Religious officer says Malaysians should be taught about terrorism

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- Malaysian society should be taught about terrorism to contain the extremist ideology linked to Islam to avoid terrorism incidents in the country. The Home Ministry's Religious Officer, Zamihan Mat Zain, said it was due to wrong interpretation of Islam that some people in the country were influenced by extremism. "They (leaders), for example, give inaccurate interpretations of 'jihad'. The jihad concept is wide and not only confined to war, but these leaders exploit religious teachings for personal interest to the extent of willing to engage in violent acts to overthrow a government," he said. Zamihan was a member of the panel on the BernamaTV talk show 'Hello Malaysia’ with Bukit Aman Special Operations Force deputy chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. In a programme titled "Religion and Terrorism" broadcast live on Thursday night, Zamihan said Malaysia formulates a rehabilitation module for members of militant groups who were detained. "This module can be carried out with the cooperation of the relevant agencies, such as the Islamic Religious Department and the police," he said. Ayob Khan said based on police observations on previous cases involving militant groups, most of the members were influenced by external factors and were linked to Islam. -- BERNAMA