah said Malaysia’s experience in undertaking massive and broad-based measures to counter terrorism in the past, which were proven to be successful, could be considered in light of the current threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters.
“Malaysia had in the past grappled with terrorism on its soil.
“At that time, terrorists stoked fear and hatred among the population in seeking to assert the claim that communism was superior to democracy and religion.”
Anifah said Malaysian government had later implemented measures to “win the hearts and minds of the people” to counter the threat to national sovereignty, peace and stability.
“The government’s aims were simple: assure the population that they and their children and future generations will have a decent, secure life and a promising future and they will not join the ranks of the terrorists.
“In Malaysia’s experience, such an approach has worked.”