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Criminologist: Malaysia a sinful place to IS?

By Nawar Firdaws

KUALA LUMPUR: Is Malaysia a “place of sin” in the eyes of Islamic State (IS) militants?
An expert in terrorism studies, R Paneir Selvam, certainly thinks so.
Speaking to FMT, Paneir said despite Malaysia being a Muslim country, the terror group was still able to convince a large number of its followers that Malaysia, too, had deviated from the true Islamic teachings.
“This is the IS propaganda — spreading the message that Malaysia is akin to a place of sin.
“They have successfully convinced some into believing that the country’s failure to fulfil or live up to their expectations, especially in the various aspects of religion, qualifies it as a place of sin and hence should not be spared from their attacks.”
The Association of Legal and Policy Researchers’ chairman said although the government had done its best to counter IS ideologies, some still fall for the militants’ “holier than thou” attitude.
“What Malaysian IS members fail to recognise is that the country has been very accepting and accommodating when it comes to the practice of Islam.
“Those who joined IS are the ones who do not have an in-depth understanding of the religion, making them easier to influence, especially by those who appear to be well versed in the Quran.
“IS dangles the carrot of martyrdom and a promise to have the sins of their recruits wiped clean. And that is why it particularly appeals to troubled youth.”
He added that the danger of the Syria and Iraq-based group was the fact that unlike al-Qaeda, IS is not exactly structured.
“Just a small hint, or a message from the leaders, and the members will immediately launch an attack.
“They are also driven by the call of duty to act on behalf of their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters killed elsewhere.”
To be a step ahead of the group, which has taken countless lives, Paneir said the authorities had to go beyond conventional methods and look to forming a team of experts comprising those with diverse backgrounds.
“You can’t rely solely on experts on the topic of Islam. We need to set up a team of experts in various disciplines, religions and expertise, similar to the strategy employed by the United States’ FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to counter terrorism.
“This is necessary to allow a more complete picture and understanding of the problem, so that it can come up with an ‘out of the box’ solution,” said the lecturer at Help University.
Last month, a video published by this terror group was released online, featuring the first known Malaysian IS fighter in Syria, Mohd Rafi Udin, who urged IS supporters here to stage independent attacks.
The call was followed by a grenade attack on the Movida bar in Puchong.

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