M’sia willing to work with other nations against terror

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is ready to step up its cooperation with like-minded countries in countering the distorted narratives, radicalisation and violent methods of extremists and terrorists, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said.

“We must stand together in condemning the heinous and abhorrent acts of violence and terrorism in all their forms.

“(It falls to us) to take concerted efforts to obliterate their threat, and to counter their deviated and delusional narratives,” he told the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition Against Daesh in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Tuesday.

In his speech, which was made available here yesterday, Anifah said Malaysia held the values of moderation, or wasatiyyah, as one of the fundamentally crucial approaches in deradicalisation efforts and countering Daesh (another name for the Islamic State terror group).

The coalition was established in September 2014 based on global concerns over Daesh and the threat it poses to international peace.

The coalition has 71 members, including Malaysia, as well as four institutions: the Arab League, Interpol, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) and the European Union.

Anifah pointed out that after its defeat in the newly-liberated areas of Iraq and Syria, Daesh had moved its focus to other parts of the world, including South-East Asia, and had initiated as well as plotted several attacks, perhaps with new methods.

He said the loss of territory would certainly make digital and virtual communications more important for it to spread its false ideology globally.

Anifah said Malaysia adopted a proactive stance by implementing preventive measures, based on its own legal framework as well as international law and UN Security Council resolutions.

“Such a framework, followed by strong enforcement through both the soft and hard approach, has shown tangible results,” he said.