Countering the threat of Daesh in Malaysia
It is reported that between February 2013 to 2015, Malaysian police have arrested 107 individuals for allegedly attempting to join Daesh or Daesh-affiliated groups in Syria and Iraq. In May 2016, four Malaysians appeared in Daesh media al-Barakah, burning their passports and declaring war against...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Book Chapter |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung; S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/64787/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/64787/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/64787/12/64787%20Countering%20the%20Threats%20of%20Daesh%20in%20Malaysia.pdf |
| Summary: | It is reported that between February 2013 to 2015, Malaysian police have arrested 107
individuals for allegedly attempting to join Daesh or Daesh-affiliated groups in Syria
and Iraq. In May 2016, four Malaysians appeared in Daesh media al-Barakah, burning
their passports and declaring war against the Malaysian government. Malaysian
authorities believe that they are members of Katibah Nusantara which were responsible
for the Jakarta attack on 14 January 2016. In June 2016, one Malaysian appeared again
in a Daesh-produced video. This time he openly declared war against the Malaysian
police and the taghut regime, before proceeding to slaughter three individuals suspected
of being spies. The police later identified the person as Mohd Rafi Udin, a former
member of Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) and a former Internal Security Act
(ISA)1 detainee. This alarming trend indicates that the Daesh threat is not diminishing
despite the fact that they are losing ground in Syria and Iraq. Given the gravity of the
issue, this article essentially attempts to discuss four interrelated issues: (1) threats to
Malaysia’s national security, 1967-2015; (2) the emergence of Daesh-affiliated groups
in Malaysia; (3) motivations for Malaysians to join Daesh; and (4) approaches taken by
the Malaysian government and civil society in tackling the Daesh threat in Malaysia. |
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