Explain what is 'jihad' to Muslims, PM tells Jakim 
MalaysiaKini.com
Jan 19, 2015   

Religious authorities such as the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) should explain the meaning of jihad and syariah laws to Muslims in order to educate them, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said today.

Addressing civil servants at the monthly assembly at Dataran Perdana today, Najib said the explanations are needed so that Muslims understand "what to do and what not to do".

His remarks come ahead of the government's Anti-Terrorism Bill slated for March.

Increasing number of Malaysians have joined the Islamic State (IS) and several other jihadist movements in the Middle East of late, raising concerns about a possible threat to Malaysian security.

"We have security threats, and aside from enforcement, we also need action from other parties, such as Jakim and so on, to explain things to Muslims," Najib said.

"Maybe they can explain what is the meaning of ‘jihad’ and our Syariah laws, among others. So that the people know what they can do as Muslims," he added.

He said that such explanations are important to ensure that no-one "misunderstands".

Malaysia has already declared IS as a terrorist organisation and a white paper on terrorism was tabled by Najib in Parliament at the end of last year.

The paper indicated that the government is trying to stop more Malaysians from joining the IS cause, which has caused mass killings in Middle Eastern nations such as Iraq and Syria. 

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