Malaysia's king condemns religious extremists

Malaysia's king condemns religious extremists

Agence-France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia's new king condemned violent religious extremists and distortions of Islamic teachings in his first address to parliament on Monday.

Firm action was being taken to "trace and eliminate" extremist groups posing a threat to national security, said King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, who was sworn in last December.

Malaysia has in recent months detained dozens of alleged religious militants accused of plotting the overthrow of the government and having links with terrorist organizations such as Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.

The king also said he was "saddened with the emergence lately of several issues pertaining to Islam which could harm public order and national security".

These included a wrong interpretation of the concept of jihad (holy war) to mean "mere force, violence and bloodshed", he told a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses at the opening of a new parliamentary session.

"We call upon the people to revert to the true religious teachings, in order to achieve success and excellence in every aspect of life in this world and hereafter," he said.

Islam is the official religion in Malaysia, which has a Muslim majority, and the king is its symbolic head.

The main opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) accuses the government of not being Islamic enough, however, and plans to impose a purist Islamic state if it comes to power.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last year declared that Malaysia already was an Islamic state, and the king reaffirmed this while offering comfort to Malaysians of other beliefs.

"We wish to stress that Malaysia as an Islamic country does not in any way hinder the lives of the multiracial society and religious freedom...

"On the contrary, the people at large feel safe and free from any oppression in the name of religion, be it among Muslims or those of differing faiths."

Malaysia has large minorities of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians.

Under the constitution, the position of king -- known in Malay as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (He Who is Made Lord) -- is rotated every five years among the traditional Malay rulers of nine states.

The king is head of state as well as the nominal head of the military and all three branches of government. He signs bills and appoints ministers, judges and ambassadors.

But real power is wielded by Mahathir, who has been prime minister for the past 20 years.