BUT DOES JAKIM KNOW? Explain true meaning of jihad to Muslims - Najib tells Jakim

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today urged the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to play an important role in explaining the true meaning of jihad, as Malaysia faces possible threat from militants abroad.

Najib, who was speaking at the Prime Minister's Department's monthly gathering this morning, said explanation from the religious body was important to prevent misunderstanding of the concept among Muslims in the country and address militant activities involving Malaysians.

"It (curbing militancy) is not just the responsibility of the authorities, but also agencies such as Jakim which is required to provide explanation on jihad, what programmes we have, our commitment to the makasid Shariah (the objectives of the Shariah or Islamic laws).

"All these must be explained to ensure there is no misunderstanding of our role as a Muslim," he said.

On the White Paper entitled "Ke Arah Menangani Ancaman Kumpulan Islamic State (Isis)" (Tackling the Isis Threat), Najib said that the new bill would be tabled in Parliament in March, aimed at combating the threat of terrorism in the country.

"Last year, we acknowledged the threat to our country in terms of security and I have presented a white paper on the threat of Isis.

"Come March, I will present the new bill to deal with this threat," he said.

In November, apart from the announcement of the White Paper, Najib had also proposed to strengthen existing laws such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, Prevention of Crime Act and the Penal Code to curb the threat of terrorism and militancy.

The paper stated that the rise of Isis's influence could inspire and reignite militant groups in Malaysia.

It also said that the call to jihad by Isis was very influential as it was based on Islamic compulsion that has been manipulated so Malaysians were compelled to join them.

Reports have so far said that Putrajaya has identified 34 Malaysians who had joined Isis, including five who have been killed in action.

The Malaysians fighting alongside Isis forces in the Middle East were influenced to take up the struggle via social media, intelligence sources had previously said.

Some, like former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Lotfi Ariffin who was killed in Syria, had not only posted about his activities with the militants on Facebook, but had also issued call-to-action messages. – TMI