KL pledges to fight Islamic extremism

KL pledges to fight Islamic extremism

MALAYSIA: Malaysia will fight Islamic extremism through "aggressive efforts" to explain the religion's peaceful message, the king on Tuesday told the first session of parliament since the government won a landslide victory in March elections.

Warning that extremism led to terrorism, King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin said "narrow interpretations and extremist practices are the main reasons causing Muslims to become weak and marginalized from the wave of development".

Malaysia's ruling National Front government, which thrashed the fundamentalist Islamic Party at the polls in this multiracial nation, had proved that Islam was "a peace-loving religion" and that Muslims and non-Muslims could live side by side in peace.

"At a time when the Muslim world is slammed by the West and Islam is equated with terrorism," Malaysia had also shown that "democracy and development are not contrary to Islamic values", he said. --AFP