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STATEMENT BY THE HONOURABLE DATO' SRI ANIFAH AMAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF MALAYSIA AT THE MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE GLOBAL COALITION AGAINST DA'ESH WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WEDNESDAY, 22 MARCH 2017
Thursday 23/03/2017
The Honourable Rex Tillerson Secretary of State of the United States of America Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, Allow me to begin by expressing my appreciation to the Government of the United States for convening this important meeting. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Honourable Rex Tillerson on his appointment as the US Secretary of State. 2. Malaysia commends the Global Coalition’s achievements in its campaign to degrade and defeat Da’esh, particularly in liberating more than half of the areas in Iraq and one-third of the areas in Syria that were previously controlled by Da’esh. I am confident that, under your able stewardship, our discourse today will enable us to do more, to alleviate the dire situation in these areas. 3, Less than a year after joining this Coalition in September 2015, Malaysia had successfully established our national and regional digital counter-messaging centres in 2016, with the solid support and cooperation of the United States. These initiatives serve to address the threat posed by terrorist messaging, particularly on the digital platform. 4. We have countered terrorism messaging with creative digital end-products, which cover a range of themes that are highly relevant to countering violent extremism. These include - from raising awareness among parents of youth that could be vulnerable to radicalization, to attacking the myths of ‘masculinity’ associated with the romanticized notion of Jihad - and to using figures and images from popular culture as well as traditional poetry to satirize and undermine the efforts of Da’esh. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, 5. Moderation is an all-encompassing approach that emphasizes the values of understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and inclusiveness in resolving differences and conflicts peacefully. These are the very noble values that are non-existent in the wayward ideology of Da’esh. Retelling the narrative of true Islam that embraces these virtues is as vital in countering extremism as it is in putting a stop to the barbarities perpetrated by these misguided people. 6. Malaysia and other countries in the Southeast Asian region are facing increasing threats from foreign terrorist fighters as well as from our own returning countrymen who had joined Da’esh in Iraq and Syria. They had initiated several terrorist attacks in the region. Fortunately, the Malaysian authorities had managed to thwart several attempts to launch these attacks on our soil, and had arrested Da’esh sympathisers and operatives, 7. Following the strengthening of our national legislations in 2015, the number of terrorist suspects arrested by the Malaysian authorities had increased substantially. This is indeed a very alarming trend. We therefore count on the continued collaboration with our partners in providing timely intelligence. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, 8. Deradicalization remains an indispensable component in Malaysia’s counter terrorism strategy. We subscribe to the belief that those who have been convicted under our terrorism-related laws had been misled into embracing a completely objectionable version of Islam. Therefore, deradicalization and rehabilitation are important to enable them to be reintegrated into society. We have been able to effectively deradicalize and rehabilitate them. Our success rate stands at 97.5 per cent. In this regard, Malaysia is ready to share our expertise with other countries. 9. Malaysia fully supports the Global Coalition’s call for urgent funding for the newly liberated areas in Iraq and Syria. In this regard, I am pleased to announce Malaysia’s contribution of 1 million USD to the fund, to be earmarked for humanitarian assistance in the said areas. 10. Let me conclude by reaffirming Malaysia’s unequivocal support and commitment to the Global Coalition in its endeavour to degrade and ultimately defeat Da’esh. Thank you.
Source : Ministry of Foreign Affairs
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Name : NIZAM HALIMI Assistant Secretary Division of Communications and Public Diplomacy Email : nizamhalimi@kln.gov.my
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