BUT do they know what he said about Ngeh? Malaysia's Moderation

A full-throated defense of free expression it wasn't. But Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's response last week to "The Innocence of Muslims" film and Charlie Hebdo caricatures nevertheless deserves praise.

"I urge Muslims to remain peaceful and not resort to violence as a means of showing dissatisfaction," Mr. Najib said in a September 20 blog post. "Now, more than ever, each of us has a responsibility to work together for greater respect, tolerance and understanding so we may live in harmony." While calling the film and cartoons "unnecessarily inflammatory to Muslims," Mr. Najib allowed that they may not have broken Western laws.

Mr. Najib's rejection of extremism contrasts favorably with the poisonous rhetoric emanating from some Muslim capitals this past month. In a late, unsurprising surge, Pakistan vaulted to the back of the pack Saturday when its railways minister announced a $100,000 bounty on the "Innocence" filmmaker.

Malaysia's leader ended his statement with an invitation for people of all faiths to join his "Global Movement of the Moderates," a pet project unveiled at last year's United Nations General Assembly. British Prime Minister David Cameron and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have endorsed the concept.

Malaysia's push to advertise its religious moderation is companion to its bid to better integrate itself into the world economy. It is one of two Muslim states negotiating to join the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (the other is Brunei), which according to one study will boost the country's GDP by 2.7%.

Actions speak louder than words, but recent unrest in the Muslim world has shown that words can wreak havoc when spoken by the powerful as incitement to violence. In the debate over Islam's soul, Mr. Najib's counsel of responding to provocation with peaceful protest is welcome.-WSJ.com