WASHINGTON, DC: Malaysia's goal isn't limited to crippling the Islamic State (IS) but to ensure its complete defeat, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said combating terror groups such as the IS or Al-Qaeda and stopping them from carrying out their terror activities have become the goal of the Malaysian government.
Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said Malaysia's commitment towards destroying the radical activities which hide behind the veil of 'jihad' is backed up by a comprehensive strategy.
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"Together with other nations, including the United States, Malaysia will continue to defend the peace of the world community from any form of militant threat.
"We have to break the momentum of the IS before they destroy us," he said in his speech in front of 200 International Services faculty of the American University here today.
He said Malaysia's approach towards tackling terror groups encompasses three points. These include ensuring that the funding for such groups are stopped under the AMLATFA 2001 laws.
Malaysia, he said, has prevented the militant groups' access to explosives, firearms and accessories to create improvised explosive devices (IED), as well as components related to nuclear weapons.
Zahid said Malaysia has also not neglected to give focus to social media use, which has been identified as a major tool for such groups to spread their ideologies.
In the dialogue session, Zahid also shared his views on Malaysia's expertise in deradicalisation. Malaysia had previously experienced combating Communists and similar ideologies, specifically in the 1950s.
"We defeated them (communists) without overly burdening national expenditure. The fact remains that Malaysia is one of the only countries in the world which had defeated the communists in jungle warfare, and won over the hearts and minds of their former sympathisers.
"The memories of this painful period in our history has placed us in a strong position, in line with our goals to battle extremism together with the global community." - NST
He said combating terror groups such as the IS or Al-Qaeda and stopping them from carrying out their terror activities have become the goal of the Malaysian government.
Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said Malaysia's commitment towards destroying the radical activities which hide behind the veil of 'jihad' is backed up by a comprehensive strategy.
"We have to break the momentum of the IS before they destroy us," he said in his speech in front of 200 International Services faculty of the American University here today.
He said Malaysia's approach towards tackling terror groups encompasses three points. These include ensuring that the funding for such groups are stopped under the AMLATFA 2001 laws.
Malaysia, he said, has prevented the militant groups' access to explosives, firearms and accessories to create improvised explosive devices (IED), as well as components related to nuclear weapons.
Zahid said Malaysia has also not neglected to give focus to social media use, which has been identified as a major tool for such groups to spread their ideologies.
In the dialogue session, Zahid also shared his views on Malaysia's expertise in deradicalisation. Malaysia had previously experienced combating Communists and similar ideologies, specifically in the 1950s.
"We defeated them (communists) without overly burdening national expenditure. The fact remains that Malaysia is one of the only countries in the world which had defeated the communists in jungle warfare, and won over the hearts and minds of their former sympathisers.
"The memories of this painful period in our history has placed us in a strong position, in line with our goals to battle extremism together with the global community." - NST