Enhanced acceptance of movement of moderates at regional, international levels
BANGKOK: Datuk Dr Nasharudin Mat Isa is probably the busiest individual involved in advocating and promoting moderation, which he deems the answer to the global threats of terrorism and extremism.
In fact, the executive chairman and chief executive officer of the Global Movement of Moderates ( GMM) Foundation said all his activities were due to and in line with the enhanced acceptance of movement of moderates around the world.
“Alhamdulillah, after one and a half year being the CEO of GMM, ( I can say) that the response for the movement of moderates is very positive,” Nasharudin, or better known as Ustaz Nasha told Bernama recently.
He was met after delivering a keynoteaddressattheinternational seminar on “Moderation: Islamic Approach to Face The Global Transition on ASEASN-Thailand” at the University of Chulalongkorn here.
According to Nasharudin, moderation is a soft measure in tackling the threats of terrorism, radicalism and extremism, which had been haunting the world community yesterday.
He said a hard measure to tackle the threats had been adopted before, but it had resulted in equivocal outcome, hence the need for a softer measure.
“A moderate approach in Islam is the answer to all the threats,” said the man who was appointed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to lead the GMM Foundation in 2015.
This is Nasharuddin’s second visit to Thailand in the first quarter of this year after attending another seminar on moderation in the conflict- stricken Pattani, in southern Thailand last January.
The Thai government, he said has pledged its support to the efforts taken by the GMM and movement of moderates pioneered by the foundation. In the next weeks, Nasharudin said he would be in another conflict- stricken region in the Southeast Asia, namely the southern of Philippine, to share his opinion on moderation and roles played by the GMM.
He said the problems and conflict in southern Philippines could be solved through moderation.
“I have been invited by the Philippine Army to share my views about the moderation approach as a solution to the issues in southern Philippine,” he said.
Nasharuddin’s involvement in such programmes in Thailand and Philippine was proof of the enhanced acceptance of the regional governments of Malaysia’s initiative on the movement of moderates.
“We have built a foundation and created an interest and awareness among the people out there to accept the moderate approach,” he said, adding that the GMM would also intensify efforts to promote the movement of moderates through its interaction with other regional bodies and organisations.
Apart from regional level, Nasharudin had also been active at the international level and had visited France three times to participate in various programmes to promote the movement of moderates.
Infact,hesaidtheGMMwouldalso be involved in the anti-terrorism cooperation as announced by the prime minister and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi recently. — Bernama