IS threat no small matter

"The threat from the Islamic State (IS) should be taken seriously as it is neither a drama nor a farce created by the government".

These were the words uttered by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar after attending the Crime Matters forum at the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) College, Cheras here Thursday.

Those words clearly reflect his message to people, from all walks of life, on security challenges faced by the country following the involvement of Malaysians in the militant group.

With an angry expression on his face, he stressed the need to view the IS threat seriously as there are people in this country who are still not aware of the existence of the IS threat and were taking this issue for granted.

If we look at the history of the various threats that had plagued the country, the government has never politicised issues related to the country's security, especially the IS threat, the greatest terror threat facing the world today.

Although only a small number of Malaysians are involved in IS activities, members of the public, civil servants, intellectuals, professionals and students have also been influenced by the group's ideology.

On Feb 18, police had arrested a 14-year-old female student at the KL International Airport (KLIA) on suspicion of attempting to join the IS militant group in Syria.

Speaking at a press conference regarding the arrest, Khalid said the student had made preparations to travel to Syria via Egypt, and police believed she had a friend or contact in Egypt and she was influenced by social networking sites.

On Oct 6, a commando from the 21st Commando Regiment, Sungei Udang Camp was charged in the Magistrate's Court in Melaka with having in his possession printed material associated with the IS militant group in August.

Following the growing number of Malaysians being involved in IS, the government and the police have intensified campaigns against the militant group including by organising the forum to create awareness among the people.

According to police statistics, from February until June this year, police had arrested more than 122 people in the country including 105 locals for involvement in terrorism related activities.

The IS goal is to establish a caliphate system, namely a country ruled by a political and religious leader. This group employs violent tactics, including massacring hostages, kidnapping and beheading their victims.

The IS movement is a global threat that not only involves the Middle East but also has spread throughout the world over their ability to exploit the use of social media in spreading their propaganda.

In fact, police investigations revealed that social media has now become the main medium for the IS militant group to recruit new members and spread the group's ideology.

Around 95 per cent of the Malaysians who joined IS were recruited via social media and police are facing major problems to control and suppress them as they have been very adept in using the latest technology.

Crime Analyst Shahul Hamid Abdul Rahim said parents should play an important role in monitoring the daily activities of their children when surfing social networking sites.

Shahul Hamid said a lack of religious upbringing was among the causes of young people being easily influenced by IS and assuming their teachings were true.

"Our country is among the IS militants contributor to major countries like Syria and many are participating because their understanding has been distorted," he said.

Apart from that, the authorities should also monitor education centres in rural areas as it might pose a risk of becoming the spreading place for the IS ideology, he said.

Although, three acts namely the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, (SOSMA), Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) 2013 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (POTA) were drawn up to curb extremist activities in the country, cooperation from all walks of life is needed, especially parents to combat the menace.