As more Malaysians join jihad in Syria, Dr M fears Islamic State coming home Skip to main content

As more Malaysians join jihad in Syria, Dr M fears Islamic State coming home


KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Muslims enamoured with the Islamic State jihadist movement in Syria could be tempted to replicate the violent revolution in Malaysia, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad suggested today.


Warning Putrajaya that it no longer has the Internal Security Act (ISA) to deal with such a contingency, Dr Mahathir said it was not impossible that rebels from neighbouring countries might attempt invade Malaysia to form an “Islamic state” here.
“A call for form an ‘Islamic state’ is very tempting to Muslim youths anywhere because they are disappointed that there is no government or country that is willing to save Islam, Muslims, and the Islamic countries,” he wrote on his personal blog, Chedet.cc, today
He pointed out that the conflict in Syria and Iraq was founded on the ideological differences between the Shiah and Sunni denominations, a religious clash that is also present in Malaysia that only recognises the former school of Islamic jurisprudence.
Dr Mahathir added that there are claims of some Muslims here who feel Malaysia is not adequately Islamic and that some of these were among those who have travelled to the Middle East to partake in the Islamic State’s so-called “jihad”.
“If it crosses their mind to make Malaysia a part of the ‘Islamic State’, would they not join in attacks launched from the outside by those calling for jihad to form an Islamic state in Malaysia?”
Seeds of such discontent already exist, Dr Mahathir asserted, pointing to growing secessionist movements in Sabah that was also the site of an armed Sulu incursion last year.
He also reminded readers of the Al-Maunah militant group that raided an army camp for weapons in July 2000 before they were cornered in a deadly standoff with the armed forces and police.
Earlier today, the Bloomberg news service reported that as many as 40 Malaysians are currently fighting for the Islamic State in Syria, with some saying that the jihad was mandated by the Prophet Muhammad.
The total number of Southeast Asians fighting alongside Islamic State is estimated by governments and police to be a few hundred.
The violence and brutality committed by terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria poses a threat to the Middle East and, if left unchecked, the world, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations said in a statement on September 27.
Malaysians and Indonesians fighting for the IS have also reportedly banded together over their common language and are said to be planning to expand their numbers to form a “katibah”, a military unit of 100 men roughly equivalent to a company.
Malaysia has designated IS a terrorist group.
The organisation was formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
On August 11 this year, Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post reported that Malaysian police have revealed local jihadists who joined IS are now training their sights on Putrajaya.
A senior Malaysian police official was reported as saying that suspected jihadists had planned attacks on entertainment venues in Kuala Lumpur and a Carlsberg factory in Petaling Jaya.
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/as-more-malaysians-join-jihad-in-syria-dr-m-fears-islamic-state-coming-home#sthash.QbVlcEVa.dpuf

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f