KUALA LUMPUR: Although Malaysia lacks a recent history of radical Islamist movements, the government is launching a new program for schools to ensure that they can combat any “radical” Islamic leanings among youth. According to the Home Ministry's Religious Officer Zamihan Zain, the new initiative will help push a more “open and tolerant” form of Islam that will battle against any “wrong interpretation” of Islam that he argued was beginning to find its way into Malaysian society. “They (leaders), for example, give inaccurate interpretation of the ‘jihad' concept. The jihad concept is wide and not only confined to war, but the leader exploits religious teachings for personal interests to an extent of willing to engage in violent act to overthrow a government,” he added, in comments published by the Bernama news agency. Zain was a member of the panel on the BernamaTV talk show ‘Hello Malaysia' with the Bukit Aman Special Operations Force deputy chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. Islam is a touchy subject in Malaysia, with a number of books being banned due to their promotion of a differing perspective on the faith than that of what the government would like to see pushed.
